AAMC unveils five-year plan to aid industry

With the U.S. facing a potential doctor shortage in coming years, the Association of American Medical Colleges unveiled a five-year "road map" last week that calls for more investment in graduate medical education.

The plan put forward by AAMC calls for reforms in a number of areas. Among other things, it says that federal funding for graduate medical education is "far from adequate and threatened by federal budget cuts." It noted Congress capped the number of Medicare-funded residency training positions in 1997 and hasn't raised that figure since.

Besides raising concerns about funding, the plan mostly committed AAMC to developing a number of policies and guidelines for improving graduate education. For example, the association will seek to develop criteria for improving the learning environments at its member institutions. It will also develop better metrics for evaluating what society is getting for its investment in medical education.

"For decades, medical schools and teaching hospitals have been meeting these challenges with innovations in education, training, and care delivery," AAMC CEO Darrell Kirch said. "This road map—a comprehensive and sustained plan—will further align medical education with current and future health care and societal needs to improve the health of all."http://bit.ly/1wjyHie