Frailty, an age-related physiological decline, particularly correlates with increased mortality and complications. “How we talk to them, how we care for them, their outcomes — there’s a lot of opportunity to do better” for older surgical patients, said Dr. Ko.

Hence, the college’s new geriatric surgery verification program, to be unveiled next month at a conference in Washington, D.C., after four years of planning and research. It sets 30 standards that hospitals should meet to improve results for older patients.

In October, hospitals will begin applying for verification, an assurance to patients and families that the best possible surgical care will be provided. The college previously devised similar quality programs for trauma, cancer and pediatric surgery.

“People understand that children are different from adults,” Dr. Rosenthal said. “It’s taken a surprisingly long time to come around to the realization that older adults are also different.”

A team will visit each applying hospital. “We’ll look at charts, we’ll interview people,” she said. “We’ll see if they’re actually meeting the standards, so the public can have confidence.”

Some of the standards, based on published research, relate to staffing or physical changes like “geriatric-friendly” patient rooms. Some involve managing medications, with less reliance on opioids.

Participating hospitals will screen older patients for vulnerabilities — including advanced age, cognitive problems, malnutrition and impaired mobility — that put them at higher risk. Some of these risks can be addressed before surgery, through “pre-habilitation,” to help patients gain strength.