In the news

The Impact of Health Information Technology And e-Health on the Future Demand For Physician Services  - In the June, 2015 edition of Health Affairs, Weiner et. al. explore how health information technology (IT) and electronic health (e-health) applications might affect the future demand for physicians. They estimate that if health IT were fully implemented in just 30% of community-based physicians’ offices, the demand for physicians would be reduced by about 4–9%. Delegation of care to nurse practitioners and physician assistants supported by health IT could reduce the future demand for physicians by 4–7%. Similarly, IT-supported delegation from specialist physicians to generalists could reduce the demand for specialists by 2–5%. The use of health IT could also help address regional shortages of physicians by potentially enabling 12% of care to be delivered remotely or asynchronously. To read more click here

 

Who Cares For Older Adults? Workforce Implications of an Aging Society  - There is a critical shortage of geriatrics-prepared health care professionals. Yet 58% of baccalaureate nursing programs have no full-time faculty certified in geriatric nursing. Only three of the nation’s 145 medical schools have geriatrics departments, and less than 10% of these require a geriatrics course. A recent article by Kovner et. al. argues that every health care worker must have some education in geriatrics and access to geriatrics care experts. To read more click here

 

Future Demand for Long Term Care Workers Will be Influenced By Demographic and Utilization Changes  - A looming question for policy makers is how growing diversity in the US elderly population and greater use of home and community-based services will affect demand for long-term care workers. A recent study by Spetz et. al. in the June, 2015 edition of Health Affairs finds that, if current trends continue, the occupations anticipated to grow the most by 2030 are counselors and social workers (94%), community and social services workers (93%), and home health and personal care aides (88%). To read more click here