2018 Press Releases

Geriatrics experts today voiced grave concerns regarding drastic proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, & other support platforms essential to us all as we age, as outlined in the U.S. House of Representatives.

New York (July 2, 2018)—In response to a budget blueprint in the U.S. House of Representatives proposing more than $530 billion in cuts to Medicare and more than $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal health programs overall—and a time when more Americans than ever before are poised to contribute to our communities thanks to federal services and supports—the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today redoubled its strong opposition to any plan for balancing governmental spending at the expense of older Americans.

“We are troubled by this budget proposal to decrease support for older adults even as more and more people across our communities approach age 65,” noted AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “Federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid have been essential to the forward momentum that has helped us live longer. We continue to offer our support and expertise to the many bipartisan legislators and experts working across the aisle on meaningful proposals that would help—not harm—us all as we age.”

New York (May 22, 2018)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today offered a ringing endorsement of the bipartisan Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act (S. 2888), a proposal in the U.S. Senate to ensure communities across the U.S. have access to health professionals and other critical supports improving care for us all as we age. Introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the bill echoes similar bipartisan legislation proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017. Now pending in each chamber of Congress, both proposals draw on considerable insights from the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), a collaborative comprised of more than 30 member organizations reflecting the diverse expertise of millions of professionals who support health in aging for older Americans and caregivers.

“The future we’re working for at the AGS—a future where all older Americans have access to high-quality, person-centered care—begins by building the workforce to make that possible and by ensuring that workforce can connect us to the tools and supports we need as we age,” notes AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA. “We commend Sens. Collins and Casey for working with us and our partners to make that future a reality with the Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act. By standing behind this legislation, and a similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, we’re committed to a future when all Americans can look forward to high-quality, person-centered care.”

As the AGS continues to voice concern for public policy changes that jeopardize care for older Americans the Society’s geriatrics experts call for safeguards to protect older people who rely on Medicaid for long-term services and supports.

New York (May 11, 2017)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today voiced concern over recent reports that budget cuts in Louisiana could terminate Medicaid benefits for more than 35,000 residents of nursing and group homes, as well as for individuals who receive care at home while living well below the federal poverty line. The loss of Medicaid coverage—the federal program that funds long-term care for older Americans—not only jeopardizes long-term care benefits but also could lead to housing evictions for older people already living with limited means. As other states across the U.S. face similar budget concerns, the AGS urges state and national policymakers to support solutions that ensure all older Americans can look forward to health, safety, and independence in the communities they helped shape.

In Louisiana specifically, the state budget now includes steep health spending cuts—including those aimed at Medicaid benefits—to compensate for lost tax revenue exceeding $1 billion. Worried that other states facing similar budget gaps could turn to healthcare cuts impacting older people, AGS experts again cautioned that programs like Medicaid and Medicare remain crucial to ensuring we all have access to high-quality, person-centered care as we age.

New York (May 8, 2018)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has honored 25 leading healthcare professionals who joined the newest class of AGS Fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age.

“All of our fellows are colleagues who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to geriatrics, have contributed to advances in care, and are active participants in AGS activities,” noted Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF, President of the AGS, in recognizing the new AGS Fellows at the AGS 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18; May 3-5 in Orlando, Fla.).

This past year’s fellows hail from all four corners of the country and reflect the increasingly interprofessional nature of geriatrics as a field attracting doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physicians assistants, social workers, and many others. They include:

• Drawing on 30+ years of experience as geriatrician & health system leader, Dr. Laurie Jacobs convenes meeting of 2,500+ #geriatrics experts as new President of @AmerGeriatrics http://ow.ly/iBc030jLiTF

New York (April 30, 2018)—As more than 2,500 geriatrics experts prepare to converge on Orlando, Fla., for the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18), their commitment to research, clinical practice, and public policy serving us all as we age will be reflected in the expertise of the Society’s newest president: Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF. A seasoned health systems leader, educator, and geriatrics scholar, Dr. Jacobs has been an AGS member since 1988 and an AGS Board representative since 2011. She will begin her tenure as AGS President outlining her vision to improve health in aging by disrupting outdated models of care as she opens #AGS18, which runs May 3-5 (pre-conference day May 2) at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort®.

