The GWEP-CC Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community launched on January 15, 2020 and concluded on December 16, 2020 (extended from August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The GWEP-CC Action Community was designed for the GWEPs and their primary care practice partners as an on-ramp community to test and act on the 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility). Age-Friendly Health Systems, an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), in partnership with American Hospital Association and Catholic Health Association of the United States, is focused on adopting an evidence-based framework that helps practices efficiently prioritize and organize effective care for older adults.
The GWEP-CC Action Community provided multiple resources and tools to enhance participants’ understanding of the 4Ms through their journey on becoming recognized as Age-Friendly. Participants were enrolled into an online community, GWEPOnline, to access action community resources, including a 4Ms toolkit, and to participate in discussions with colleagues. Participants also attended and engaged in a webinar series, which highlighted topics related to acting on each of the 4Ms and presentations by other members in the action community, and a virtual meeting.
At the conclusion of the GWEP-CC Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community, we celebrated that 95% of GWEP Partners achieved Level-1 Recognition by IHI.
As of October 2023, IHI has awarded Level-1 recognition to 271 sites and Level-2 recognition to 143 sites. The sites who received Level-1 recognition are partnered with all 48 GWEPs and the Level-2 sites represent 31 GWEPs. An overview of these recognitions can be seen in the chart below:
| Age-Friendly Health System Participants* (Level-1 recognition) |
Age-Friendly Health Systems – Committed to Care Excellence (Level-2 recognition)** |
|---|---|
| • 271 primary care partner sites • 48 (all) GWEPs represented |
• 143 primary care partner sites • 31 GWEPs represented |
Click here for the list of the recognized participants. The GWEP-CC continues to support GWEPs and their partners on the path towards recognition.
* An Age-Friendly Health System Participant is recognized for being on the journey to becoming an Age-Friendly Health System and has submitted a description of how it is putting the 4Ms into practice.
** An Age-Friendly Health System Committed to Care Excellence is a recognition for being an exemplar in the movement based on:
- Having a description of how the 4Ms are being operationalized that is aligned with the Age-Friendly Health System Guide to Using the 4Ms in the Care of Older Adults and which has been approved by IHI.
- Having submitted at least three months’ count of older adults reached with evidence-based, 4Ms care.