The Importance of Institutional and Financial Support for IDT Training
Research has shown that one factor essential for the development and sustainability of geriatric IDT training is institutional and financial support, in both educational and practice settings.42 The 2008 Institute of Medicine Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans recommends that, “Payers should promote and reward the dissemination of those models of care for older adults that have been shown to be effective and efï¬�cient…including reimbursement for services that are not currently covered, e.g., interdisciplinary teams.”31 Effective IDTs require financial and in-kind resource support as well as the involvement of the organization’s key academic and/or administrative personnel. Recognition and rewards that value and sustain geriatric IDTs are integral components of institutional support. The inclusion of all of these types of financial and institutional supports is essential to interdisciplinary team training and quality geriatric care.
