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July 2, 2007
Peter B. Ajluni, DO
President, American Osteopathic Association
142 East Ontario Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Dear Dr. Ajluni:
I am an academic physician and 2006-2007 AOA Health Policy Fellow. Although I work in the large world of sub specialized allopathic academic medicine, I am very proud to be a DO and practice Osteopathic medicine everyday. Significantly, in the extraordinarily competitive world of anesthesiology, our residency of 28 spots, is usually composed of 20-30% DOs, most of whom are exemplary physicians and go on to become chief residents. I see, on a daily basis, the benefits our patients receive from application of Osteopathic principles and philosophy and I am truly gratified to provide this care to the people of our state.
I am writing to you today because I and a large group of my Osteopathic brothers and sisters are very concerned about the future of this profession and about the negative impact we believe a for-profit osteopathic medical school may have. As you may be aware, all for-profit medical schools in the US were intentionally closed by 1935, following the Flexner report of 1910. Since then, all medical education in the US has been non-profit. We are very disturbed that an Osteopathic school has to be the one to break this standard. Although COCA permits for-profit schools, they are prohibited by the LCME and are even illegal in some states, such as Kansas. The Rocky Vista School, to be operated as an investment by the owners of the American University of the Caribbean, will bring into the public eye the image of Osteopathic medical schools as mercenary entities, treating desperate students as just another profit-making commodity. In an era where there are 47 million Americans without health insurance, where the US ranks 43rd in infant mortality and where medical costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy, how can this profession justify the existence of for-profit schools? If we are serious about health care access, cost and quality, then we cannot stand idly by and allow this profession to stand for money, profits and investments. Any excess revenue generated from medical education should be returned to the schools for development, used to open patient outreach clinics or simply used to lower the costs of tuition that, in of themselves, are contributing to disparities in the physician workforce force and are already a source of criticism of Osteopathic medical education.
I understand that, by established policies, we cannot necessarily prevent accreditation of this school under COCA standards. There is nothing, however, to prevent you, as the public voice of organized Osteopathic medicine, to use your bully pulpit and state your disapproval of this backward step. Will you?
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance. This is a unique opportunity in our history to demonstrate that we, as Osteopathic physicians, stand for our patients and not our profits.
Sincerely,
George Mychaskiw II, DO, FAAP
Professor and Vice Chairman
Peter B. Ajluni, DO
President, American Osteopathic Association
142 East Ontario Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Dear Dr. Ajluni:
I am an academic physician and 2006-2007 AOA Health Policy Fellow. Although I work in the large world of sub specialized allopathic academic medicine, I am very proud to be a DO and practice Osteopathic medicine everyday. Significantly, in the extraordinarily competitive world of anesthesiology, our residency of 28 spots, is usually composed of 20-30% DOs, most of whom are exemplary physicians and go on to become chief residents. I see, on a daily basis, the benefits our patients receive from application of Osteopathic principles and philosophy and I am truly gratified to provide this care to the people of our state.
I am writing to you today because I and a large group of my Osteopathic brothers and sisters are very concerned about the future of this profession and about the negative impact we believe a for-profit osteopathic medical school may have. As you may be aware, all for-profit medical schools in the US were intentionally closed by 1935, following the Flexner report of 1910. Since then, all medical education in the US has been non-profit. We are very disturbed that an Osteopathic school has to be the one to break this standard. Although COCA permits for-profit schools, they are prohibited by the LCME and are even illegal in some states, such as Kansas. The Rocky Vista School, to be operated as an investment by the owners of the American University of the Caribbean, will bring into the public eye the image of Osteopathic medical schools as mercenary entities, treating desperate students as just another profit-making commodity. In an era where there are 47 million Americans without health insurance, where the US ranks 43rd in infant mortality and where medical costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy, how can this profession justify the existence of for-profit schools? If we are serious about health care access, cost and quality, then we cannot stand idly by and allow this profession to stand for money, profits and investments. Any excess revenue generated from medical education should be returned to the schools for development, used to open patient outreach clinics or simply used to lower the costs of tuition that, in of themselves, are contributing to disparities in the physician workforce force and are already a source of criticism of Osteopathic medical education.
I understand that, by established policies, we cannot necessarily prevent accreditation of this school under COCA standards. There is nothing, however, to prevent you, as the public voice of organized Osteopathic medicine, to use your bully pulpit and state your disapproval of this backward step. Will you?
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance. This is a unique opportunity in our history to demonstrate that we, as Osteopathic physicians, stand for our patients and not our profits.
Sincerely,
George Mychaskiw II, DO, FAAP
Professor and Vice Chairman
