The American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program and the Practicing Colorectal Surgeon

Meixi Ma; Lindsey Zhang; Ronnie Rosenthal; Emily Finlayson; Marcia M Russell

doi:10.1016/j.scrs.2020.100779

The American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program and the Practicing Colorectal Surgeon

Semin Colon Rectal Surg. 2020 Nov;31(4):100779. doi: 10.1016/j.scrs.2020.100779. Epub 2020 Oct 2.

Authors

Meixi Ma^{1

2}, Lindsey Zhang^{1

3}, Ronnie Rosenthal⁴, Emily Finlayson⁵, Marcia M Russell⁶

Affiliations

¹ Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL USA.
² Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL USA.
³ Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA.
⁴ Department of Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA.
⁵ Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA.
⁶ Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles and VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA USA.

Abstract

The population is aging and older adults are increasingly undergoing surgery. Colorectal surgeons need to understand the risks inherent in the care of older adults and identify concrete ways to improve the quality of care for this vulnerable population. Goals for the practicing colorectal surgeon include: 1) introduce the American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program and understand the intersection with colorectal surgery, 2) examine the 30 evidence-based GSV standards and how they can achieve better outcomes after colorectal surgery, and 3) outline the value and benefits for colorectal surgeons of implementing such a program.

Keywords: Colorectal surgery; Geriatric Surgery Verification Program; Geriatric surgery; Quality improvement; Surgical outcomes.