Improving screening rates through EMR integration

At Tufts Medical Center, located in the heart of Boston’s Chinatown, roughly one in ten emergency department (ED) patients are 65 or older. In 2018, Tufts Medical Center was the first hospital in New England to become a Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department (GED). Geriatric screenings were embedded into the electronic medical record (EMR) as a part of this accreditation, and Tufts saw a surge in the completion of screenings for conditions such as delirium.

In one month alone, Tufts Medical Center increased physician delirium screening using the Brief Confusion Assessment Method (bCAM) from 40% to 90%. Delirium is known to contribute to increased mortality and hospital length of stay, making screening imperative to clinical ED leaders. Tufts Medical Center has made it their goal to ensure all appropriate resources are available to their vulnerable populations, which is why Tuffs continues to be a leader in geriatric emergency care.