Having Trouble Finding A Geriatric Physician For An Aging Relative?

Are you having trouble finding a geriatric physician for an aging relative? You're not alone. The paltry reimbursement fees that doctors are entitled to under medicare have made this much needed specialty a very unpopular field to be in. And it's getting worse.

A recent and provocative article by Judith Graham in the New Old Age Blog Walking Away From Medicare, describes one Geriatrician's decision to opt out of Medicare altogether. Instead she created a new kind of practice for older adults in which she conducts comprehensive assessments and evaluates care ordered by other doctors. Her fee? $200 an hour. 

Over 150 comments were posted and they were as interesting and informative as the article. Many criticized her for opting out of medicare and blamed our "for-profit minds" and medical system. Others gave her a "thumbs up" for taking action against a system that doesn’t work.

This story has really gnawed at me--- not because I blame her for “selling out”--- (I don’t think she has),  but because it just lays out in black and white that out-of-the-box solutions will benefit only those with money. And to me, this is very sad reality.

What do you think?