The Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program standards, Optimal Resources for Geriatric Care, are available on the ACS website for hospitals to download and review before determining the appropriate level of participation. The GSV Program is applicable to patients 75 years of age and older who are having inpatient surgery.
GSV Verification Level Hospitals
Hospitals seeking a Level 1- or Level 2-verified status must demonstrate all 30 GSV Program standards are in place to provide optimal resources for the surgical care of older adult patients. A site visit, conducted either on-site or virtually, will confirm the hospital complies with the required structure, processes, and standards of care. This comprehensive assessment must be positively completed before a hospital is eligible for a GSV Level acknowledgment. Verified hospitals will receive formal, public recognition at the granted GSV Level.
Hospitals have the flexibility to implement the GSV Program standards across one specialty or in multiple specialties depending on the hospital’s profile and the population requirements of the desired Level.
Level 1—Comprehensive Excellence
To achieve a GSV Level 1 – Comprehensive Excellence status, the GSV Program standards are verified across one or more surgical specialties and must reach 50 percent or more of the hospital’s total population of eligible surgical patients aged 75 years or older.
Level 2—Focused Excellence
To achieve a GSV Level 2 – Focused Excellence status, the GSV Program standards are verified across one or more surgical specialties and must reach between 25 and 49 percent of the hospital’s total population of eligible surgical patients aged 75 years or older.
GSV Commitment Level Hospitals
Hospitals pledging to improve geriatric surgical care and working toward implementing the GSV Program standards are encouraged to enroll at the GSV Commitment Level. Hospitals in this participation level will have access to implementation resource materials, guidance documents, leading geriatric experts, and GSV Program staff aimed at supporting hospitals rolling out the GSV standards. The GSV Commitment Level hospitals will be guided by a self-paced curriculum that can be modified to meet each hospital’s requirements. Although no site visit or verification of the standards will be performed at the commitment level, hospitals are expected to be actively preparing for verification for up to a maximum of 24 months. At the conclusion of this 24-month period, Commitment Level hospitals are expected to reapply for either Level 1 or Level 2 Verification status. The GSV Commitment Level hospitals will receive formal recognition of their commitment to high-quality geriatric surgical care.
Choosing the Best Level
The interactive tool below was developed to assist you in determining which GSV level is most appropriate for your hospital to apply for. Through a series of short questions, this tool considers your hospital’s unique situation based on older adult patient volumes across surgical specialties, as well as your hospital’s readiness to implement the GSV Standards.
