Boomers challenge health care, part three
By Paula Camposano-Robinson
(This is part three in a series detailing how baby boomers will change the delivery of health care in the U.S.)
The convergence of the large boomer population, an increase in chronic conditions and rise of available medical treatments will begin to impact health care in 2010.
That is when the oldest start turning 65, the age at which most health care services typically begin to be used.
As this evolves, the need for resources in the health care industry will increase in hospitals, ambulatory care settings and long-term care facilities, as well as in the home.
The number of boomers with multiple chronic conditions will quadruple by 2030, according to a study by the MetLife Market Institute.
As the requirements increase in proportion to boomers with multiple chronic conditions, on average, the cost of health care for an individual with more than five chronic conditions is nearly 15 times that of an individual with no chronic illnesses.
It is estimated that by 2030, boomers will account for more than twice as many admissions to the hospital as they do today.
And while the length of stay might continue to decrease, the intensity of care that will be provided each patient will likely increase as the proportion of inpatient admissions of patients over 65 rises.
ER visits
Services in other parts of the hospital also will increase, with a projected four million more emergency department visits than occur today.
With the wait times in ERs currently quite lengthy, it is difficult to imagine the gridlock that will occur with the influx of more patients with multi-system complex problems.
The number of physician visits has been increasing for all populations by about 34 percent over the last decade.
In 2030, there will be nearly twice as many adult physician visits as there were in 2003, but boomers will account for more than four of every 10 of these visits.
It only makes sense that with high levels of chronic disease in this older population that many more procedures and the need for tests will be exponential.
Earlier in this series, it was mentioned that diabetes would be one of the top chronic illnesses of older adults.
If all boomers with diabetes received recommended care, they will need 55 million laboratory tests per year - or about 44 million more than today.
Advances
This is more than a catch 22. First, all of the recent medical advances in medicine have helped people live longer and the boomers have survived illnesses and injuries that earlier led to deaths in past generations, including many forms of cancer, heart attacks, and even trauma.
However, the true kinds of care that boomers will require, as they age is still largely unknown.
New treatments will likely further increase the numbers of conditions that can be treated, turning even more previously terminal illnesses into chronic illnesses and further increasingly longevity.
These few factors alone will lead to even a greater demand on health care services.
We have a shortage in the U.S. of about 220,000 registered nurses; the severe workforce shortage will challenge the health care system's ability to meet this boomer demand.
By 2020, the gap will be more than one million. The shortage is caused by both increased demand and by the aging of the nursing workforce - nurses are boomers, too.
With fewer individuals entering the profession for several reasons to meet the future demand, it is estimated that the number of new nursing graduates would have to increase by 90 percent every year.
And although only 3.5 percent of nurses in practice are coming from foreign countries, this small percentage is also likely to decrease as the demand for nurses will increase worldwide.
Paula Camposano-Robinson, R.N., is a 30-year Marco Island resident sharing her professional training and work experience in the health industry with her readers. This is an information-only column and not intended to replace medical advice from a physician. E-mail Probinson@sanitasole.net.
Paula Camposano-Robinson RN
Triad Healthcare Services, LLC
SANITASOLE
A caring place for adult daytime living and continuing health
probinson@sanitasole.net
http://www.sanitasole.net
Office: 239.394.9931
Fax: 239.394.9929
Follow me on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/paularobinson
Follow me on Facebook: http://profile.to/pcamposanorobinson
(This is part three in a series detailing how baby boomers will change the delivery of health care in the U.S.)
The convergence of the large boomer population, an increase in chronic conditions and rise of available medical treatments will begin to impact health care in 2010.
That is when the oldest start turning 65, the age at which most health care services typically begin to be used.
As this evolves, the need for resources in the health care industry will increase in hospitals, ambulatory care settings and long-term care facilities, as well as in the home.
The number of boomers with multiple chronic conditions will quadruple by 2030, according to a study by the MetLife Market Institute.
As the requirements increase in proportion to boomers with multiple chronic conditions, on average, the cost of health care for an individual with more than five chronic conditions is nearly 15 times that of an individual with no chronic illnesses.
It is estimated that by 2030, boomers will account for more than twice as many admissions to the hospital as they do today.
And while the length of stay might continue to decrease, the intensity of care that will be provided each patient will likely increase as the proportion of inpatient admissions of patients over 65 rises.
ER visits
Services in other parts of the hospital also will increase, with a projected four million more emergency department visits than occur today.
With the wait times in ERs currently quite lengthy, it is difficult to imagine the gridlock that will occur with the influx of more patients with multi-system complex problems.
The number of physician visits has been increasing for all populations by about 34 percent over the last decade.
In 2030, there will be nearly twice as many adult physician visits as there were in 2003, but boomers will account for more than four of every 10 of these visits.
It only makes sense that with high levels of chronic disease in this older population that many more procedures and the need for tests will be exponential.
Earlier in this series, it was mentioned that diabetes would be one of the top chronic illnesses of older adults.
If all boomers with diabetes received recommended care, they will need 55 million laboratory tests per year - or about 44 million more than today.
Advances
This is more than a catch 22. First, all of the recent medical advances in medicine have helped people live longer and the boomers have survived illnesses and injuries that earlier led to deaths in past generations, including many forms of cancer, heart attacks, and even trauma.
However, the true kinds of care that boomers will require, as they age is still largely unknown.
New treatments will likely further increase the numbers of conditions that can be treated, turning even more previously terminal illnesses into chronic illnesses and further increasingly longevity.
These few factors alone will lead to even a greater demand on health care services.
We have a shortage in the U.S. of about 220,000 registered nurses; the severe workforce shortage will challenge the health care system's ability to meet this boomer demand.
By 2020, the gap will be more than one million. The shortage is caused by both increased demand and by the aging of the nursing workforce - nurses are boomers, too.
With fewer individuals entering the profession for several reasons to meet the future demand, it is estimated that the number of new nursing graduates would have to increase by 90 percent every year.
And although only 3.5 percent of nurses in practice are coming from foreign countries, this small percentage is also likely to decrease as the demand for nurses will increase worldwide.
Paula Camposano-Robinson, R.N., is a 30-year Marco Island resident sharing her professional training and work experience in the health industry with her readers. This is an information-only column and not intended to replace medical advice from a physician. E-mail Probinson@sanitasole.net.
Paula Camposano-Robinson RN
Triad Healthcare Services, LLC
SANITASOLE
A caring place for adult daytime living and continuing health
probinson@sanitasole.net
http://www.sanitasole.net
Office: 239.394.9931
Fax: 239.394.9929
Follow me on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/paularobinson
Follow me on Facebook: http://profile.to/pcamposanorobinson
Tags: boomers, communication, er, hospitalprocesses, strainedhealthcaresystems
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