Beginning 2007 the Institute of Medicine will undertake a consensus study to characterize the optimal healthcare workforce for older Americans in an aging society. This study will seek to determine the healthcare needs of the target population—the rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population of Americans who are over 65 years of age—then address those needs through a thorough analysis of the forces that shape the health care workforce, including education, training, modes of practice, and financing of public and private programs. 

The IOM will impanel an ad hoc committee of 15 experts who will meet over a period of 15 months.  Starting with the understanding that health care services provided to older Americans should be safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable, the committee will consider the following questions:

1. What is the projected future health status and health care services utilization of older Americans?
2. What is the best use of the health care workforce, including, where possible, informal caregivers, to meet the needs of the older population?  What models of health care delivery hold promise to provide high quality and cost-effective care for older persons?  What new roles and/or new types of providers would be required under these models? 
3. How should the health care workforce be educated and trained to deliver high-value care to the elderly?  How should this training be financed?  What will best facilitate recruitment and retention of this workforce? 
4. How can public programs (e.g. Medicare and Medicaid) be improved to accomplish the goals identified above?

 Sponsorship for this project has been provided by:

• The John A. Hartford Foundation
• The Atlantic Philanthropies
• The Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• The Retirement Research Foundation
• The California Endowment
• The Archstone Foundation
• The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
• The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
• The Commonwealth Fund

The report release date is 04/11/2008.

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