Yes, But What Do Internists Really Do?
Authors: DAVID E. ROGERS
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1979)

Editorials1 June 1979Yes, But What Do Internists Really Do?DAVID E. ROGERS, M.D., LINDA H. AIKEN, PH.D.DAVID E. ROGERS, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, LINDA H. AIKEN, PH.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-90-6-976 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAlmost 15 years ago we reached a national consensus that equitable access to medical care was an appropriate social goal toward which to strive. Medicare and Medicaid were enacted to help the elderly and the poor, and these public programs dramatically increased the demand for outpatient services, particularly primary care. The national commitment to pay for these services led to a debate that centered upon three issues: Did we have adequate numbers of health care providers? Was the specialty mix of physicians appropriate to the needs of the country? Were health providers equitably distributed geographically?Between 1965 and 1970, three...References1. COGGESHALL L: Planning for Medical Progress Through Education. Evanston, Illinois Association of American Medical Colleges, 1966 Google Scholar2. : The Graduate Education of Physicians; Report of the Commission. Chicago, American Medical Association, 1966 Google Scholar3. : Higher Education and the Nation's Health: Policies for Medical and Dental Education. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1970 Google Scholar4. ROGERSBLENDON DR: The changing American health scene. Sometimes things get better. JAMA 237:1710-1714, 1977 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. SCHEFFLERWEISFELDRUBYESTES RNGE: A manpower policy for primary health care. N Engl J Med 298:1058-1062, 1978 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. BROAD W: Califano to medical schools: cut back class size. Science 202:726, 1978 CrossrefGoogle Scholar7. THIERBERLINER SR: Manpower policy: base it on facts, not opinions. N Engl J Med 299:1305-1307, 1978 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. TARLOVWEILSCHLEITER APM: National Study of Internal Medicine Manpower: I. Residency training 1976-1977. Ann Intern Med 88:413-420, 1978 LinkGoogle Scholar9. WEILSCHLEITERTARLOV PMA: National Study of Internal Medicine Manpower: II. A typology of residency training programs in internal medicine. Ann Intern Med 89 (Part 1):702-715, 1978 LinkGoogle Scholar10. : Special Report Number One. Princeton, New Jersey, 1978 Google Scholar11. GIRARDMENDENHALLTARLOVRADECKIABRAHAMSON RRASS: A national study of internal medicine and its specialties: I. An overview of the practice of internal medicine. Ann Intern Med 90:965-975, 1979 LinkGoogle Scholar12. MENDENHALLGIRARDABRAHAMSON RRS: A national study of medical and surgical specialties. I. Background, purpose, and methodology. JAMA 240:848-852, 1978 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. MENDENHALLLLOYDREPICKYMONSONGIRARDABRAHAMSON RJPJRS: A national study of medical and surgical specialties. II. Description of the survey instrument. JAMA 240:1160-1168, 1978 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. AIKENLEWISCRAIGMENDENHALLBLENDONROGERS LCJRRD: The contribution of specialists to the delivery of primary care: a new perspective. N Engl J Med, 1979, in press CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. MCDERMOTT W: Do medical schools have to be restructured to produce the doctor of the future? Proceedings of Anglo-American Conference on Medical Care, Royal Society of Medicine, London, 5-7 April 1971, pp. 65-73 Google Scholar16. MCDERMOTT W: General medical care: identification and analysis of alternative approaches. Johns Hopkins Med J 135:292-321, 1974 MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Princeton, New Jersey PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 June 1979Volume 90, Issue 6Page: 976-978KeywordsElderlyHealth care providersMedicareOutpatients Issue Published: 1 June 1979 PDF DownloadLoading ...