The 17‑Hour Turnaround: Rapid, Safe Observation Care for Older Adults

In this GEMCast episode host Dr. Christina Shenvi is joined by Dr. Meredith Busman, Director of Observation Medicine at Corewell Health West in Grand Rapids Michigan, Program Director for the Observation Medicine Fellowship at Emergency Care Specialists, and co-chair of the ACEP Accelerate Observation Medicine: Science and Solutions conference. Observation medicine is an outpatient service that encompasses rapid treatment, assessment, and reassessment of select patients with the hopes of avoiding admission. Learn more about this new and rapidly developing subspecialty of emergency medicine, how ED-directed observation units function, and how they are particularly beneficial for older patients or those with dementia. The care provided in an observation unit uses predetermined protocols and pathways, leading to the notably shorter length of stay (LOS) – Dr. Busmans’ unit has an average LOS of just 17 hours! A rapid turnaround, coupled with efficient care from specialists and multidisciplinary input, leads to better outcomes for patients. In older patients who are susceptible to unfavorable outcomes such as delirium and deconditioning from either ED boarding or inpatient stays, the impact of a specialized service can be significant on acute and long-term health. Alongside the benefits for patients, an observation unit helps offload patients from other services and can improve patient flow through busy EDs. For more show notes visit

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The 17‑Hour Turnaround: Rapid, Safe Observation Care for Older Adults is an episode from GEMCAST by GEMCAST.

This episode is 00:40:03 long.

This episode was published on May 4, 2026.

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