By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    FDA Approves Diabetes Pill
    May 2, 2011
    Patient Gets Drunk on Hand Sanitizer
    June 20, 2011
    Cultivating Health Improvement
    July 20, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Maybe We Don’t Need to Train So Many Doctors
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Education > Maybe We Don’t Need to Train So Many Doctors
BusinessMedical Education

Maybe We Don’t Need to Train So Many Doctors

DavidEWilliams
Last updated: July 13, 2011 8:03 am
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

The CEOs of two academic hospitals are upset that Congress may reduce the funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME) paid through Medicare. To fight back, they’ve written a scare story for the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed page (We Can’t Afford to Train Fewer Doctors) that’s full of omissions and misleading statements.

To summarize their arguments:

The CEOs of two academic hospitals are upset that Congress may reduce the funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME) paid through Medicare. To fight back, they’ve written a scare story for the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed page (We Can’t Afford to Train Fewer Doctors) that’s full of omissions and misleading statements.

To summarize their arguments:

More Read

hospital supply chains
To Up Patient Satisfaction, Hospital Supply Chain Units Need Better IT and Technology
Health Care Buzz Today
How To Get a New Nursing Job Efficiently
Orthopedic Billing: Creating a Seamless Transition to ICD-10
Hillary Clinton’s Classic Mistake: A Marketing Lesson for Doctors and Hospitals
  • A cut in GME funding “could dramatically limit the ability of patients to see physicians, even for critical illnesses” by limiting the number of new physicians trained
  • Hospitals have been buying up physician practices and as a result now provide most primary care, outpatient care, and care for the indigent. Reducing funding in one area (e.g., GME) “will impact all services that hospitals provide to the community”
  • We need 90,000 more doctors by 2020 to meet increased demand and to replace doctors who retire

The authors make it sound like a cut in GME funding will doom the country to a dire doctor shortage. I think they’re being over dramatic:

  • There is serious overutilization of medical services in this country today. Reduce that and we won’t need so much physician capacity. Conversely, supply creates its own demand. Train more doctors and overall utilization and costs will rise
  • I don’t see why a reduction in GME funding will automatically lead to cuts in other programs. If their funding is fungible as the authors imply, maybe hospitals should just find other revenue sources to substitute for lost Medicare GME. Or maybe GME cuts can be offset by reductions in overhead expenses such as administrator salaries?
  • Technology and process improvement should make physicians more productive. The number of farmers has dropped dramatically as agricultural methods have improved. To get costs under control we’ll need to see some of the same effect in health care
  • Plenty of well-trained physicians from overseas are interested in working in the US. We could make up for some of the expected shortage by encouraging more immigration
  • Physicians aren’t the only medical providers out there. Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are an important, growing component of the clinical work force and can continue to take up some of the slack


Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Vestagen Gets $8.3M for Super Scrubs

August 29, 2013
nordstrom lessons
Business

Valuable Marketing Lessons Doctors Can Learn from Nordstrom

September 26, 2014

Apple HealthKit: Epic Integration at Ochsner Health System

October 16, 2014

Do-It-Yourself Death Panel

May 4, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?