Fallon pushing for more UMass Medical School geriatric training

Courtesy Worcester-based insurer Fallon Health is sponsoring a program that trains University of Massachusetts Medical School residents in geriatric care.

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By Emily Micucci

Worcester-based Fallon Health announced it is sponsoring a geriatric medicine training program to train resident physicians at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to address a projected shortage in specialists who can treat senior citizens

The health insurance company said in a July 31 statement at the Chief Resident Immersion Training (CRIT) program teaches geriatric principles of care to physicians in training who will practice in a variety of specialties and participate in the care of older adults with interdisciplinary care teams.

Chief resident course participants take lessons learned in the CRIT course to develop projects designed to help other residents in their programs learn about the care of older adults, according to Fallon.

Fallon cited data from the Alliance for Aging Research, showing there are 8,800 physicians certified in geriatric care, but 33,000 will be needed by 2030.

“Rising chief residents have not always received sufficient training in the care of older adults, but it is imperative that they have core geriatric skills. We applaud Fallon Health’s vision in supporting this training,” said Dr. Jerry Gurwitz, chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at UMass Medical.