The Acute Care for Elders Consult Program

Older adults, the fastest-growing segment of the United States (US) population, often suffer from multiple chronic diseases and are more prone to acute illnesses. They also account for a disproportionately high number of acute care admissions and hospital days. People aged 65 and older constituted about 16% of the US population in the year 2019 and are expected to grow to 21.6% of the population by 2040 [1]. The 85-year-old and older population is projected to more than double from 6.6 million in 2019 to 14.4 million in 2040 (a 118% increase). The US Census Bureau predicts that we will continue to witness a tremendous growth in our population of older adults over the next several decades, so that by 2060, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to be 95 million, comprising nearly 25% of the US population. Among this age group, Medicare and private insurance claims together accounted for a staggering 97% of inpatient stays annually between 2000 and 2015 [2]. Hence, this population continues to play a vitally important role in the fiscal outcomes for individual acute care hospitals and our entire national healthcare climate.