The United States is experiencing a surge in its senior population, yet the number of medical doctors specializing in geriatric care is dwindling. According to a recent JAMA Network viewpoint by Dr. Jerry Gurwitz of UMass Memorial Health, the past decade has witnessed a nearly 40% decline in the number of geriatric specialists in the U.S.

Concurrently, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing homes are grappling with nurse staffing shortages, mirroring the challenges faced by other healthcare organizations. Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule to establish minimum nurse staffing levels for nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that approximately three-quarters of nursing homes would need to bolster their staffing to comply with these regulations. This intensifies the workforce demand in an industry already strained by staff deficits. Struggling facilities are not only battling to maintain target staffing ratios, but rural and disadvantaged nursing homes are facing the added threat of closure, putting senior care in jeopardy.

These industry-wide staffing shortages are echoing the issues seen in inpatient care. Furthermore, long-term care facilities are likely to encounter disruption from retail health organizations, as Aging-in-Place technologies introduce in-home alternatives to traditional care. With seniors expected to represent about 20% of the U.S. population by 2030, inpatient, post-acute, SNF, and long-term care settings are all expected to witness a surge in senior patient volumes.

The Domino Effect on Hospitals

The lack of available nursing home beds is already causing certain patients to be stranded in hospitals. The growth of the senior population, coupled with evolving expectations set by Aging-in-Place technologies, will significantly influence how hospitals strategize and deliver care. As seniors become accustomed to enhanced virtual care and in-home services, they will anticipate similar accessibility and convenience when transitioning between SNFs and hospitals, or vice versa. This trend is likely to accelerate the adoption of models like Hospital-at-Home and other advanced home care models.

Healthcare organizations will grapple with not only an influx in senior patient volumes but also a higher degree of care complexity, as comorbidities become more prevalent in an aging population. Multidisciplinary care coordination will be vital to effective care delivery. It’s even possible that in the near future, the lines distinguishing SNFs, home care, and hospitals may blur, giving rise to a more fluid, patient-centered healthcare delivery model. Accountable Care Organizations, which emphasize value over volume and coordinated patient care across different providers, may serve as a precursor to this evolving landscape.

Telehealth’s Role in Senior Care

Just as hospitals are reimagining care delivery in response to staffing shortfalls, burnout, and evolving patient expectations, senior care must also innovate to stay ahead of compounding trends. By embracing models that leverage virtual care, SNFs and other senior care providers can not only compete more effectively but also enhance patient experiences and elevate care delivery standards.

1. Democratizing Access to Scarce Geriatric Specialists:

• Virtual care ensures seniors, especially in regions most affected by staffing deficits, have access to expert care on-screen, anytime, anywhere, overcoming geographic limitations.

2. Enabling Bedside Teams and Emerging Care Models:

• Hybrid care models like Virtual Nursing alleviate pressure on limited bedside staff and improve the patient experience by introducing remote support resources to care models, laying the groundwork for remote, in-home service expansion.

3. Seamless Care Coordination:

• Virtual care fosters collaboration between multidisciplinary care teams, patients, and their families, recognizing that family members often shoulder caregiving responsibilities. This is particularly beneficial in managing chronic conditions.

As we stand at this crossroads, the increasing importance of tech-enabled care cannot be overlooked. Virtual engagement introduces new ways to better support aging patient cohorts and their care teams. This impending transformation underscores the need for healthcare organizations to be agile, forward-thinking, and willing to embrace change – not just as a response to shifting demographic trends, but as pioneers redefining what comprehensive care for seniors truly entails.