IHI recognizes clinical care settings that are working toward reliable practice of evidence-based interventions for all older adults in their care known as the 4Ms (4Ms: What Matters, Medications, Mentation, Mobility). As of January 2023, more than 2900 health care organizations have earned either level 1 (Participant) or level 2 (Committed to Care Excellence) recognition in the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement.
-
Level 1 (Participant) teams have successfully developed plans to implement the 4Ms.
-
Level 2 (Committed to Care Excellence) teams have three months of data of older adults who received 4Ms care.
For more information on who is eligible for recognition, timelines for submission to notification, and more, visit our
Frequently Asked Questions and sign up for Office Hours to meet with our team.
Submitting Your 4Ms Care Description
Select the worksheet that best corresponds to your site of care:
Hospital
Nursing Home
Ambulatory Care
Convenient Care Clinic
Hospitals Which Have Achieved Geriatric Surgery Verification
Sites Which Have Achieved Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation
Committed to Care Excellence Counts (multiple sites)*
Send your filled out care description to AFHS@ihi.org. You should receive an email with information about your recognition status within three weeks.
Please email AFHS@ihi.org for questions or additional information on becoming recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System.
*If your healthcare system has multiple sites of care, please use the Committed to Care Excellence Counts (multiple sites) spreadsheet. If not, please look on the last page of your Care Description PDF Form.
Resources for Recognition
- Download the Guide to using the 4Ms in the Care of Older Adults for your care setting to learn about the 4Ms Framework and how to become an Age-Friendly Health System.
- Download the What Matters to Older Adults? Toolkit to design better care with older adults but understanding "what matters" most to each adult
- Download the Age-Friendly Health Systems Workbook for Nursing Home Teams designed by and for point-of-care teams that interact with individual residents each day.