title: Health care: economic impact of caring for geriatric patients.
abstract: National health care expenditures constitute a continuously expanding component of the US economy. Health care resources are distributed unequally among the population, and geriatric patients are disproportionately represented. Characterizing this group of individuals that accounts for the largest percentage of US health spending may facilitate the introduction of targeted interventions in key high-impact areas. Changing demographics, an increasing incidence of chronic disease and progressive disability, rapid technological advances, and systemic market failures in the health care sector combine to drive cost. A multidisciplinary approach will become increasingly necessary to balance the delicate relationship between our constrained supply and increasing demand.
authors.affiliation: Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 4008 Burnett Womack Building, Campus Box #7228, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7228, USA. Electronic address: prich@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Preston B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.affiliation: Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 4008 Burnett Womack Building, Campus Box #7228, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7228, USA.
authors.forename: Sasha D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000639:trends*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D016344:Medicare Part A / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States
keywords: Gross domestic product; Health care economics; Health care expenditure; Medicare; Third party payer