An academic medical center is a teaching hospital that is associated with a medical
school. These hospitals also usually participate in academic medical research (George
Washington University, 2021). They rely mostly on public funding and most of their
patients are on government insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. They are
often more specialized in extreme health problems like trauma and burn victims. A
community medical center does not involve the training of graduate medical students or
participating in research. Their patient population is usually larger and more likely to have
private insurance. Their large number of patients means that staff can be more generalized,
and they have more departments for treating different conditions.
An addition of a non-profit hospital in the area could affect the number of patients
which could affect staffing and programs. An academic medical center can be very
expansive and relies upon patients with public health insurance. The high cost could cause
the government to encourage patients to go to the cheaper community hospital. Any
changes to Medicare and Medicaid such as a cap on costs for a procedure could also cause
more patients to choose the cheaper hospital. Fewer patients could lead to staff layoffs and
reductions in programs. The community hospital could also offer better pay and benefits
causing some current staff to leave for better opportunities. A for-profit organization
would bring many of the same risks as a non-profit. In addition, they would try to
maximize their patient population by offering lower prices, better services, and more
efficient care.
References
George Washington University. (2021, July 7).,The Differences Between Academic and
Community Medical Centers. Retrieved from gwu.edu:
https://healthcaremba.gwu.edu/blog/the-differences-between-community-and-
academic-medical-centers/
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