Washington Post Examines Efforts To Address Shortage Of Geriatricians

The Washington Post on Tuesday examined how the number of geriatricians who practice in the U.S. is "falling seriously behind needed levels," despite "countless attempts to convince the medical profession and the public of their worth." Currently, only about 7,000 geriatricians practice in the U.S., and teaching hospitals produce one or two geriatricians for every nine cardiologists or orthopedic surgeons, according to one estimate.Experts attribute the lack of geriatricians in large part to low reimbursements, the attraction to other specialties that pay more and a lack of interest in treatment of elderly and severely ill patients.In response to the problem, geriatricians have sought to encourage primary care physicians to receive extra training and certification in the treatment of elderly patients from the American Board of Family Medicine or the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Geriatrics Society has lobbied for government support and more medical training. In addition, medical schools have added courses on the treatment of elderly patients to their curricula, and several foundations have provided grants to fund such courses (Kim, Washington Post, 3/11).