Aging nation demands imaging
Growth of older population signals high
volume
By Karen
Sandrick
The population of individuals aged 65 and older in the U.S. will grow to
about 40 million in the next 10 years and top 70 million by 2030. For
radiologists, the aging of the population means a rush on run-of-the-mill
x-rays, CTs, and MRIs, said Dr. Howard Kessler, director of medical imaging at
Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
The volume of imaging in the Medicare population typically is three times
greater than in the sector covered by commercial insurance, and the aging
population sees a logarithmic increase in their use of diagnostic imaging during
the 20-year period between turning 45 and reaching Medicare eligibility. Even
without the introduction of new technology, a double-digit increase in imaging
is predicted.
Cognitive disease involves a population that has not been part of routine
imaging, and its sufferers are huge in number. Four million people in the U.S.
have the disease, including one in 10 over age 65 and half of those over age 85,
according to the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago. Without a cure or
effective prevention, 14 million U.S. residents will have Alzheimer’s
disease by the year 2050.
“As more people age and more treatment options become available,
you’re going to see greater demand for imaging services,” Kessler
said. “Whether you look at clinical trends, diagnostic trends, treatment
options, hospitalizations—they’re all going up.”
