News/Press Releases

• Cracking the (Reimbursement) Code: New @AGSJournal Editorial Outlines Decade of @AmerGeriatrics Hard Work, Big Changes to Advance Covering #Geriatrics Care We Need as We Age http://ow.ly/6XQM30m6hnn

New York (Oct. 4, 2018)—For millions of older adults who rely on Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65-years-old and older, it happens seamlessly and almost always behind-the-scenes: The care we receive from expert clinicians becomes five-digit “billing codes,” which in turn ensure our clinicians can be reimbursed for their work supporting our health, safety, and independence. But even billing codes have a story to tell—an important one at that, as experts from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) describe in a new Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) editorial (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15593). The editorial outlines how several key health services—from those for managing chronic care to those for assessing cognitive health—came to be recognized as part of Medicare through an important but oft unsung facet of geriatrics expertise: its leaders’ engagement in building a better public policy environment to support the care we all need as we age.

• New #geriatrics research published in @AGSJournal offers roadmap to “revolutionary change” for #personcenteredcare

New York (Oct. 3, 2018)—Published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), two new research articles and a corresponding commentary from preeminent geriatrics leaders describe ways to make person-centered care—a novel approach to health that puts personal values and preferences at the forefront of decision-making—more actionable for older people. With our national health system at a tipping point favoring care focused on personal priorities, these new studies are among the first to celebrate “thoughtful, systematic, and incremental” approaches to ending care long fragmented and fraught with the potential for poor communication between patients, caregivers, and health professionals.

“Making person-centered care a reality for older adults with complex care needs will take time and effort, including significant research to move promising approaches from the lab bench to the clinic,” said William B. Applegate, MD, MPH, AGSF, Editor-in-Chief of JAGS and lead author on the editorial addressing the two new studies (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15536). “This work is helping test innovative strategies, which will move us toward a broader and more balanced approach to care while also providing an impetus to reengineer our care systems.”

• New @AGSJournal report on assessing #mobility has experts moving toward consensus on care we need as we age #geriatrics @AmerGeriatrics http://ow.ly/obHV30lXOUF

New York (Oct. 2, 2018)—Experts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today unveiled a list of recommendations to help health systems prioritize a vital function for us all as we age: mobility. Mobility refers to our ability to move freely and easily (on our own or with assistance). Published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), the AGS white paper (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15595) focuses on assessing mobility for hospitalized older adults, offering a roadmap for shifting health care’s focus away from negative markers of mobility loss and toward a deeper appreciation of ways mobility can be proactively assessed—and often preserved—to promote high-quality, person-centered care.¹

• Could links between vision, hearing, & brain health explain parts of how we age? @AmerGeriatrics & #geriatrics experts like sound (& sight) of those connections, according to @AGSJournal report http://ow.ly/Ng4Y30lX4ge

New York (Sept. 24, 2018)—Experts at a prestigious medical conference hosted by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) hope their work—reported today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society—will have colleagues seeing eye-to-eye on an important but under-researched area of health care: The link between impaired vision, hearing, and cognition (the medical term for our memory and thinking capabilities, which are impacted as we age by health concerns like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease).¹ With vision and hearing loss already affecting up to 40 percent of older adults¹—and with one-in-ten older people already living with Alzheimer’s disease²—the conference reviewed the current state of science regarding how these common health challenges might be connected, why the answer might matter, and what can be done to reduce sensory and cognitive impairments to preserve our health for as long as possible.

Developed by a multi-specialty editorial board brought together by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Geriatrics Society, and funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation, new virtual patient cases include a host of critical issues for older adults facing surgery, from medication management to end-of-life care planning

• First of their kind #geriatrics virtual patient cases for Surgical and Related Medical Sub-Specialties from @ABMSCert @AmerGeriatrics @JohnAHartford put best practices for surgical care in hands of health professionals who will care for us all as we age https://bit.ly/2pdX31Z

New York (September 17, 2018)—The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), with funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, today unveiled one of the field’s first suites of online tools to aid surgeons and related medical sub-specialists who care for older people. With the number of older adults undergoing surgery increasing faster than the rate of the population aging itself¹, the new series of nine AGS’ Geriatrics Virtual Patient Cases (VPCs) for Surgical and Related Medical Sub-Specialties are geared toward helping the entire healthcare system better understand and respond to the unique care needs of older adults.

