Shortage of Geriatric Physicians Grows

The US doesn't have enough Geratricians. Currently, there about 7,000 Geriatricians practicing in the US. And the shortage is getting worse, because our medical schools and teaching hospitals are training one or two geriatricians for every nine specialists in higher paying specialties like cardiology or orthopedic surgery,

Geriatricians make less money because their patients are on Medicare and their services are reimbursed a lower rate than private insurance patients. Additionally, the treatment of the elderly is less attractive to young doctors selecting a specialty.

Public relations programs to convince the public of the value of Geriatricians has not had much of an impact on the shortage. So medical schools are adding more courses on the treatment of the elderly for all doctors and some foundations are providing grants to fund those courses. Because there are too few Geriatricians, primary care doctors also need to receive extra training in the treatment of elderly patients and perhaps even be required to be certified in elderly treatment.