“We are not criticizing the clinical and technical competency with which the physician community is trained,” she says. “It’s recognizing that in an aging population with multiple chronic diseases, just training more super specialists is not likely to meet future healthcare needs.
“It’s the importance of allowing for the kinds of physicians, and the focus of the training of working in team-based care, and focusing on improved health outcomes, as being where the healthcare delivery system we hope is trending as we go forward through the 21st century.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
The $$$s Behind GME
Graduate Medical Education funding sources as of 2012:
- Medicare, with a $9.7 billion payout for GME in 2012, is by far the largest public supporter of residency training;
- State-based Medicaid programs: $3.9 billion;
- Department of Veterans Affairs: $1.4 billion;
- Health Resources and Services Administration: $464 million; and
- Department of Defense, no monetary figure; trains an estimated 3,200 residents annually.
Source: Graduate Medical Education That Meets the Nation’s Health Needs, July 2014; New England Journal of Medicine
References
- Chandra A, Khullar D, Wilensky GR. The economics of graduate medical education. N Engl J Med. 2014 Jun 19;370:2357–2360.
- Iglehart JK. Institute of Medicine report on GME—A call for reform. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jan 22;372(4):376–381.
- Kirch DG. IOM’s vision of GME will not meet real-world patient needs. News release. Association of American Medical Colleges. 2014 Jul 29.
- Hoven AD. AMA urges continued support for adequate GME funding to meet future physician workforce needs. American Medical Association. 2014 Jul 29.
