AAMC urges Congress to aid economy
by supporting research, education
The AAMC has called on Congress
to consider the role U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals
play in the nation's fiscal health as lawmakers develop legislation
to stimulate economic recovery. In a recent letter to congressional
leaders, the AAMC notes that medical schools and teaching hospitals
have a substantial economic and social impact within the counties
and cities they serve. In fact, one out of every 48 wage earners
in the U.S. labor force works directly or indirectly for an AAMC-member
institution. Given the urgent need to preserve and create jobs in
the current economic downturn, the AAMC recommends that economic
stimulus legislation, proposed by Congress, include an additional
$1.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health, as well as increased
support for Veterans Affairs research facilities, Title VII health
professions programs, the National Health Service Corps, and the
country's emergency preparedness and response programs. In addition,
the AAMC is urging Congress to restore Medicare capital indirect
medical education payments, preserve long-standing Medicaid funding
for health care safety net providers and graduate medical education,
and raise the cap on Medicare residency training slots
AAMC examines gender differences
in faculty job satisfaction
Increased demands on U.S. medical school faculty have raised concerns
about job
satisfaction. According to the latest issue of AAMC Analysis
in Brief, levels of faculty job satisfaction differ between genders—especially
in the areas of culture, collegiality, promotion, and compensation.
Women faculty are less likely than their male colleagues to report
feeling satisfied with their "fit" (sense of belonging) in their
departments. Data also show that women faculty believe the promotion
process is less equitable than do their male colleagues. Given the
high costs of faculty turnover, medical school administrators and
leaders can use evidence-based insights such as these to improve
the work environments of all faculty.
2008 annual meeting highlights now available
online
Nearly 4,000 leaders in medicine and education attended the
AAMC Annual Meeting earlier
this month in San Antonio. Highlights from the meeting are now available
online, including: a video and full text of the AAMC President's
Address, "The Tough Questions;" summaries of several plenary and
focus sessions with slides; a photo gallery; information on this
year's national award recipients; and other news from the meeting.
CMS announces 2009 Medicare outpatient payment
system update
The Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2009
Medicare outpatient prospective payment system final rule, which
includes a 3.6 percent inflation update in the base payments that
hospitals receive for outpatient services. The final rule also expands
the current inpatient and outpatient quality reporting programs.
On the move
Peter S. Amenta, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed dean of the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School. He has been serving as interim dean for two years.
Ronald J. Daniels, J.D., provost and chief academic officer of
the University of Pennsylvania, will become president of Johns Hopkins
University, effective March 2.
