Over the past 40 years, the age distribution of the U.S. population has gradually shifted upwards. According to the 2010 census, one in eight Americans is now over the age of 65, and one in three is older than 50. Most of this shift can be attributed to the aging of the Baby Boomers, who vastly outnumber current birth rates.

Women comprise the majority of this aging group because they typically outlive their male counterparts. Since many of these women were never part of the workforce and have limited financial resources, they are particularly vulnerable when it comes to the rising costs of health care. More and more elderly are forced to continue working due to financial strain. The current health care system—with its focus on curative care—is not equipped to handle the coming challenges of this aging population.

A greater emphasis on care giving will be needed to adapt to these changing demographics. As it is, the purpose of most medical care is curing illness. But what about the many elderly who suffer from incurable, chronic illnesses? What about the people who would rather live out the rest of their lives in peace rather than suffer through expensive and unpleasant medical procedures that would only prolong their life for perhaps a few more months? This area is currently neglected because caring for dying patients is not only depressing, but it also isn’t profitable. But as this population continues to age, the demand for caregivers and doctors specializing in geriatrics who can administer quality palliative or hospice care is expected to increase dramatically. Instead of trying to prevent death for the chronically-ill elderly, maybe we should instead focus on helping them come to terms with death and enjoy what life they still have left.

The elderly face the dilemma of a shortage of geriatric and palliative trained physicians. Unfortunately, the geriatrics subspecialty is the lowest paid, which has deterred physicians from pursuing training in this field. With the cost of medical school debt, physicians cannot afford a career in geriatric care. Aside from low compensation, Medicare doctor reimbursements do not cover the cost of patient treatment. With the aging Baby Boomer population and a lack of incentive for physicians to practice geriatric medicine, a lot of people will not be able to receive the care they need.

Sources:

http://www.medicareresources.org/blog/2010/12/15/shortage-of-geriatric-doctors/

Hospitals forming an accountable care organization (ACO) want the organization to be as cohesive and efficient as possible.  This means gathering physicians who can work well together.  Compatibility is crucial in ensuring that superior care is provided to their patients.  In the past, hospitals reached out to physicians who are or already have worked together.  Others have brought together physicians at random.  A new proposed approach is to evaluate physician relationships within a community by utilizing social network analysis.

The role of social media in provider care has become immensely prevalent and hospitals are beginning to use these networks to build ACOs.  Social networking offers an electronic representation of professional and personal relationships among individuals and groups.  Through these networks, participants can share information, ideas, and influences amongst one another.  Like everyone else, physicians join and create social networks based on practice affiliations, friendships, and other criteria.

Social networking has now become a tool for hospitals to track these connections and see who physicians prefer to communicate with.  A social network map will show how physicians influence other physicians and individuals in their communities.  By using social network maps, hospitals can also assess how many generalists and specialists a provider has access to.  These maps show physician clusters which represent pre-existing relationships between physicians as well as their relationships with hospitals.  Another advantage to social networks is that they facilitate the spread of information among providers and hospitals which can positively influence the practice of medicine.

Creating an ACO using social network analysis is a superior approach to the random selection hospitals used before because the social influences physicians establish in social networks exhibit their leadership, practice patterns, and affiliations.   Social networks give hospitals the opportunity to develop successful ACOs by combining the strengths of physicians who are compatible socially, and as a result, likely compatible professionally.

For more information, visit: http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/HHNDaily/HHNDailyDisplay.dhtml?id=3230009892

Primary care physicians are in high demand and in short supply.  They are the doctors we see first when not feeling well.  Unfortunately, there is little motivation for physicians finishing medical school to focus on primary care.  Many physicians complete their training and are faced with a great amount of debt, and a residency in just internal medicine or family medicine will not lead to a salary that will cover those costs.  This is why so many doctors go on to fellowships, as the financial potential of specialized training exceeds that of primary care by a significant margin.  In a 2010 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, less than 2% of medical students are interested in internal medicine and less than 5% in family medicine.

The good news is that primary care physicians are seeing an increase in overall compensation since 2009.  The median salary for internal medicine physicians is now over $214,000, versus the $191,000 doctors were earning two years ago.  This increase in compensation is due to the new health care reform legislation which aims to improve primary care salaries.  The bill also adds that Medicare will pay physicians a 10% bonus if most of their time is spent caring for the elderly.  And in 2013, Medicaid payments, which reimburse for low-income patients, will be raised about 20% depending on the state.

Our family and internal medicine physicians are an essential part of our health care system and the US is facing a severe shortage.  This 12% increase in compensation and additional increases in reimbursement are a good start toward motivating doctors to practice primary care.

It’s all over the news. Experts have been announcing for some time now that the recession is over and the U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery. Unfortunately, the medical industry is still dealing with the lingering, adverse effects caused by the recession. Survey data reveals that patients continue to delay or forego medical care under tight family budgets. This is resulting in 70 percent of hospitals reporting fewer patient visits and elective procedures. In addition, nearly nine in ten hospitals reported an increase in care, for which no payment was received. A high percentage of hospitals have been unable to revert to prerecession operating models. There are 89 percent of hospitals continuing to work with reduced staff and 98 percent have been unable to reinstate previously cut services and programs. The reduction in income has left hospitals in a difficult position, as they strive to provide the best care possible to patients and retain highly qualified physicians and administrative staff. Further, recruitment budgets suffer in a time where physicians are desperately needed in communities across America. It is not clear when the medical industry will begin its own recovery from this trend, but in the meantime, healthcare professionals in various disciplines are doing their best to meet the needs of their communities with the resources available.

There is a trend among physicians and hosptials that has become more and more prevalent since the 1990′s.  Physician groups are selling their practices to hospital systems more now than ever before.  According to the MGMA’s annual Physician Compensation and Production Survey, hospital-owned group practices grew from 25.6% in 2005 to 49.5% in 2008. In 2008, the number of hospital-owned practices exceeded physician-owned group practices for the first time ever.  This integration brings financial and management benefits to the physicians looking to join a larger system.  Hospitals and large health systems also benefit in an increase in capital along with the ability to offer more services to their communities.  Neither physicians nor hospitals can achieve optimization of patient care, capital, and consistency without one another.

As a hospital, medical center or other type of physician hiring organization, what can you to protect your patients against malpractice lawsuits. This article provides an interesting point of view on how to handle this type of situation.

What changes are in store for Healthcare with Obama as the new President? Read this article to learn more about Obama’s promises for a new Healthcare system.