Selling Teaching Hospitals and Practice Plans: George Washington and Georgetown Universities

By: John A. Kastor

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Synopsis: Why would a university renowned for its school of medicine ever sell its teaching hospital? In his newest book, Dr. John A. Kastor presents an insider’s view of why university medical centers decide to sell teaching hospitals, why the decision might be a good one, and how such transitions are received by the faculty and administration.Kastor tells the story of two universities that, under financial duress for more than a decade, chose to sell their teaching hospitals. George Washington University sold to a national, for-profit corporation, Universal Health Services, Inc., and Georgetown University sold to a not-for-profit, local company, MedStar Health. Through interviews with key players involved in and affected by these decisions, Kastor examines the advantages and disadvantages of selling and describes the problems that can afflict medical schools that separate from their faculty practice plans. For the current leaders of medical schools facing similar financial challenges, Kastor analyzes how much it costs to teach clinical medicine and offers valuable advice on how to reduce expenses and increase surpluses.