Specialties and the specialty boards

Area of Science:

• Medical professional organizations
• Healthcare policy
• Graduate medical education

Background:

• Specialty societies and boards have independently set standards for care and education.
• A lack of cohesive, integrated efforts exists among national medical organizations.
• Federal government interest and regulation in healthcare and medical education are increasing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the fragmentation within organized medicine.
• To examine the implications of federal regulation on the medical profession.
• To highlight the need for unified national policies in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the structure and function of medical professional organizations.
• Review of legislative trends impacting the healthcare industry.
• Assessment of new coordinating bodies for medical education.

Main Results:

• Multiple independent specialty organizations lack unified policy development.
• Federal regulations are increasing bureaucratic control over physicians.
• New agencies like the Coordinating Council on Medical Education are attempts at integration and accountability.

Conclusions:

• The pluralistic structure of organized medicine is self-defeating without cohesive policies.
• Unified national policies are essential for medicine to retain leadership in the private sector.
• Developing cohesive national policies is a critical, ongoing process for public accountability.