Paul Katz, M.D.

Q: What is behind your recent call for the development of nursing home specialists?

A: Rather than accepting a diminished presence of physicians in nursing homes and finding alternative care models, it is time to fully consider, appropriately fund and test the nursing home specialist model.

Q: Why do you say the disengagement of physicians in nursing home practice is not necessarily inevitable?

A: We make the case that quality of care in nursing homes is directly linked to physician practice, and that only by moving toward a nursing home specialist model will the needs of residents with complex post acute-problems—who also suffer from other conditions—be met.

Q: How would this work?

A: Nursing home specialists could practice under many different models, ranging from full-time practitioner to primary care physician in the community who devotes one day per week to nursing home residents. However, we propose that nursing home specialists devote at least 20%of their practice to nursing home care.

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Katz is also the president-elect of the American Medical Directors Association.