|
|
|
|
The Business of
Health Care Report
When babies were born after World War II, they faced a shortage of pediatricians. Now those baby boomers are facing another medical shortage - enough physicians certified in gerontology, cardiology, oncology, intensive care and other specialties to supplement primary care as patients age. For example, fewer than one percent of the nation's physicians
are certified in gerontology, the medical specialization that cares for the elderly. The Alliance for Aging
Research estimates that the nation needs 20,000 certified geriatricians now but has only 6,800. In about 25 years,
if present trends continue, there will be only 8,880 geriatricians, although the country will need 37,000. With aging population comes the need for more heart specialists
in the areas of diagnostics, minimally invasive corrective procedures and surgery. The American College of Cardiology
estimated in 1999 that demand for cardiologists would rise 66 percent by 2030. The number of trained cardiologists,
however, is expected to increase by only one percent each year. There are several reasons for the shortage. But the biggest pill
to swallow is that many specialty physicians are increasingly dependent on Medicare revenues, the biggest source of
insurance for those over 65. And Medicare has relatively low reimbursement levels to physicians in comparison to other
forms of insurance. One incentive may be to change the fee schedule for Medicare. Another may be to require courses
in geriatrics and other subspecialties for medical students. One thing’s for sure: specialties like cardiology and oncology
(or cancer care) can mean life and death for older patients. Having physicians specializing in managing disease processes
may enable patients to live higher quality lives and be cared for at home rather in a nursing home. The savings to us
all would be significant, just based on the sheer numbers of baby boomers. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO Doug
Hawthorne with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio
1080 KRLD.
©
2002 Texas Health Resources |
I’m Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 