WakeMed Cary Hospital Receives National Accreditation for Geriatric Emergency Care
February 21, 2024
CARY, N.C. (February 14, 2024) – WakeMed Cary Hospital is now Wake County’s first Level 1 accredited Geriatric Emergency Department. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) recently awarded the hospital a Gold Level 1 accreditation—the highest designation possible—for the comprehensive, patient-centered emergency care it provides to older adults.
ACEP’s Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program recognizes emergency departments at the forefront of improving care and outcomes for patients 65 and older. GEDA provides more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care, and the level of accreditation (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3) depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department meets.
To achieve this top-level accreditation, WakeMed Cary Hospital’s Geriatric Emergency Department team created 20-plus protocols for the continuity of care for geriatric patients, ensuring a well-coordinated comprehensive system to improve the care of older adults. The team also made facility modifications, completed specialized staff training and certification programs for 15 nurses and will soon add a pharmacist dedicated to geriatric-specific care.
“This recognition is a credit to the hard work of our outstanding team of Emergency Medicine physicians, Emergency Department staff, and many supporting departments at WakeMed Cary Hospital,” said Doug Trocinski, MD, chief medical officer of WakeMed Cary Hospital. “Our community is fortunate to have such a dedicated team that fully supports the efforts leading to better care of our communities’ older adults.”
This is WakeMed’s first accredited Geriatric Emergency Department. WakeMed Cary Hospital is the first Emergency Department in Wake County, and the second in North Carolina, to receive Level 1 accreditation.
About WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed is a not-for-profit health care system founded and based in Raleigh, N.C. WakeMed exists to improve the health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding and compassionate care to all. WakeMed’s 970-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, including three full-service hospitals, seven emergency departments, a dedicated Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Hospital, more than 90 physician offices and Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center. WakeMed’s mission-driven team includes more than 10,300 employees, 1,400 volunteers and 1,300 affiliated physicians, along with the more than 700 physicians and providers with WakeMed Physician Practices – all representing the best minds and the biggest hearts and the finest quality in health care and community health. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org or follow WakeMed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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