Update on the medical director concept

Physicians have a legal and ethical responsibility to provide leadership in the care of our institutionalized elderly. In the nursing home, this responsibility includes three components: providing care for individual patients (attending physician), providing care for groups of individuals (medical director) and monitoring and evaluating utilization and quality of care (Utilization Review Committee). Individual physicians, administrators and staff must define the tasks of the medical director to meet the needs of each particular nursing home.