A Path to Better Care for Older Adults: Optimizing Medicare and Medicaid Payments Through Implementation of the CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measure

Over 95% of US hospitals rely on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for at least 50% of their revenue, and almost all participate in the CMS Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program. Starting January 1, 2025, hospitals in the IQR program will avoid Medicare payment reductions by reporting on the 5 domains of the CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measure. This is essential because the population of older adults is increasing, as are the harms older adults experience in US hospitals. Meeting these 5 domains is associated with providing higher-quality care for older adults, leading to improved outcomes and reduced costs. Reporting on the CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measure will be visible to older adults and their family caregivers through CMS Care Compare. There are evidence-based initiatives that hospitals can implement to achieve the CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measure and to prevent or reduce iatrogenic harm in older adults such as falls, adverse drug events, and delirium, reduce length of stay in emergency departments, improve outcomes and reduce length of stay, and reduce overall cost of care to Medicare.