This July, Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates (MEMA) earned the Bronze Level (or Level 3) Emergency Department Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (PMC). PMC is the first emergency department (ED) in Charlotte to receive this accreditation.
ED recipients of this recognition must meet rigorous standards of operation and care. This includes having one or more specific initiatives for elevating the level of senior care within one or more specialized areas. These top-performing facilities are expected to employ trained personnel that are qualified to implement these efforts, including at least one medical doctor (MD) with at least four hours of focused education in geriatric emergency medicine (EM), as well as nursing education focused in geriatric EM.
Qualifying facilities must also follow a set of predetermined metrics designed to help meet these initiatives, from metrics for policies and procedures (such as having three required standard care processes in place) to physical environment standards (some examples include access to food and beverages and fall preventatives).
Additionally, the provider team at PMC enacts a communication system to signal geriatric patients with increased risk for negative outcomes. Having systems like these in place helps with downstream resources, such as Scheduling Assistance Program (SAP) for streamlined and efficient post-discharge scheduling.
PMC also offers in-house mobility aids, such as canes and four-point walkers, for patients that require them – another prerequisite for accreditation qualification.
“As MEMA physicians and providers, we continue to take exceptional care of geriatric patients, as we do for all patients, without any change in our flow,” said Dr. Joshua Hughes, ED Assistant Director at PMC.
“Our nursing program has also completed geriatric specific education modules,” he added, noting that he himself has taken Continuing Medical Education (CME) on various geriatric emergency medicine topics. Ongoing education ensures that his team not only remains eligible for its geriatric accreditation, but also continues to offer the best available geriatric care.
PMC is widely considered one of the top medical centers in the state of North Carolina, offering highly specialized and quality care to guests and residents of the greater Charlotte metro area. The medical center has recently earned other notable awards and recognitions, including the Hospital Safety Grade A from The Leapfrog Group, the Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology accreditation from the Surgical Review Corporation, and Get with the Guidelines® Gold Plus by The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.