July 25th, 2011

The Morning Call reports:

Budget discussions targeting programs that train the next generation of doctors have Lehigh Valley hospitals feeling a little sick.

Budget negotiators have their eyes on Medicare, the federal program that covers health care for the elderly, which also helps fund the costs of training doctors. With many hospitals running deficits or barely making money, cuts to funding for graduate medical education and associated costs would be harmful to the institutions and patients, representatives said.

Cutting funding for education and associated costs would be “extremely shortsighted,” said Dr. Joel Rosenfeld, chief academic officer at St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network. “The reduction of funding for GME [graduate medical education] programs would lead to fewer physicians and fewer patients receiving care by physicians,” he said.

Hospitals with teaching programs receive extra payments from Medicare for training to cover “the higher costs associated with their unique patient care, education and research missions,” the Association of American Medical Colleges said in a statement.

For the rest of the story, read The Morning Call