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A MedPage Today opinion article published Nov. 3, 2026, argues that clinicians across specialties should help older patients plan for future care while the United States lacks enough geriatricians. The writer calls for routine discussion of advance directives and simpler systems for documenting and acting on patients’ wishes; the article does not report a new policy or study.
A MedPage Today opinion article published Nov. 3, 2026, argues that clinicians beyond geriatrics should take a larger role in helping patients record their wishes for serious illness and end-of-life care. The contributor links that call to the article’s account of an insufficient supply of geriatricians and says health practices should make advance-care planning easier to discuss and document.
The writer says the country needs more primary-care doctors and many more geriatricians, but argues that patients cannot wait for the specialist workforce to grow before receiving support. In the meantime, the article says, clinicians who see patients in other settings can help identify preferences and make sure those preferences are accessible to care teams.
The commentary focuses on advance directives, including documents that name a health care proxy or describe a person’s wishes if they become unable to make decisions. The contributor says these discussions may happen too late if they are left until a catastrophic illness, and describes family disagreements as one possible consequence when a patient’s wishes are unknown.
The writer proposes asking about planning earlier and more consistently, such as when someone joins a new medical practice. If a patient already has documents, the practice could offer a way to upload them; if not, it could provide forms and educational materials. The article also calls for less administrative friction around tools such as Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, living wills, medical powers of attorney and hospice enrollment.
Making Patient Wishes Easier to Find
The argument matters because decisions during a serious illness can involve patients, relatives and multiple clinicians, sometimes under time pressure. The writer’s central point is that documenting preferences before a crisis may give care teams and families clearer information about what a patient wants, rather than requiring them to reconstruct those wishes during an emergency.
The article also frames the issue as a health-system responsibility, not solely a specialist’s task. If practices routinely ask about planning and make records available, the proposal suggests, patients may have more opportunities to discuss their choices even where access to geriatricians is limited. That is the contributor’s recommendation, not a demonstrated result of a new program or study.
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The Case for Earlier Planning
The source is an opinion piece, not a research report, government announcement or account of a newly adopted health-care policy. Its author writes from the perspective of outpatient medicine and describes advance-directive questions as less prominent in routine paperwork than screening topics such as depression, tobacco use and housing or food insecurity.
The contributor says these questions may appear during a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, but argues that a single templated question about whether a patient has documents is not enough. The proposed alternative is repeated, practical opportunities to discuss plans and store documents in a patient’s record. The article does not provide national staffing figures or quantify how many additional geriatricians are needed.
““Geriatricians are masters of this stuff, but until a time where we have thousands more who can help take care of patients during these challenging moments as they approach the end of their lives, we should build up stronger, better, and more respectful systems.””
— MedPage Today contributing writer
No New Policy or Data Reported
The article does not announce a change in law, a health-system rollout or a new clinical guideline. It also does not identify a specific staffing estimate, compare the number of geriatricians with patient demand, or present evidence measuring whether its suggested workflow would increase completed directives or improve care.
It remains unclear which forms and procedures could be simplified across different jurisdictions and institutions. Requirements for documents and medical orders can vary, and the commentary does not set out a proposed implementation plan or address how practices would protect access, privacy and patients’ ability to revise their choices.
A Proposal Awaiting Practical Steps
The piece offers recommendations rather than a scheduled next milestone. Any action would depend on medical practices, health systems and policymakers deciding whether to add earlier planning conversations, document-upload options and clearer educational support to routine care.
For now, the development is the publication of the commentary itself. The writer’s closing appeal is to make patient preferences easier to discuss and retrieve, while reducing procedural burdens around end-of-life care. The article does not report that any organization has adopted those recommendations.
Key Questions
What happened?
A MedPage Today contributor published an opinion article urging clinicians beyond geriatrics to help patients discuss and document their wishes for future serious illness and end-of-life care.
Does the article announce a new health policy?
No. It presents recommendations from the author; it does not report a new law, official guideline or health-system policy.
What changes does the writer propose?
The contributor suggests asking about advance-care planning earlier and more routinely, offering ways to upload existing documents, and giving patients forms and educational materials when they do not have plans recorded.
What remains unknown?
The article does not quantify the geriatrician shortage, provide evidence on the effects of the proposed changes or specify how health systems would put them into practice. It also does not detail how document requirements differ across jurisdictions.
Source: medpagetoday.com
