Hackensack Meridian Health Joins National Collaborative to Teach System-Wide Integration of 4Ms Age-Friendly Health System

Age-Friendly Health Systems recognition broadens to outpatient care for seniors at Hackensack University Medical Center

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the Age-Friendly Health Systems team recently invited Hackensack Meridian Health to participate in the Age-Friendly System-Wide Spread Collaborative. Participating health systems will build on their progress to spread age-friendly care system-wide, and support from expert faculty and peers will be available throughout the 18-month Collaborative. This Collaborative will convene AFHS teams from across the country in an “all teach, all learn” environment to accelerate the scale and spread of 4Ms framework care delivery, system wide. Participants will also have the opportunity to be among the first to achieve an ambitious new IHI recognition for system-wide spread of age-friendly care.

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Center for Healthy Senior Living was recognized as a 2023 Age-Friendly Health System—Committed to Care Excellence by Age-Friendly Health Systems, an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI) in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). This marks the first year of recognition for ambulatory care—in addition to previous recognition for acute care setting.

The Center for Healthy Senior Living includes board-certified geriatric medicine specialists providing services ranging from wellness and prevention to specialized hospital, nursing home and hospice care. Additionally, the team focuses on managing aging-related conditions including falls, confusion and dementia, osteoporosis, physical function and mobility concerns, perioperative care and goals of care.

Since 2021, Hackensack University Medical Center has participated in the Age-Friendly Health Systems. Now the successful program to support safety and quality in geriatric care is in effect across the Hackensack Meridian Health network.

Becoming an Age-Friendly Health System entails reliably providing a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the 4Ms, to all older adults in the system: What Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobility.

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Division of Geriatric Medicine, led by Manisha S. Parulekar, M.D., FACP, CMD, provides comprehensive care to help older adults manage the aging process—treating acute and chronic medical conditions while helping patients maximize their independence and quality of life. The 4M model offers practical guidance to help patients achieve these goals.

In addition, a geriatric quality council follows the 4M model in addressing care gaps for older adults in the acute care setting. Recent enhancements include the incorporation of 4M prompts in the EHR in acute care settings and coordination with pharmacies across the health system, such as warnings regarding pain medications that may cause delirium or have other negative effects in older patients. The opportunity to issue a consultation for delirium management (mentation) is also integrated into the EHR. The health system’s 2023 nursing conference featured the 4M model as well.

With a focus on conditions commonly associated with aging, including falls, Hackensack University Medical Center Emergency Department is one of only 11 hospitals in the country designated as a Level 1 Geriatrics Emergency Department by the American College of Emergency Physicians. The Level 1 Trauma Center provides total care for every aspect of a potential injury from prevention through rehabilitation, including a geriatric consultation for all geriatric trauma admissions.

At Hackensack University Medical Center, the Center for Memory Loss & Brain Health, a collaborative effort between Geriatrics and the Neuroscience Institute, provides comprehensive, patient-centered, coordinated care for dementia and memory disorders. “With our Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), NICHE and Delirium DSC, Hackensack University Medical Center leads the way in providing age-friendly health care,” Dr. Parulekar said.

Learn more about innovative geriatric care at Hackensack University Medical Center.