At the Intersection of Health, Health Care and Policy Cite this article as: Grant Hoekzema Graduate Education For Primary Care Physicians Health Affairs, 33, no.6 (2014):1102 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0392
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Health Affairs is published monthly by Project HOPE at 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133. Copyright © 2014 by Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation. As provided by United States copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code), no part of Health Affairs may be reproduced, displayed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by information storage or retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution Downloaded from content.healthaffairs.org by Health Affairs on June 13, 2015 at SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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doi:
10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0392
Graduate Education For Primary Care Physicians The Council of Academic Family Medicine and its constituent organizations have reviewed “A New Pathway for Medical Education,” by Stephen Shannon and coauthors (Nov 2013). As chair of the council, I am writing to express its serious concerns regarding the implications of the views expressed in this article for the future of family medicine education. The council recognizes the extensive work of the authors and applauds their focus on competency-based education across the medical education spectrum. However, the authors’ conclusions regarding the length of training that is adequate to produce a competent primary care physician are of significant concern. Also, the recently announced merger of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s and the American Osteopathic Association’s processes of accreditation for graduate medical education casts further doubt on the viability of the authors’ recommendations. The council feels that the merg-
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er and the change in length of training proposed in the article are not compatible with each other and raise many questions. In addition, the council feels that the recommended shortening of training has serious implications for the availability of both funded residency training positions and experienced faculty resources. Finally, the proposal to change graduate medical education training so that a primary care physician is not distinguished by specialty-specific training, yet is still eligible for board certification in an existing specialty, is not acceptable. The council feels that these concerns are substantial enough that the American Osteopathic Association should consider the implications of the recommendations of Shannon and coauthors and reject those that do not advance the primary care needs of the American people. The council feels that there are significant concerns that must be addressed before the recommendations are implemented. Grant Hoekzema Council of Academic Family Medicine LEAWOOD , KANSAS
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The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is available at: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/33/6/1102.1.full.html
For Reprints, Links & Permissions: http://healthaffairs.org/1340_reprints.php E-mail Alerts : http://content.healthaffairs.org/subscriptions/etoc.dtl To Subscribe: http://content.healthaffairs.org/subscriptions/online.shtml
Health Affairs is published monthly by Project HOPE at 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133. Copyright © 2014 by Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation. As provided by United States copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code), no part of Health Affairs may be reproduced, displayed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by information storage or retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution Downloaded from content.healthaffairs.org by Health Affairs on June 13, 2015 at SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Letters There is a limit of 300 words for letters to the editor. Health Affairs reserves the right to edit all letters for clarity, length, and tone. Letters can be submitted by e-mail, [email protected], or the Health Affairs website, http:// www.healthaffairs.org.
doi:
10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0392
Graduate Education For Primary Care Physicians The Council of Academic Family Medicine and its constituent organizations have reviewed “A New Pathway for Medical Education,” by Stephen Shannon and coauthors (Nov 2013). As chair of the council, I am writing to express its serious concerns regarding the implications of the views expressed in this article for the future of family medicine education. The council recognizes the extensive work of the authors and applauds their focus on competency-based education across the medical education spectrum. However, the authors’ conclusions regarding the length of training that is adequate to produce a competent primary care physician are of significant concern. Also, the recently announced merger of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s and the American Osteopathic Association’s processes of accreditation for graduate medical education casts further doubt on the viability of the authors’ recommendations. The council feels that the merg-
1102
Health Affairs
J u n e 201 4
er and the change in length of training proposed in the article are not compatible with each other and raise many questions. In addition, the council feels that the recommended shortening of training has serious implications for the availability of both funded residency training positions and experienced faculty resources. Finally, the proposal to change graduate medical education training so that a primary care physician is not distinguished by specialty-specific training, yet is still eligible for board certification in an existing specialty, is not acceptable. The council feels that these concerns are substantial enough that the American Osteopathic Association should consider the implications of the recommendations of Shannon and coauthors and reject those that do not advance the primary care needs of the American people. The council feels that there are significant concerns that must be addressed before the recommendations are implemented. Grant Hoekzema Council of Academic Family Medicine LEAWOOD , KANSAS
3 3: 6
Downloaded from content.healthaffairs.org by Health Affairs on June 13, 2015 at SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
