Year: 1996
Type: article
Abstract: On June 14, 1996 at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) 103 graduates of 18 programs were presented with certificates and congratulations.The keynote speaker was the Commanding Gen eral, Brigadier General Warren A. Todd Jr. attending were Major General Steven Silvasy, Acting Commander, US Army Pacific and by the immediate past Commanding General (TAMC), Brigadier General James Hastings, Chief of Medicine, JABSOM.The gradu ates were represented by the Intern Class president, CPT Christo pher Goring, who presented teaching awards and delivered brisk military commands as required during the formal military cer emony.Brigadier General Todd delivered an address which focused on the future of academic medicine in the U.S. Army, as Military Medicine evolves to embrace the managed care model.Military Medicine has faced the pressures of a shrinking defense budget, with losses of funding and physician staff as the active duty population shrinks.In order to continue to provide quality care to the active duty, dependent and retired population, managed care has been selected as the operational model for cost containment.Eli gible patients who receive care outside of the Military facility because of unavailability of services can already enroll in Tricare Prime, the available managed care program which incurs the least out of pocket expense.Brigadier General Todd emphasized to the graduates the similarity of civilian managed care environments and the new Military Medicine environment.He noted the important roles of research and academic medicine in maintaining the quality of health care delivery.The availability of funding for academic programs and research has decreased nationwide, and alternative sources must be explored.Academic Medical Centers (usually University affiliated) cannot continue to function under the tradi tional teaching model.Managed Care paradigms of ready access, continuity of care across the inpatient-outpatient spectrum, and least costly settings for care delivery, are in direct conflict with the traditional operation of teaching institutions.Academic centers must then shift opera tional characteristics (paradigms) if we are to continue to function as education centers.Brigadier General Todd proposed a model for today's successful academic medical center.Five features were noted to be required for success.1) Practice must reflect the identified population based needs of the community served; 2) Continuity of care across the continuum with housestaff/faculty "firms" will be the rule: 3) Multidisciplinary care teams should be organized in primary care and specialty practices, with coverage for continuity; 4) Prevention, education, early detection, and "self care" will be cornerstones of the new paradigm; and 5) the concept of value must be built into training programs: Value equals quality times patient satisfaction divided by cost.Teaching programs will thus provide what the public wants; Providers who take primary responsibility, easy access to useful information and knowledge, and humane relationships with providers.The graduating class faces an exciting and challenging future in medicine.Of the 54 resident graduates.6 will participate in Fellow ship training.The internship class (44 graduates) will send 33
Source: eVols (University of Hawaii)
Author: Berg, Benjamin W.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7134343732