Frequently Asked Questions about the Geriatric Surgery Verification Program

• If your hospital has fully implemented and streamlined all 30 GSV Program standards, apply for GSV Focused Excellence or GSV Comprehensive Excellence Verification.
• If your hospital is just getting started with age-friendly initiatives or still working on implementation and process changes, specifically within the EMR, we recommend applying for the GSV (Age-Friendly) Level.

Yes, each hospital will need to apply separately, as enrollment through the application process is at the hospital-level.

The annual fee covers all program services, including access to the ACS Quality Portal (QPort) and all its resources, including the GSV Implementation Course, attendance to GSV webinars and teaching sessions, access to staff for support purposes, and all verification-related program components, including the Pre-Review Questionnaire (PRQ), site visit, and annual attestations

• The GSV (Age-Friendly) Level is applicable to patients 65 years and older who are having inpatient surgery.
• The GSV Focused Excellence and Comprehensive Excellence Levels are applicable to patients 75 years of age and older who are having inpatient surgery.

In-patient is defined as operations that are expected to need 2 or more midnights of medically necessary hospital care.

The GSV Levels are designed to be a stepwise approach; once verified at the GSV (Age-Friendly) Level, it is up to the hospital’s discretion to determine when the appropriate time is to move forward with the full program (Focused Excellence or Comprehensive Excellence). This will vary across hospitals depending on hospital resources and implementation strategies.

Yes, there are several resources available on the GSV Website, within the ACS Quality Portal (QPort), and within the GSV Implementation Course. Please contact the GSV Team at geriatricsurgery@facs.org or refer to the GSV Resources webpage located here for more information

Visit our CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measure page to access resources and frequently asked questions about the measure and how ACS GSV can help your hospital meet the requirement.

Commitment Level hospitals can reapply for a Verification Level as soon as their GSV leadership team feels they can demonstrate consistent implementation of all standards in those specialties enrolled in the program. This typically occurs within 2 years. Commitment Level hospitals are expected to be actively preparing for verification during their enrollment for a maximum of 2 years. The GSV Commitment Level hospitals will receive formal recognition of their commitment to high-quality geriatric surgical care.

Yes, a hospital can participate in the GSV Program without participating in NSQIP, but GSV hospitals that are also enrolled in NSQIP have the option to collect additional variables for patients 75 years and older at the time of surgery.

At this time, the GSV Program is available only to hospitals within the United States and Canada.

Hospitals receive access to the PRQ once a contract has been signed and payment has been remitted

The GSV Implementation Course is a benefit of joining the GSV Program. Hospitals will receive access to the course once a contract has been signed and payment has been remitted.