2006 State Report > Our Health > Geriatric Physicians
Our Health: Geriatric Physicians
Experts say that seniors often benefit from seeing a doctor with training in geriatrics. Many older adults experience multiple chronic conditions and symptoms can often appear differently in older patients, increasing their need for specialized medical care. In 2002, only 9,000 of the nation's 650,000 doctors were certified in geriatric medicine. According to the Alliance for Aging Research, the country needs at least 20,000 geriatricians to meet the needs of the 65-plus population.
Reasons for the Geriatrician Shortage:
- The United States has fewer than 600 medical school faculty members that list geriatrics as their specialty.
- Geriatric medicine lacks the prestige and financial rewards of other medical fields.
- Older patients are considered more difficult to diagnose and treat.
- Only 450 of the 98,000 academic fellowships funded by Medicare are in geriatrics.
- An additional year of study is required to become a geriatrician, meaning that physicians must incur more educational loans.
- Older patients with multiple health problems require longer office visits than younger patients. Reimbursement does not reflect this additional time, reducing the incentive for physicians to seek geriatric certification.
Source: Alliance for Aging Research.
In 2005, there were only 30 geriatricians in South Carolina, while the latest estimates place the state's population aged 65 and older at 520,000. The state currently has about 17,000 older patients per geriatrician; the ratio should be closer to 1,000 patients per doctor. In order to address this problem, the state passed the Geriatric Loan Forgiveness Program, forgiving up to $35,000 each in educational loans for four physicians who complete accredited, graduate training fellowships in geriatrics. The physicians must also agree to practice in South Carolina for five years and to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients.