MINNEAPOLIS, April 15, 2008—The American Medical Association has hailed an Institute of Medicine report on America's aging population as a call to gear up for the medical needs of baby boomers.

“With approximately 7,000 geriatricians currently in the United States, all physicians caring for aging patients need to become proficient in geriatric care to help meet the increasing health care needs of seniors," said Cecil B. Wilson, M.D., board member of the AMA.

The IOM report, released this month and titled Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, calls for basic reform in the way the workforce is trained and used to care for older adults.

The rapid development of a health care workforce that is capable both by size and knowledge to deal with the coming geriatric bubble is essential, the report said. 

Watson agreed.  

As more seniors rely on Medicare in the coming years, he said, the program’s financial viability is a serious concern.

"The first wave of baby boomers will enter Medicare in three years, but their access to care is threatened by looming Medicare physician payment cuts that demand attention by the U.S. Congress."

This July, Watson said, the government will begin steep cuts in Medicare physician payments, and 60 percent of physicians say this cut will force them to limit the number of new Medicare patients they can treat.

"Over nine years, the cuts will total about 40 percent while practice costs will increase 20 percent," Watson said. "These cuts will seriously harm seniors’ access to health care."

Watson said that the The Save Medicare Act recently introduced in the Senate is critical for stopping payment cuts and preserve seniors’ access to care.

The AMA has created a website www.patientsactionnetwork.org to educate the public about the demographic challenge.

Providing seniors with quality medical care will require close cooperation and teamwork among health professionals, seniors and their families, Watson said.