Originally Posted by heech

I think the one key lost in all of this discussion is the recognition that the medical system has changed drastically over the past 20 years. The old system, in which medical doctors were allowed to dictate terms by virtue of their widely acknowledged moral/intellectual superiority, is over. Note that medical doctors (with any degree) aren't even masters of their own practice + operating rooms, any more! I'm sure all of us are familiar with the vocal frustration this has generated amongst some.

The balance has shifted. Medical care in this country is more of a "science" than ever. The Doctor-as-God has been replaced by managed-care-as-God. Corporate bureaucrats are running statistical analysis to determine the best (aka, least expensive) way of providing medical service to their patients. Medical doctors are agents of the medical system, with very little room for autonomy.

In my opinion, the huge explosion of osteopathic medical schools is in response to this shift in paradigm. From a purely quantative point of view, does anyone believe that a McDO graduate will be less capable of providing quality care... at least for 99% of the primary care patients out there? And if they're equally capable of providing care, why would the insurance company "care" about prestige + undergraduate research?

The bottom line will determine the outcome of this. With the skyrocketing cost of health-care, it's time to think like businessmen. As long as these new osteopathic hospitals are producing licensed graduates capable of providing quality care (as determined by the insurance companies), then they will thrive in this marketplace.

The fact that these DO graduates might be "looked down upon" by their MD-trained peers is really irrelevant, in the larger scope of things.