What advantages does a teaching hospital provide to the patient?
Patients have 24-hour access to physician care. Through the affiliation with the UT Health Science Center School of Medicine, University Hospital is able to provide medical education, sponsor basic and applied research, and offer a broad range of clinical services, especially to indigent populations. Often, the latest treatment therapies are available first at teaching hospitals. The Journal of the American Medical Association (9/13/2000) reports that improved outcomes at teaching hospitals result from the higher acuity levels of their patients and the need to perform complex, high level, even breakthrough medical and surgical procedures. The article also indicated that in teaching hospitals: • The risk of death was 19% lower. • Patients stay nearly 10% less time in the hospital for major illnesses such as heart attack and stroke. • Elderly heart attack patients receive critical recommended therapy more often, and they are more likely to survive the heart attack-even years later. • Pat
