How the Affordable Care Act, and other pressures, will affect academic health centers is explored in this short commentary by well-known Stanford economist Victor R. Fuchs, Ph.D. Dr. Fuchs discusses the concept of “socially optimal amount of care,” which is different from the “medically optimal amount of care” which can be provided now in academic health centers. Medically optimal means providing every test and procedure that might conceivably be beneficial, while socially optimal means weighing the cost as well. Dr. Fuchs also explores the training period for physicians — does it need to be so long? — and also the types of physicians needed. An emerging concept is the “ambulatory intensivist,” who will lead a team of nonphysicians.
Source: Fuchs, V.R. Current challenges to academic health centers. JAMA, Aug. 15, 2013. Click here for full text free: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1727080&utm_source=Silverchair%20Information%20Systems&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=JAMA%3AOnlineFirst08%2F15%2F2013 Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Academic medical centers, Health reform, Physician specialties, Posted by Kim Garber | Tagged: Academic medical centers |
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