2016 May be the Year for Graduate Medical Education Reform

December 17, 2015 - Macy Foundation will partner with major players such as Partners, Vanderbilt to develop potential reforms. The demand for reforms to graduate medical education (GME) will get a boost in 2016. The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation will partner with leading medical institutions to develop reforms at regional and local levels, according to a post at the Health Affairs Blog by Macy Foundation President George E. Thibault, M.D.

The conferences will run from February to May of next year in partnership with Massachusetts' Partners Healthcare, Nashville's Vanderbilt University and MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas System. The organizations intend to develop separate plans based on their region's needs, with an ultimate goal of developing GME reforms from the ground up at the regional and local level. Last summer, a report from the Institute of Medicine also called for major reforms within GME.

The Macy Foundation hopes its program will address problems with GME, including the process of creating new GME slots, whether through state or health system funding; innovation in training sites and payment mechanisms; the development of relationships between medical schools and hospitals with new GME programs; and new measures for competencies. In addition, the foundation aims to address major obstacles to educational innovation, and will issue a final report on its findings and what can be done for GME going forward at the conclusion of the program.

"We realize that changes will also be needed at the federal level for effective GME reform. But that is going to take time," Thibault writes. "In the interim, we should be celebrating the innovation that's occurring now and sharing those lessons to bring about changes and improvements in GME that are needed to better align GME with contemporary needs."

Hospitals spend $15 billion in federal funds per year on GME, leading to increased concerns the money is not used cost-effectively. Recent research also suggests GME reform may be needed to reverse the dire rates of depression among medical residents.

By Zack Budryk
Posted on FierceHealthcare
To learn more:
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