News/Press Releases

New York (July 12, 2016)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for continuing to support improved payment for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions as part of the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. As a result of ongoing advocacy from the AGS and other specialties, CMS has proposed making payment for a number of services provided to chronically ill older adults—changes which dramatically improve current payment for chronic care management and management of people transitioning from hospital care to the home.

These proposals, which will take effect in 2017 if finalized, recognize much of the cognitive work that geriatrics healthcare professionals, primary care providers, and other cognitive specialists currently and regularly provide—until now without reimbursement—to those with chronic and acute illnesses. We thank CMS for recognizing the value and importance of this care and believe that it will dramatically improve the ability of many providers to keep older adults out of the hospital and emergency room.  

Named in honor of two pillars of geriatrics who advanced clinical leadership and health scholarship for more than two decades, this new distinction from the AGS will support emerging clinician-investigators beginning in 2017

• New Thomas & Catherine Yoshikawa Award from @AmerGeriatrics celebrates legacy of scientific achievement in #geriatrics

Long Beach, Calif. (May 19, 2016)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its Health in Aging Foundation today announced their newest honor for recognizing excellence in geriatrics research: the Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation. Named in honor of Dr. Thomas T. Yoshikawa and his wife, Catherine—who together served the AGS and the geriatrics community for more than two decades—the Yoshikawa Award will offer recognition and financial support to emerging eldercare scholars who represent the early promise of the Yoshikawas’ own illustrious career.

“AGS leaders are delighted to be celebrating Tom and Cathy Yoshikawa with this named award,” said Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, CEO of the AGS. “The award criteria reflect their commitment to fostering clinical research and to mentoring investigators at all stages of their careers.”

New York (May 10, 2016)—As more than 2,000 geriatrics experts prepare to converge on the West Coast to advance quality care for older adults, they will also toast the expanding professional breadth of geriatrics itself: Ellen Flaherty, PhD, APRN, AGSF, a member of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for nearly two decades, will become the Society’s 63rd President at the start of the 2016 AGS Annual Scientific Meeting, held May 19-21 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, Calif.

“What a remarkable privilege it is to be named AGS President. I’ve been a proud AGS member for 18 years, and it will be an honor to step into this role as an advocate for geriatrics and for older adults,” said Dr. Flaherty. “I’m particularly proud to be the second nurse member to hold this position. You could say that nursing and geriatrics are in my DNA: both my mother and sister are nurses, and I began my career in geriatrics volunteering in a nursing home as a teenager. It’s been such a rewarding career ever since.”

New York (April 12, 2016)—Multifaceted programs to prevent the use of potentially inappropriate medications, efforts to reduce certain unnecessary medical procedures, and novel interventions for linking particularly vulnerable older adults to Medicare are among headline presentations anchoring the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Annual Scientific Meeting (AGS16), held May 19-21 at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, Calif.

Presentations at the prestigious Plenary Paper Session at AGS16 (May 19, 10-11 a.m.) represent some of geriatrics most promising scholarship as assessed by peer experts and program planners from a pool of more than 800 abstract submissions. This year’s highlights include:

New York (April 11, 2016)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, patient-centered care for older adults. This year’s award recipients include more than 15 leaders representing the breadth of disciplines championing elder care in the U.S.

Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award for Practicing Doctors

• Laura Iglesias Lino, MD (Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine)

Choosing Wisely® Champion Awards

• Heidi-Ann Courtney, PA-C (Baystate Medical Center)
• Ariel R. Green, MD, MPH (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Clinician of the Year Award

• Lisa Tank, MD, FACP (Hackensack University Medical Center; Rutgers New Jersey Medical Center)

Clinical Student Research Award

• Margaret Puelle, BS (University of Michigan)

David H. Solomon Memorial Public Service Award

• Thomas T. Yoshikawa, MD, AGSF (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Health Care System; University of California at Los Angeles; Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science)

Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award

Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act has passed the U.S. Senate and will now be sent to President Obama for his signature, ending a long gap in affirming important programs serving older adults.

New York (April 8, 2016)–Representing nearly 6,000 healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older adults, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) commends the U.S. Senate on passing a House-amended version of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act of 2015, key legislation to deliver social and protective services to older Americans through 2018.

Introduced by U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2015, the bill will strengthen landmark legislation originally passed in 1965—and overdue for reauthorization since 2011. Among other objectives, the legislation aims to address elder abuse; evidence-based care; effective coordination of services at the federal, state, and local levels; and several other challenges confronting older Americans and their healthcare professionals.

