Report: Baby Boomers will put a strain on hospitals
LONG BEACH, CA – The aging of the Baby Boomers, and their growing health needs, will trickle down to affect hospitals and other healthcare providers in the next two decades, a new report predicts.
One of the major concerns for those living longer is handling multiple chronic conditions, and Baby Boomers facing a variety of conditions will make up a greater proportion of hospitalizations, said the report, issued last month by First Consulting Group, a Long Beach, Calif.-based consulting firm.
The rise of patients with several chronic conditions will place increasing strain on the nation’s healthcare system, said the report, which predicts that six out of 10 Baby Boomers, or a total of 37 million, will be managing multiple chronic illnesses by 2030.
The study predicted that 14 million Boomers will be living with diabetes; almost half of the Boomers will live with arthritis, peaking at slightly more than 26 million in 2020; and more than one out of three Boomers — more than 21 million — will be considered obese.
Strains will show in other parts of the healthcare system. For example, Baby Boomers will account for four in 10 office visits to physicians by 2020. And the report predicts that the number of registered nurses, primary care and specialty physicians will not keep pace with demand.
“The report outlines a tidal wave of health needs – Boomers are just the beginning,” said Rich Umbdenstock, president of the American Hospital Association, which commissioned the study to give hospitals information to help them prepare for an expected evolution in healthcare delivery.
“The good news is more of us will be active and enjoying our later years. But to meet the health challenges that come with that, we will need a greater focus on wellness and prevention, new approaches to care delivery, and a new look at the American healthcare system,” Umbdenstock added.
