American medicine has a reputation for excellence — and for good reason. On any given day, the same institution that is treating a patient with a rare disease may also be developing a new treatment, training future doctors, or publishing research that shapes how their condition is understood. These are our academic health systems (AHSs), where world-class clinicians, researchers, and educators work side by side, turning breakthrough science into bedside care.
This interconnected environment attracts the best minds in medicine and ensures that scientific discoveries go beyond the lab and into clinics where patients need them most. The AAMC helps our member AHSs and teaching hospitals foster innovation, support excellence in care delivery, and ensure patients everywhere have access to high-quality, affordable care.
Academic Health Systems by the Numbers
The scale of what AAMC-member AHSs contribute to American health care is remarkable, especially considering that they include just 5% of all short-term, general, nonfederal hospitals. Despite this small footprint, AHSs punch well above their weight:
- AAMC-member teaching hospitals provide nearly one-third (32%) of all care delivered in hospitals at no cost to patients, helping ensure people who can’t afford treatment still receive it.
- More than half (56%) of the nation’s highest-level trauma centers — equipped to respond to the most severe, life-threatening injuries 24/7 — are AAMC-member teaching hospitals.
- AAMC-member teaching hospitals house nearly two-thirds (65%) of the nation’s pediatric ICU capacity, caring for critically ill and medically complex children.
- All (100%) federally designated comprehensive cancer centers, which provide cutting-edge cancer care and research through the National Cancer Institute, are part of an AAMC-member teaching hospital.
Behind these statistics are countless patients who received care that would not have been possible elsewhere. According to a JAMA study, patients treated at major teaching hospitals have up to 20% higher odds of survival compared to those treated at non-teaching hospitals. That difference saves lives.
The AAMC: Supporting the Systems That Support Patients
The AAMC plays a critical role in strengthening and sustaining member AHSs and teaching hospitals by supporting innovations in care delivery and workforce planning, providing timely data and research, and interpreting and advocating on complex federal policy changes:
- Innovation: We help AHSs foster clinical advancements to deliver more connected, effective care, including expanding access to behavioral health care and improving care coordination and referrals through Project CORE®. These efforts ensure that patients receive the right care, from the right providers, at the right time.
- Workforce Planning: We conduct ongoing workforce studies that help systems plan for the future, including national physician workforce projections and data dashboards with timely information about the current physician workforce across specialties and locations. These insights enable AHSs to make informed decisions on workforce planning, policy, and investment to meet the nation’s evolving health care needs.
- Data and Research: The AAMC compiles and analyzes data on AHSs’ and teaching hospitals’ clinical activity, workforce, finances, and structure — publishing peer benchmarking data, periodic data snapshots on key issues including telehealth and hospital payment trends, and analyses of the broader economic impact of medical schools and teaching hospitals in their communities. In making this impact visible, we equip policymakers, communities, and health systems with the evidence they need to protect and invest in academic medicine.
- Federal Regulatory Policy: We regularly analyze, interpret, and advocate on federal policy and regulations that affect AHSs and their patients, ensuring their perspectives are represented across a variety of issues, including graduate medical education (GME) funding, hospital and physician payment and quality, and payment and coverage policies for prescription drugs.
- Professional Development: Through clinical-care focused affinity groups, networks such as AAHCI (Alliance of Academic Health Centers International), and ongoing events and networking opportunities, the AAMC supports clinical care professionals in advancing patient care, strengthening health systems, and improving outcomes across communities.
Building A Healthier Future
AHSs not only treat today’s patients, they train tomorrow’s doctors, scientists, and health care professionals. The quality of care Americans will receive decades from now depends on what’s happening inside these institutions today.
When new diseases emerge and medical crises strike, academic health systems are where America turns. The AAMC stands alongside them, offering resources, publishing data, creating community, and advocating for the funding, policies, and innovations that keep these institutions strong — and keep exceptional care within reach for all of us.