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Alignment With Market Forces: The "Re-Whithering" of Infectious Diseases

Brad Spellberg1

  • 1Los Angeles County + University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Open Forum Infectious Diseases
|August 9, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Infectious diseases (ID) face challenges with unfilled fellowship positions and low pay despite emerging threats. To revitalize the field, ID experts must advocate for diagnostic/antimicrobial restrictions, pay-for-performance, and healthcare reform.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Specialties
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Infectious diseases (ID) are critical due to emerging global health threats.
  • Despite its importance, ID fellowship programs struggle with recruitment and low compensation.
  • This reflects a persistent challenge in maintaining a robust ID workforce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address the declining interest and persistent underfilling of infectious diseases fellowship programs.
  • To propose strategic changes aligning the ID field with market forces and healthcare system needs.
  • To ensure the future viability and attractiveness of infectious diseases as a medical specialty.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of current trends in ID fellowship program fulfillment and physician compensation.
  • Review of market forces and healthcare economic models impacting medical specialties.
  • Formulation of recommendations based on established healthcare reform principles.

Main Results:

  • Infectious diseases remain an underfilled and underpaid medical specialty.
  • Current healthcare models and market forces do not adequately support the ID field.
  • A significant disconnect exists between the societal need for ID expertise and the specialty's professional standing.

Conclusions:

  • Strategic interventions are necessary to improve the recruitment and retention of infectious diseases specialists.
  • Recommendations include restricting the use of ID diagnostics and antimicrobials, implementing pay-for-performance for antimicrobial prescribing, and advocating for healthcare reform.
  • Aligning the ID field with market forces is crucial for the benefit of patients, society, and healthcare professionals.
Keywords:
US healthcarecognitive encountersfee-for-serviceinfectious diseasesmarket forces

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