Improving Care Through a Bidirectional Geriatric Cardiology Consultative Conference

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) 2018-03, Vol.66 (7), p.1415-1419
• Main Authors: Grant, Eleonore V., Skolnick, Adam H., Chodosh, Joshua, Perskin, Michael H., Orr, Nicole M., Blaum, Caroline, Dodson, John A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15356

There are over 13 million persons in United States over age 65 with cardiovascular disease, and this population is expected to increase exponentially over the next several decades. In the absence of clinical studies that would inform how best to manage this population, there is an urgent need for collaborative and thoughtful approaches to their care. While cardiologists are traditionally regarded as leaders in the care of older patients with cardiovascular disease, this population is complicated by multiple comorbidities, physiologic differences, and unique goals of care that require a specialized geriatric lens. Thus collaboration is needed between geriatricians, cardiologists and multiple other specialists in order to address the special needs of this growing population. Accordingly, clinicians at NYU Langone Health/NYU School of Medicine established a monthly Geriatric Cardiology Conference to foster an integrative approach to the care of older adults with cardiovascular disease by uniting specialists across disciplines to collaborate on treatment strategies. At each conference, an active patient case is discussed and analyzed in detail, and a consensus is reached among participants regarding optimal treatment strategies. The conference attracts faculty and trainees at multiple levels across geriatrics, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery specialties. The model developed at NYU may serve as a paradigm for other institutions moving towards geriatric-informed care for older adults with cardiovascular disease.