According to the report published by the United States Census Bureau, by 2034, 77 Million of the
population in the USA will be 65 years and older. By 2060, the numbers will increase to 94.7
Million. It means that 1 in 4 people in America will be greater than 65-year old. Compared with the
current old-age population, 85 years and older people will be triple. The upcoming demographic
change will affect the American healthcare industry in several ways. The need to address old age
issues will increase manifold for a start.
At the same time, the USA suffers from a growing issue of ageism. According to Dr. Robert N. Butler,
ageism is defined as the “systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are
old.” With the growing older population in the USA, the healthcare industry needs to take the proper
steps to address their specific needs and requirements. While societal responsibility is of utmost
importance, AI in healthcare also plays a significant role. Know about the different issues of
ageism, how it affects the healthcare ecosystem and how AI in healthcare can help.
Prevalence of Ageism in Healthcare
While several providers and healthcare organizations take necessary steps to treat all patients
equally, there are instances where the elderly population feels left out. It could be due to
communication gaps with the providers, lack of understanding of the procedure, or a negative
approach to their repeatable needs. Most times, healthcare organizations do not notice these changes
in their behavior, and it goes unaddressed for a long time. Here are some examples of the prevalence
of ageism in healthcare:
Providers dismiss many pathological issues as a sign of aging, leading to severe effects or ongoing
treatment.
The natural effects of aging are another issue that gets tagged as diseases, making it hard for the
elderly patient to cope with the treatment procedure.
Clinical trials do not usually include elderly adults with chronic illnesses. It makes the
evidence-based results inaccurate or has rippling effects on their well-being.
Many providers and organization staff implicitly display their ageist statements in comments and
actions. They might not realize what effects their words could have on the particular patient.
Therefore healthcare organizations must be mindful of the culture prevalent in their workplace.
The training programs for the hospital staff do not adequately cover the issues of ageism in the
workplace. The plan should include units to sensitize the staff about this issue.
Ageism leading to Increasing Healthcare Costs
Without the correct intervention in tackling the ageism issues, healthcare costs could be shooting
up without any optimization. It could have a severe negative effect on healthcare organizations and
older patients. Experts researching the impact of ageism on healthcare provide two sides to this
problem.
In the first case, the providers usually do not consider certain health conditions while mapping
their treatment plan. The healthcare organizations rule out a few situations as ‘natural’ effects of
aging though they might need proper supervision from a healthcare professional. Some common
conditions that remain undiagnosed in the elderly population are:
Cognitive impairment
Fatigue
Depression
Anxiety
Pain
In the other case, the provider might be over-treating specific symptoms of these elderly patients
while they can be due to their age. The over-treatment without a proper assessment from the
provider’s side leads to increasing bill amounts and extreme surgery procedures that lack medical
necessity. According to recent research by the Regis College, overtreatment could lead to a
healthcare expense of $158 billion to $226 billion annually. This practice could significantly alter
patient outcomes as such:
Intensive care and surgery are the typical results of overtreating patients
Too many medical procedures could lead to chronic issues like urine incontinence
Patients might be going through a disproportionate number of tests due to benign and slow-growing
tumors.
Needless to say, medical necessity is one of the crucial reasons for claim denials. Assigning
several diagnostic tests and prescribing surgery without proof of medical necessity could lead to
claim denial and thus disrupt your revenue cycle.
AI in Healthcare combating Ageism
Artificial intelligence and machine learning tools can be excellent partners in combating the
changing needs of the elderly population in the American healthcare industry. Incorporating AI in
healthcare and treatment plans specifically for older patients can make the provider’s job easier.
Some of the common uses of AI in healthcare are:
Predicting possible health issues and suggesting changes to their current treatment plan
Providing suggestions about chronic pain management, which is often one of the top conditions older
patients suffer from
Helping in faster drug development keeping the changing needs and body reactions of the older
patients into consideration
However, if not correctly designed with enough representation from the older population, AI tools
can propagate the issue of ageism in the healthcare system. Recently, the World Health Organization
issued a policy document highlighting these issues with pointers on how AI in healthcare can be
developed to make it more inclusive and combat ageism.
Designing AI in healthcare needs to consider the older population. Data science partners should
stress the inclusion of this population.
Most times, elderly patients are discriminated against by the healthcare systems due to their access
to digital tools. Healthcare organizations should take steps to close the digital literacy gap and
include older patients when using the
tools of AI in healthcare.
The AI uses can often be biased if the data-inclusiveness is not a part of their designing process.
To avoid skewed results, healthcare organizations should be wary of the tools they are using and
communicate with the tool provider on the inclusivity of the older population.
Above everything else, providers need to have a transparent mode of communication with elderly
patients. Making them understand the various uses of the technology and how they can be helpful in
managing their health conditions could be beneficial for their clinical outcomes.
We hope this article helped you understand the different facets of ageism prevalent in the
healthcare industry and how AI in healthcare can help you overcome them. Please write to us in the
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