A discussion of the role of academic health centers in health care reform efforts looks at the following issues: balancing academic objectivity and social advocacy; managing sometimes divergent interests of centers, faculty, and society; and the challenge to develop infrastructure support for reform. Academic health centers' participation in…

The current approach to research, teaching, clinical service, and administration at academic health centers is reviewed, and the traditional values underpinning this approach are challenged. A new form of faculty management that matches the individual faculty member's priorities and skills with the health center mission and which focuses on the…

This article proposes that in order for academic medical centers to compete with successful group practices, health maintenance organizations, and integrated health service networks, they must form clinical faculty into a competitive medical group with more price-competitive and user-friendly services, restructure clinical training to be more…

Three models of strategic management for academic health centers are detailed: the traditional model, which will become rare; a revised traditional model that offers "boutique" clinical services, biomedical research, and medical education; and the academic services model, focusing on competitive primary and secondary clinical services, health…