Apply Now for the AHA Age-Friendly Healthcare Impact Award

The American Hospital Association and The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) invite you to submit an application for the AHA Age-Friendly Healthcare Impact Award. Generously sponsored by JAHF and presented annually, this Award is the premier national recognition for hospitals and health systems — whether anchored by a single hospital or multiple hospitals — and their partners across the continuum of care that exemplify excellence in leadership engagement, organizational alignment, patient safety and clinical quality, community/patient partnerships, innovation, technology, spread and sustainability in the care of America’s older adult population.

The impact expected and the Award’s focus are:

  • Leadership Engagement of the board of trustees and the C-suite elevates aging as a national priority for hospitals and health systems across the care continuum.
  • Organizational Alignment embeds evidence-based practices at the system level, achieving coordination and consistency across governance, strategy and bedside care.
  • Patient Safety and Clinical Quality demonstrate effective, evidence-based best practices and data-driven improvement of quality and safety outcomes for older adults. This impact includes return on investment through improved outcomes, reduced costs and workforce engagement.
  • Community and Patient Partnerships create a network of age-friendly best practices (the 4Ms) across the community and the care continuum, further advancing evidence-based, person-centered care for older adults.
  • Innovation demonstrates creative practices that improve age-friendly care. These practices can be structural or process in nature, leading to improved outcomes.
  • Technology helps advance, adapt and sustain innovative practices that improve age-friendly care. This includes EHR tools supporting the 4Ms, interoperability and analytics.
  • Spread and Sustainability strategies ensure that age-friendly care grows, expands and remains a core capability of the organization.

The seven domains outlined above are organized into four application topics: Leadership Engagement and Organizational Alignment; Patient Safety and Clinical Quality (4Ms and STEEEP); Community and Patient Partnership; and Innovation, Technology and Sustainability.

The Award recognizes hospitals and health systems that demonstrate system-level transformation in age-friendly care by embedding the evidence-based 4Ms — What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility — into strategy, operations and daily practice — and by measurably improving STEEEP care for older adults across settings of care.

One winner and up to three finalists will receive the Award at the 2027 AHA Leadership Summit, July 18–20, 2027, in San Diego. One representative (the president/CEO or age-friendly healthcare leader) from each honored organization will receive complimentary registration, flights and two hotel nights to attend the Leadership Summit. 

Award Eligibility

All U.S. hospitals and health systems that have at least two settings of care where the 4Ms are being delivered and have earned Level 2 recognition (demonstrating three months of data) as an “Age-Friendly Health System — Committed to Care Excellence” are eligible to apply for the Award.

Please note: Only one hospital per healthcare system is eligible to apply. If your organization is a member of a healthcare system, please contact system leadership to ensure only one hospital applies from your system. Multiple applications from the same system will not be reviewed.

Applications submitted by vendors and/or consultants will not be reviewed.

Evaluation and Judging

Applications will be reviewed by members of the AHA Age-Friendly Award Committee. The committee uses a scoring rubric (based on the criteria outlined in this application) to select organizations to be visited, participates in site visits and determines Award recipients. The AHA and the Award sponsor, JAHF, are grateful for the extensive volunteer contributions made by committee members.

Site Visits

Site visits will be made to up to four organizations being considered for the Award. All site visits will take place in March 2027. Site visits are approximately six hours in duration. All materials submitted for site visits will be kept confidential.

Each site visit team may visit only one hospital. Health systems applying for the Award must identify the host hospital at submission. The visit must occur in a clinical environment, and leaders from care continuum partners should attend.

The American Hospital Association Age-Friendly Healthcare Impact Award is administered by the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust and sponsored by JAHF.

Requirements

Honored organizations must identify key leaders willing to work with the AHA, JAHF and the Award Committee to teach others about strategies for improving Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms care. Program descriptions will be published, and honorees are expected to share improvement efforts and knowledge through public speaking, and working with editors and writers of the AHA, JAHF, subsidiaries and other publications as requested.

All applications become the property of the American Hospital Association and may be used by the AHA and JAHF to share best practices and examples of approaches to achieving the Award’s goals. The AHA will contact organizations before pursuing any interview or case study opportunity.

Guidance for Completing This Application:

  • Use a team approach. Applications prepared by staff directly responsible for Age-Friendly Health Systems efforts, in close collaboration with senior leadership, are more likely to include the information the Award Committee seeks.
  • If a system or mechanism described in one response is relevant elsewhere, refer back to the original explanation rather than repeating it.
  • Part II asks how your organization provides exceptional quality, promotes individual and community well-being, and adds value to lives. Emphasize integrated, systemic approaches across the hospital or health system whenever possible.
  • Word limits in Part II are maximums. Concise, direct responses are encouraged. Bullets are welcome when enough context is provided; concrete examples and relevant details strengthen the application.

Submission of Applications

Applications must be submitted by noon Central Time, Sept. 25, 2026. Unfortunately, we are unable to extend this deadline.

Begin an Application

To begin an application, close this tab. If you have not submitted an application for an AHA award in the past 12 months, you will need to create an account before beginning the application.

If you have questions about the Award or completing the application, please email agefriendlyaward@aha.org.