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Teaching Hospitals

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COTH Private Web Site

The U.S. health care system relies on teaching hospitals — and their clinics, emergency rooms, free-standing ambulatory care centers, chronic care facilities, hospices, and individual and group practices — for the clinical education of medical students and residents. Teaching hospitals are essential "classrooms" for physicians, nurses, and other health professionals and providers.

Teaching hospitals are providers of primary care and routine patient services, as well centers for experimental, innovative and technically sophisticated services. Many of the advances started in the research laboratories of medical schools are incorporated into patient care through clinical research programs at teaching hospitals. Additionally, teaching hospitals are special places that help the underserved and provide comprehensive and unique services for the general population.

About AAMC-COTH Membership

Teaching hospitals represent an important membership group within the AAMC. The Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems (COTH) was formally established in 1965 to provide representation and services related to the special needs, concerns, and opportunities facing major teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada. The Council is the principal source of hospital and health system input into overall Association policy and direction. The approximately 400 COTH member institutions train about three-quarters of the physician residents in the United States. In addition, these hospitals provide highly specialized patient care services, and an environment in which clinical research can flourish.

Unlike other hospital and health system organizations and associations to which COTH members may belong, the structure of COTH and the AAMC provides a forum and environment where policy and support issues which affect health care delivery organizations with a specific commitment to academic medicine can be addressed.

COTH Private Web Site
COTH member hospitals have access to a wealth of information relating to teaching hospital activities, including important data on financial and health care delivery trends, and advocacy activities.

Becoming a COTH Member
Membership applications to COTH are reviewed by the COTH Administrative Board which serves as the AAMC's membership committee for hospital participation.

For further information regarding COTH, please contact Ephonia Green, egreen@aamc.org, 202-828-0491.