“The AGS membership and geriatrics community is uniquely positioned to both provide care to older adults and to shape how that care is provided now and in the coming years,” notes Dr. Jacobs.

New York (April 18, 2018)—In response to regulatory actions that took aim last week at essential health benefits for all Americans and support systems for the poor, experts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) again cautioned that such changes could jeopardize the health, safety, and independence of us all as we age.

“To ensure we have access to high-quality, person-centered care, we need to support policy solutions that can help all of society benefit from increased longevity,” noted AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “Solutions that strip health protections for Americans while also risking important gains for some of society’s most vulnerable individuals remain counterproductive to what we all need as we age.”

These warnings come just days after President Trump signed an Executive Order mandating work requirements for people receiving food assistance, Medicaid, and low-income housing subsidies because they already live at or below the federal poverty line. With many of America’s more than 43 million caregivers relying on such supports to make caregiving possible, such a sweeping directive could risk care quality for older adults now while jeopardizing well-being for more Americans in the years to come.

A new supplement to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds field leaders in dementia and mental health research weighing in on the science, public policy, and professional education and practice that will change our experience of aging.

New York (April 16, 2018)—In a newly published collection of research reports and essays, more than 20 experts in aging are looking to the future of science, professional education, clinical practice, and public policy to address two of America’s fastest growing health concerns: Dementia and mental health in late life. Across 10 articles compiled as a supplement to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), field leaders in geriatrics, dementia, and mental health have traced the trajectory of everything from our knowledge of neurological systems contributing to dementia to the development of new interprofessional approaches to teaching and managing late life problems in mental health. In so doing, they hope to chart a course forward for bridging the gap between science and clinical practice, which could transform the prevention and treatment of dementia and mental illness for us all as we age.

• At #AGS18, @WeillCornell’s Dr. Tony Rosen will be honored for #geriatrics research reviewing programs with potential to combat abuse of older adults in communities across U.S. http://ow.ly/KI6t30jsnJo

New York (April 12, 2018)—Advancing care for older people across health specialties, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that Tony Rosen, MD, MPH—Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Attending Emergency Physician at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center—will receive this year’s Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties. Presented at the AGS 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18, held May 3-5 in Orlando, Fla.), the award will recognize Dr. Rosen for a comprehensive review of programs to address the abuse of older individuals that he and colleagues conducted.

“Expanding access to the care we all need as we age means forging new in-roads for geriatrics across all healthcare specialties,” noted AGS Board Chair Ellen Flaherty, PhD, APRN, AGSF. “As an emergency medicine physician with an interest in older adult care, Dr. Rosen’s career—and his expertise—help to exemplify that need, and how we hope to meet those needs at the AGS.”

• At #AGS18, new @AmerGeriatrics award supported by @Humana celebrates #research & #innovation in #ValueBasedCare http://ow.ly/S82K30jvZAo

New York (April 17, 2018)—With support from Humana Inc., (NYSE: HUM), one of the nation’s leading health and well-being companies, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced two recipients for its newest award celebrating innovation in value-based care as we age. The inaugural Humana Value-Based Care Research Awards will be presented to Austin J. Hilt, MPH, a medical student at Northeast Ohio Medical University, and Morteza Komeylian, MD, a Clinician Fellow at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, at the AGS 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18), held May 3-5 in Orlando, Fla.

Selected from more than 1,000 research abstracts submitted for consideration—the AGS’s most competitive pool to-date for its Annual Scientific Meetings—work by Hilt and Dr. Komeylian exemplifies four important priorities embodied by the Humana Value-Based Care Research Award, which celebrates commitments to:

• .@AmerGeriatrics Honors Expert & Emerging #Geriatrics Leaders at #AGS18 http://ow.ly/8qWS30jsupg

New York (April 12, 2018)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older people. This year’s award recipients include more than 20 leaders representing the breadth of disciplines championing care for us all as we age.

Choosing Wisely® Champion Award

• Alina Sibley, APRN, BC (Baystate Medical Center)

Clinician of the Year Award

• J. Eugene Lammers, MD, MPH, FACP, AGSF (Mercy LIFE of Alabama)

Clinical Student Research Award

• Michael Liu (University of Arizona, Harvard University)

David H. Solomon Memorial Public Service Award