Adults tend to need more medical care as they age, but coordinating that care can be stressful and arduous for older adults.
Receiving in-person care and treatment may require “significant time, effort, and expense.” senior citizen They and their partners and caregivers, according to a new study from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Researchers led by Ishani Ganguly, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, surveyed 6,619 adults aged 65 and older who responded to the 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data to understand the number of days they spent seeking medical care. I looked at the data. Care.
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That year, older adults had an average of 17.3 “outpatient contact days.” primary care physician or Professional physicians or tests, imaging tests, or treatments.
Their total contact days averaged 20.7 days, including days spent in hospitals, emergency departments, skilled nursing facilities, or hospice facilities.
Adults tend to need more medical care as they age, but coordinating that care can be stressful and arduous for older adults. (St. Petersburg)
Approximately 11% of adults had a total of 50 or more exposure days.
“Some of it may be very useful and valuable to people, and some of it may not be so important,” Ganguly, of Harvard Medical School, told KFF Health News.
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“We don’t have enough conversations about what we want from our seniors and whether it’s realistic.”
Ganguly pointed out that all these medical touchpoints incorporate different guidelines regarding medical conditions, financial incentives offered to doctors, and the need for specialized care.
“It is not uncommon for older patients to have three or more diseases. cardiologist They schedule regular visits and tests,” she said.
For patients with multiple health issues, it can be difficult to coordinate multiple appointments with different health care providers for many days each month. (St. Petersburg)
Patients with multiple health issues have even more appointments to juggle.
“The good news is that we are learning more and more about people with a wide range of conditions,” said Thomas H. Lee, chief medical officer at Press Gainey, a consulting firm that tracks patient health care experiences. It means we can do even more,” he told KFF. Health news.
“The bad news is that the system is overwhelmingly complex.”
“It’s fraught with complexity.”
Dr. Mark Siegel, Clinical Professor, School of Medicine New York University Langone Medical Center The Fox News medical contributor, who was not involved in the study, agreed that the complexity of health care for older adults is a “huge problem” in the United States.
“The health care system is overburdened by the pandemic and there is a shortage of doctors and nurses,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Meanwhile, the medical needs of the country’s elderly population are increasing, Siegel noted, especially with advances in technology that help manage chronic diseases.
“At the same time, the breadth of Medicare coverage The number of medical workers is also decreasing,” the doctor added.
“And the barriers to getting needed procedures and treatments increase with out-of-pocket costs.”
For older people and their partners and caregivers, receiving in-person care and treatment can require “significant time, effort, and expense,” according to a new study. (St. Petersburg)
Dr. Shanna Johnson, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Physician in Scottsdale, Arizonasaid the hurdles to receiving care are “increasingly high” due to the complexity of navigating the U.S. health care system.
“Every step of the health care system is complex, from arranging appointments with providers who accept your insurance, to filling prescriptions you can afford, to figuring out which medical tests you actually need,” she told Fox News Digital. Ta.
Johnson was not involved in the new study.
“Barriers to getting needed procedures and treatments are increasing, as are out-of-pocket costs.”
In his new role as an independent health system consultant, Johnson is committed to helping patients navigate this complexity.
“More people are seeking help navigating the system and finding appropriate care,” she says.
“Every step of the healthcare system involves complexity, from arranging appointments with providers who accept insurance, to filling prescriptions you can afford, to determining which medical tests are actually needed.” (St. Petersburg)
Recently, a patient contacted Mr. Johnson for help after his primary care physician had unsuccessfully tried to refer him to a rheumatologist.
“First, doctors sent her to the university medical center,” she said. “They refused to refer her because their booking slots were reserved for very complex cases and it was determined that her case was not difficult enough.”
The second referral was to a private rheumatology clinic, but the patient was turned down because the patient was not accepted. medicaid insurance.
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“Few practitioners accept Medicaid because reimbursement rates are low,” Johnson noted.
At this point, the patient contacted Johnson for assistance in obtaining treatment.
“After talking to her, I thought she might have fibromyalgia, and this increased the number of specialists who could help her,” she said. Told.
The rise of digital technology in the health system could add further challenges for older people, experts agreed. (St. Petersburg)
Dr. Johnson referred the patient to a pain clinic at a large hospital, but the clinic refused the referral because it was too busy. opioid patient Introductions from outsiders were also not accepted.
Additionally, the patient’s physician did not work for the hospital system.
“Then I tried a general physical therapy and rehabilitation clinic,” Johnson said. “They said no, because she was a better fit at the pain clinic that refused to see her.”
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At this point, the patient had been waiting in pain for five months to get a diagnosis, but treatment had not yet begun.
“This patient’s struggle is not unique, it’s routine,” Dr. Johnson said.
Risks of neglecting care
According to medical professor Victor Montori, many older adults face the “burden of care” of scheduling appointments, finding transportation, dealing with insurance companies, implementing doctors’ recommendations, and managing medical costs. Patients may choose to forgo treatment altogether. at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Those most at risk are older people with multiple medical conditions and people with “lower education.”
In a 2020 research paper, Dr. Montoli found that about 40% of patients with chronic conditions “consider the burden of treatment.” [to be] It’s unsustainable. ”
According to the KFF report, those most at risk are older people with multiple medical conditions, people with “low levels of education,” or those who are “economically unstable and socially isolated.” .
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the beginning of digital technology The health care system could pose additional challenges for older people, experts agreed.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult for patients to access clinicians who can problem-solve with them and answer their questions,” Montori told KFF.
Tips to reduce your burden
Elizabeth Rogers, assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, told KFF Health News she has tips for making care more accessible to older adults.
First, she recommended giving feedback to your doctor if you don’t think your treatment plan is sustainable.
Some medical centers may have social workers or “patient navigators” on staff to help seniors coordinate and consolidate appointments. (St. Petersburg)
“Please be sure to discuss health priorities And the trade-offs, what you gain and what you lose by stopping certain tests or treatments,” she told KFF.
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Rogers said it’s also important to discuss which medical procedures are essential and which can be omitted.
Based on these discussions, your doctor may be able to make the following adjustments: treatment plan or prescription.
Older adults should ask questions to ensure they understand their doctor’s instructions.
Some medical centers may have social workers or “patient navigators” on staff to help seniors coordinate and organize appointments and arrange for transportation if needed. there is.
Rogers also emphasized the need for older adults to ask questions to ensure they understand their doctor’s instructions.
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“I ask my clinicians, ‘If I choose this treatment, what does that mean not only for my cancer or my heart disease, but also for the time I spend treating it?'” he told KFF.
“If they don’t have an answer, ask if they can give you a quote.”
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