Partnerships between health care organizations and medical schools in a rapidly changing environment: a view from the delivery system
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2026
Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
Jane Phillips1, Marc L Rivo, Walter J Talamonti
1Office of Community-based Education, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0900, USA. Jep301@comcast.net
Background And Objectives:
The Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) project encouraged the formation or enhancement of partnerships between medical schools and health care organizations distinct from the traditional teaching hospitals. The purpose was to prepare medical students in nine content areas that were components of the UME-21 project. Despite their importance today to medical schools, such partnerships with health care organizations are a challenge to develop and maintain in the midst of a rapidly changing health care environment. This article categorizes the partnerships formed and discusses the benefits and the barriers encountered in such collaborations.
Methods:
Information about the partnerships was abstracted from written reports from each of the UME-21 partner schools. Additional information was obtained from personal communications with external project representatives and from a post-project survey presented to all UME-21 partner schools.
Results:
The eight partner schools established or enhanced 32 educational partnerships with external organizations. External partner organizations contributed to curriculum planning and implementation, course development and presentation, and provision of clinical sites and preceptors. Twenty-seven of 32 initial affiliations continued in some form beyond the contract period.
Conclusions:
Partnerships formed as part of the UME-21 project improved medical students' exposure to the health care system and their knowledge and skills for effective practice in the 21st century health system. Barriers encountered included financial pressures, changes in leadership, different organizational missions and priorities, and preexisting prejudices against new relationships. Factors associated with successful partnerships include the presence of a health care organization and an academic "champion" dedicated to the project, strong individual relationships, and a medical school commitment to involve external partners.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
01:29Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
01:20Integrated Healthcare System
01:30Health Information Technology and Healthcare Information System
Health Information Technology, commonly called HIT, integrates advanced information systems and technology in healthcare settings. Its primary functions include:
01:27Nursing Clinical Information System
A Nursing Clinical Information System (NCIS) is a specialized type of healthcare information system tailored to meet the unique needs of nursing practice. It incorporates the principles of nursing informatics to streamline information management and improve the quality of care delivery.
Critical attributes of NCIS include: