Academic health centers (AHCs) are a cornerstone of the American health care system. Over the last fifty years, they have assumed a major role in the production of public goods and services that society values but that are not produced effectively in private health care markets. As institutions, their primary social missions are to supply medical education, conduct biomedical research, provide highly specialized services, and pursue continuous innovation in patient care. Many AHCs also consider care to indigent and uninsured patients as integral to their social missions. This presentation will provide a rationale for public support of AHC missions, and review recent evidence on the provision of indigent care by AHCs. Special attention will be given to the effects of health care competition on AHC provision of indigent care.
Learning Objectives: 1. To examine the concept of social responsibility and its relationship to Academic Health Centers/Systems. 2. To the tools to evaluate the social goods produced by Academic Health Centers/Systems. 3. To explore the impact of mergers and system building on the social responsibility of Academic Health Centers/Systems
Keywords: Hospitals, Access to Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.