BACKGROUND Faculty productivity is essential for academic medical centers striving to achieve excellence and national recognition. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether and how academic Departments of Medicine in the United States measure faculty productivity for the purpose of salary compensation. METHODS We surveyed the Chairs of academic Departments of Medicine in the United ...

The North Shore Health System and the Long Island Jewish Medical Center merged in 1997 and now form the third largest not-for-profit academic health care system in the United States. The authors analyze the specific factors responsible for the relative success of the clinical merger, review their merger's initial failures and how they crafted a more pragmatic and appropriate set of guiding prin...

OBJECTIVE It is uncertain whether pediatric and general emergency departments have different admitting practices regarding children with bronchiolitis. The objective of this study was to quantify the differences in admission practices between pediatric and general emergency departments of children with bronchiolitis in 1 North American metropolitan area, controlling for various factors such as ...

Towards a Safer Culture (TASC) aims to provide a safer culture in hospital departments by introducing clinical pathways for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes or stroke. Specific clinical pathways have been implemented for patients with different levels of risk to guide the most appropriate evidence-based medical care for each patient. Pathways facilitate continuity of car...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the capability of accident and emergency (A&E) departments in six health regions of England to safely decontaminate casualties exposed to hazardous chemicals. METHODS In January 1999 a postal questionnaire was sent to the clinical director of all A&E departments in Trent, North and South Thames, South and West, North West and, Anglia and Oxford Health Regions. The quest...

CONTEXT The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing the landscape of health systems across the United States, as well as the functioning of governmental public health departments. As a result, local health departments are reevaluating their roles, objectives, and the services they provide. OBJECTIVE We gathered perspectives on the current and future impact of the ACA on g...

Academic departments of internal medicine have traditionally focused on their mission to provide clinical services, educate the next generation, and conduct research. As requirements to engage in formal quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) activities increase, academic departments provide an important setting to design, implement, and critically evaluate care delivery systems, as well...

Changes in health care delivery, reimbursement schemes, and organizational structure require health care organizations to manage the cost of providing care while maintaining high levels of clinical and patient satisfaction outcomes. As an integral part of the health care system, respiratory care departments must contribute to organizational goals that assist with the achievement and maintenance...

Quality of clinical education for medical students has always been a concern in academic medicine. This concern has increased in today's time-squeeze while faculty members have to fulfill their complementary roles as a teacher, researcher, and practitioner. One of the strategies for program evaluation is obtaining trainees' feedbacks since they are the main customers of educational programs; ho...