Finding a Doctor Who Specializes in Senior Care Is Hard. Here’s Why.

March 18, 2024

Nurse helping an elderly female patient

(The Washington Post) – People over 65 use more health care than other age groups and make up nearly half of hospital admissions. But there are just 7,300 board-certified geriatricians in the United States, which is fewer than 1 percent of all physicians, according to the American Geriatrics Society. By contrast, more than 60,000 pediatricians were practicing in 2021, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

Yet research suggests that geriatricians more effectively and efficiently manage older patients than doctors without such training — leading to lower inpatient death rates, shorter hospital stays and reduced patient costs. (Read More)