Cost containment education efforts in United States medical schools

Noting the increasing nationwide concern with factors relating to rising health care costs, the Association of American Medical Colleges surveyed 119 U.S. medical schools in the summer of 1978 to ascertain the degree of program activity in the area of cost containment education. A 100 percent response was achieved. An analysis of this data indicates that considerable activity is underway. Forty-one institutions (34 percent) have programs underway or planned specifically to teach health care cost containment to undergraduate medical students or residents or both. The majority of such programs were introduced during the past two years. The costs of such programs are fairly modest, averaging $22,680 per year. Respondents indicated that further activities might be enhanced by development of a primer for faculty and students on elements of cost containment education and the organization of a series of regional workshops related to this subject.