New York (Aug. 13, 2018)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today opened a public comment period for reviewing the draft AGS 2018 Updated Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. Last updated in 2015, the AGS Beers Criteria® remain one of the most frequently cited reference tools in geriatrics, detailing certain types of medications which may be inappropriate to prescribe to older people who are not receiving hospice or palliative care. Comments from any and all members of the public—accepted only at https://www.americangeriatrics.org/form/ags-beers-criteria-public-comment through 5pm ET on Sept. 4, 2018—will help inform the final version of the AGS 2018 Updated Beers Criteria®, slated for release this fall. 

For their proposed 2018 update, the interprofessional panel of geriatrics experts responsible for the AGS Beers Criteria® identified more than 40 potentially problematic medications or classes of medications presently organized across five lists:

Geriatrics experts today voiced grave concerns regarding drastic proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, & other support platforms essential to us all as we age, as outlined in the U.S. House of Representatives.

New York (July 2, 2018)—In response to a budget blueprint in the U.S. House of Representatives proposing more than $530 billion in cuts to Medicare and more than $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal health programs overall—and a time when more Americans than ever before are poised to contribute to our communities thanks to federal services and supports—the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today redoubled its strong opposition to any plan for balancing governmental spending at the expense of older Americans.

“We are troubled by this budget proposal to decrease support for older adults even as more and more people across our communities approach age 65,” noted AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “Federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid have been essential to the forward momentum that has helped us live longer. We continue to offer our support and expertise to the many bipartisan legislators and experts working across the aisle on meaningful proposals that would help—not harm—us all as we age.”

New York (May 22, 2018)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today offered a ringing endorsement of the bipartisan Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act (S. 2888), a proposal in the U.S. Senate to ensure communities across the U.S. have access to health professionals and other critical supports improving care for us all as we age. Introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the bill echoes similar bipartisan legislation proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017. Now pending in each chamber of Congress, both proposals draw on considerable insights from the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), a collaborative comprised of more than 30 member organizations reflecting the diverse expertise of millions of professionals who support health in aging for older Americans and caregivers.

“The future we’re working for at the AGS—a future where all older Americans have access to high-quality, person-centered care—begins by building the workforce to make that possible and by ensuring that workforce can connect us to the tools and supports we need as we age,” notes AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. “We commend Sens. Collins and Casey for working with us and our partners to make that future a reality with the Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act. By standing behind this legislation, and a similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, we’re committed to a future when all Americans can look forward to high-quality, person-centered care.”

As the AGS continues to voice concern for public policy changes that jeopardize care for older Americans the Society’s geriatrics experts call for safeguards to protect older people who rely on Medicaid for long-term services and supports.

New York (May 11, 2017)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today voiced concern over recent reports that budget cuts in Louisiana could terminate Medicaid benefits for more than 35,000 residents of nursing and group homes, as well as for individuals who receive care at home while living well below the federal poverty line. The loss of Medicaid coverage—the federal program that funds long-term care for older Americans—not only jeopardizes long-term care benefits but also could lead to housing evictions for older people already living with limited means. As other states across the U.S. face similar budget concerns, the AGS urges state and national policymakers to support solutions that ensure all older Americans can look forward to health, safety, and independence in the communities they helped shape.

In Louisiana specifically, the state budget now includes steep health spending cuts—including those aimed at Medicaid benefits—to compensate for lost tax revenue exceeding $1 billion. Worried that other states facing similar budget gaps could turn to healthcare cuts impacting older people, AGS experts again cautioned that programs like Medicaid and Medicare remain crucial to ensuring we all have access to high-quality, person-centered care as we age.

New York (May 8, 2018)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has honored 25 leading healthcare professionals who joined the newest class of AGS Fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age.

“All of our fellows are colleagues who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to geriatrics, have contributed to advances in care, and are active participants in AGS activities,” noted Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, President of the AGS, in recognizing the new AGS Fellows at the AGS 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18; May 3-5 in Orlando, Fla.).

This past year’s fellows hail from all four corners of the country and reflect the increasingly interprofessional nature of geriatrics as a field attracting doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physicians assistants, social workers, and many others. They include: