Publications by authors named "Kimberly Church"
Background: Thousands of health systems have been recognized as "Age-Friendly" for implementing geriatric care practices aligned with the "4Ms" (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility). However, the effect of Age-Friendly recognition on patient outcomes is largely unknown. We sought to identify this effect in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-one of the largest Age-Friendly integrated health systems in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the US, providing care to more than 9 million enrolled veterans. In February 2019, the VHA identified key actionable steps to become a high reliability organization (HRO), transforming how employees think about patient safety and care quality. The VHA is also working toward becoming the largest age-friendly health system in the US to be recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement for its commitment to providing care guided by the 4Ms (what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility), causing no harm, and aligning care with what matters to older veterans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The aging US population necessitates a skilled health care workforce focused on older adults, leading to the establishment of the Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) framework that emphasizes the 4Ms—what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility.
- In the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), 85% to 100% of patients received care aligned with the 4Ms shortly after implementation, highlighting the importance of leadership support, champion identification, and EHR integration for effective data management.
- Successful AFHS adoption across VHA facilities may hinge on leveraging EHR technology to streamline documentation and improve care standardization, with ongoing efforts to embed AFHS practices into VHA system evaluations and metrics.