“The OAA reflects our national commitment to protect and provide for generations of older Americans who helped shape the society we now share,” said AGS CEO Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. “It’s important that all branches of government stand behind legislation like the OAA, which reflects the attention and respect that older adults deserve.”

Dr. Chris Callahan of @IUMedSchool to be awarded @AmerGeriatrics Henderson Award, deliver Henderson Lecture at #AGS16

New York (April 5, 2016)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) announced that Christopher Callahan, MD, an eldercare expert in depression, dementia, and related conditions, will receive this year’s prestigious Edward Henderson Award. Dr. Callahan—the Cornelius & Yvonne Pettinga Professor of Medicine at Indiana University (IU), as well as founding Director of the IU Center for Aging Research and a Research Scientist with the Regenstrief Institute—will deliver the prestigious Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting (May 19-21; Long Beach, Calif.) on “Alzheimer's Disease: Individuals, Dyads, Communities, and Costs.” His presentation will focus on an extensive body of research addressing care for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and one of the only leading causes of mortality that cannot presently be prevented or cured.

“Across his more than 25-year career, Dr. Callahan has raised the bar for geriatrics research and expertise by expanding our understanding of what it means to deliver high-quality, person-centered care,” notes AGS President Steven R. Counsell, MD, AGSF. “Dr. Callahan’s commitment to dementia care models has led to new ways of thinking about managing Alzheimer’s disease in health systems that are now more integrated and more collaborative.”

@AmerGeriatrics honors Dr. Annie Medina-Walpole w/ #AGS16 Jahnigen Memorial Public Service Award

New York (April 5, 2016)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced that Annette (Annie) Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF, a leading geriatrics clinician and educator at the University of Rochester (UR) in New York, will be honored with the 2016 Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Public Service Award. Across her career, Dr. Medina-Walpole has worked tirelessly to recruit and educate more professionals equipped to care for our growing older adult population—a critical unmet need for one of the country’s fastest growing groups.

“In the clinic, at the bedside, and the classroom, Dr. Medina-Walpole has led the charge on innovative educational programs to get more students and trainees across health care interested and engaged in geriatrics,” noted AGS President Steven R. Counsell, MD, AGSF. “We already need 20,000 geriatricians to care for America’s 46 million older adults, yet today less than 7,500 certified geriatricians are practicing nationwide. Our vision for tomorrow is a reality first and foremost because AGS leaders like Dr. Medina-Walpole are stepping up to model the way for aspiring eldercare experts.”

Dr. Thomas Yoshikawa, outgoing @AGSJournal editor, to be honored w/ @AmerGeriatrics Public Service Award at #AGS16

New York (April 5, 2016)—Thomas T. Yoshikawa, MD, AGSF, outgoing Editor in Chief of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society who helmed the publication for more than 15 years, will be honored by members of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) this May with one of their highest awards: the David H. Solomon Memorial Public Service Award.

“Dr. Yoshikawa’s leadership of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is but one example of his influence, and it speaks to the core of the AGS mission,” noted AGS President Steven R. Counsell, MD, AGSF. “Dr. Yoshikawa’s commitment to public service has made our journal a comprehensive resource for geriatrics healthcare professionals, but also for the many other specialists who care for older adults and aim to deliver high-quality, person-centered care.”

Dr. Lisa Tank of @HackensackUMC @RutgersU named @AmerGeriatrics Clinician of the Year #AGS16 

New York (April 5, 2016)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has named Lisa Tank, MD, FACP, of Hackensack University Medical Center (HackensackUMC) and the Rutgers New Jersey Medical Center, the 2016 AGS Clinician of the Year. Among her many accomplishments spanning a career of more than 20 years, Dr. Tank led the way for HackensackUMC to become the first hospital in the nation to earn a Disease Specific Certification (DSC) in Delirium, the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal and the first geriatrics certification of its kind in the country. She will be honored for her accomplishments at the AGS 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting, May 19-21, in Long Beach, Calif.

“An AGS member since 2001, Dr. Tank is known as a highly skilled geriatrician and effective administrator who has brought those two important career paths together to advance expert eldercare,” notes AGS President Steven R. Counsell, MD, AGSF. “Dr. Tank has championed innovative clinical programs across multiple care settings and medical and surgical specialties, and she’s never lost sight of the compassion, respect, and understanding seen across her teaching and clinical practice—true hallmarks of an AGS leader.”