Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for California seniors. But a new study from the UC Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research finds many doctors don’t routinely screen their older patients for falls.
The study, based on data from the 2011-12 California Health Interview Survey, reveals more than half a million California seniors fall more than once a year. But less than half receive any advice on how to prevent falls from their doctor.
The center’s associate director, Steven Wallace, said it’s not necessarily the doctors’ fault.
“I think a lot of seniors don’t like to admit that they’re falling," he explained. "And so if nobody is asking them, they feel embarrassed to offer or to ask for help.”
Medicare does not reimburse doctors for giving advice on falls prevention. Wallace said the reimbursement policy should be changed, so that providers could screen all seniors for falls, and offer recommendations on how to prevent them.
