Academic health centers: models for healthcare reform?

A group of 12 major academic health centers has put together this joint proposal for healthcare delivery reform. The group asserts that healthcare reform bills making their way through Congress would put academic health centers at great financial risk: demand for healthcare is expanded while capacity is stagnant.  Some centers have already found ways to deal with the demand/capacity issue and could serve as models for the rest of the country. (Note:  NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is part of the consortium.)

It's an interesting read. Though, clearly not everyone regards major medical centers as the paragons of efficiency and quality:

Large hospitals are like antiquated factories that were built to produce anything. They're like a car parts factory that was built 50 years ago to produce 50 different parts-- grossly inefficient with assembly lines that snake all over the place. Compare this to a car parts factory built a few months ago designed exclusively to efficiently produce 3 parts with highly consistent quality.

That's the network we're building with Hello Health. The doctors who care, the doctors who want to do the right thing, the doctors who know there's gotta be a better way, the doctors who truly love being doctors and want to help their patients be well, the doctors who don't want the hassle and the bloat...they're coming out of the woodwork to find us, to meet us for beers, and to say I want to join you.

This is the future healthcare system. A bottom up network of doctors and patients who care about relationships, simplicity, affordability, and a better experience.

Jay Parkinson