Chestertown Emergency Department Welcomes Geriatric Specialist, Katherine Selman, MD

Physician Brings Expertise In Geriatric Emergency Medicine As Hospital Prepares For Designation As Age Friendly Health System

The University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown is taking a significant step in its plans to become a designated Age Friendly Health System with the addition of Katherine Selman, MD, to the hospital's Emergency Department. Dr. Selman comes to UM Shore Regional Health from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill where she completed a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship.

Previously, Dr. Selman served as Chief Resident and Clinical Instructor of Emergency Medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. She earned her medical degree at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia and her undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Dr. Selman's role in Chestertown will support achieving the hospital's goal of official designation by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as an Age Friendly Health System. This designation requires adopting a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the "4Ms," for older adults in our care: What Matters (the goals of the patient), Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. Specific goals in this initiative include reducing hospital admissions and repeat Emergency Department (ED) visits among the elderly population. She also will be working with ED providers and nurses to enhance awareness of care needs and protocols specific to the geriatric population.

"Dr. Selman's unique set of skills and knowledge will be of great benefit to the community," said Dennis Welsh, Vice President, Rural Health Transformation and Executive Director, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown. "In the United States, the percentage of people aged 65 and older continues to grow at a rate faster than the general population, and the percentage of those over 85 is increasing almost three times as fast. In addition to supporting our mission to become an Age Friendly Health System, Dr. Selman's experience with the unique needs of seniors will be a great asset to our goal of achieving designation as a Geriatric Emergency Department. This level of expert care in our Chestertown Emergency Department will set the stage for subsequent patient care with a view to enhancing overall quality of life for those we serve."