For many of the 619,700 men and 600,400 women estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in 2000, the most practical and innovative strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality and to increase survival and quality of life can be found through direct and prompt access to medical and surgical specialists. Access to specialty care assures the delivery of developments from the bench to the bedside. Direct access to specialty care provides the most advanced research technologies and services.
Studies demonstrate that for many procedures, AHCs are the most cost effective provider.
In a study released in August 1997, researchers found that the adjusted odds of death at teaching hospitals was 19 percent lower than at non-teaching hospitals while length of stay was on average 9 percent shorter at AHCs. The rise in managed care enrollment carries potentially damaging consequences for academic health centers by reducing revenues and affecting the mix and volume of patients. The patient care, research, and education missions of academic health centers are clearly in jeopardy, because specialty care costs are higher.