{"id":703,"date":"2015-07-16T18:26:57","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T22:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/?p=703"},"modified":"2015-07-17T14:10:51","modified_gmt":"2015-07-17T18:10:51","slug":"a-good-day-at-the-white-house-agsproud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/a-good-day-at-the-white-house-agsproud\/","title":{"rendered":"A Good Day at the White House\u2014#AGSProud"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Attachment-1\"<\/a>

Heading into the East Room of the White House.<\/p><\/div>\n

The White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA<\/a>) was this week. It\u2019s a once-in-a-decade gathering of people who are passionate about older Americans. The next time this conference occurs, I\u2019ll be 66 and my siblings will be in their 60s with one turning the corner to 70. With a little luck and some healthy choices, we\u2019ll be active and engaged with our communities well into our golden years.<\/p>\n

One thing that is clear from the 2015 conference is that, as a country, we still have a lot of hard work to do if our communities are going to be ready for me and my siblings. That said, I was proud to represent geriatrics health professionals at the WHCOA and it gave me hope that the type of future we envision for older adults could be a reality (especially on the cusp of some momentous news today from the U.S. Senate\u2014you\u2019ll just have to keep reading to find out more!).<\/p>\n

\"WHCOAPresObama\"<\/a>

President Obama giving his remarks.<\/p><\/div>\n

First, the things that made me proud… <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Falls Prevention Takes Center Stage at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: <\/strong>In 2001, the American Geriatrics Society (together with the British Geriatrics Society and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons) released our first Guideline for the Prevention of Falls in Older Persons<\/em>, with an updated guideline<\/a> issued in 2010. This was seminal work, and not just for the AGS. In fact, our most recent guideline informed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work on creating the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, & Injuries (STEADI) initiative<\/a> that was announced at the WHCOA. STEADI provides educational tools to healthcare professionals that can help them identify individuals at risk for falls, understand how to modify certain risks that they are likely to find, and learn how to implement effective options for preventing falls altogether. The CDC has been working with Epic Systems Corporation (an electronic health record technology provider) and EPIC will be rolling out a clinical support tool for falls assessment. This resource will make it easier for ALL <\/strong>healthcare providers to screen for falls, intervene to reduce risk, and provide follow-up care. AGS members are leading the STRIDE study<\/a> that is testing a multifactorial fall injury prevention strategy that is being co-funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA). I\u2019m proud of AGS and our members\u2014we built the foundation for STEADI and, looking towards the WHCOA in 2025, I expect that we will have progressed even further in our understanding of how to prevent older adult falls.<\/p>\n

Medicare & Geriatrics Health Professions Funding: <\/strong>President Obama had some good news for geriatrics health professionals, as well\u2014noting that we are working to implement Medicare payment models that support the quality rather than the quantity of care. AGS has been at the forefront of efforts that will benefit beneficiaries by ensuring that clinicians are supported to provide care coordination, care transitions, and advance care planning. We continue to advocate for payment models that support geriatrics health professionals in doing what they love to do: maximize the function and quality of life of the older adults they serve. Look for more news<\/a> from us on the recently released 2016 proposed physician fee schedule rule in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"HHS<\/a>

HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell making her announcement.<\/p><\/div>\n

Not to be outdone, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced $35 million in funding for more than 40 Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs)<\/a> in some 29 states. The AGS has been a leading advocate on behalf of funding for geriatrics workforce health professions and this is a key advocacy issue for the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, which I co-convene. Many of the programs being supported by this new round of grants have AGS members leading the team and several will be using AGS content (from GeriatricsCareOnline.org<\/a>) in their educational efforts. But the good news does not stop there. Our longstanding partner, The John A. Hartford Foundation, had some news of its own as it announced that it would be devoting $2 million to supporting the work of the GWEPs. The AGS is looking forward to helping advance the GWEPs to improve the quality of health care for older Americans by:<\/p>\n