Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest health systems in the world with $56.4 billion in operating revenues, 9.6 million health plan members, 177, 445 employees, 17, 791 physicians, 49, 778 nurses, 38 medical centers, and 620 medical offices, announced that it plans to open a non-traditional medical school.
Kaiser’s plans are to redesign physician education and better prepare doctors to meet the needs of 21st century healthcare. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019 and will be based in Southern California.
According to the announcement, reported by Ilene MacDonald, the new school will look beyond traditional medical settings. The new school aims to teach advanced skills in decision-making, use of technology, evidence-based medicine and communication tailored to specific populations.
Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, said, “Opening a medical school and influencing physician education is based on our belief that the new models of care mean we must re-imagine how physicians are trained. Training a new generation of physicians to deliver on the promise of health and healthcare demonstrates our belief that our model of care is best for the current and future diverse populations in this country.”
According to MacDonald, the creation of the school advances work the organization already does in physician education. Kaiser Permanente has more than 600 new physicians currently completing their residency programs and several thousand more from 50 affiliated programs complete a portion of their training at Kaiser Permanente each year. They believe that this new school will enable them to better align medical education with contemporary societal needs.”
