Primary care and the elderly: the changes to expect. A Geriatrics panel discussion.

The growing number of elderly patients could transform primary care--and in the fairly near future. For a medical practice geared toward acute care--ie, fixing problems--the coming changes will be technical, financial, and philosophical. They will also be necessary, because the current situation in primary care geriatrics is deeply flawed. Recently Geriatrics Editor-in-Chief Robert N. Butler, MD, convened panelists drawn from various sectors in health care and asked them to provide some perspective on the future of primary care physicians and their practices, as their patients continue to age.