The impact of the tulane-HCA joint venture on academic and clinical missions

As with any joint venture in any given industry, positive and negative impa cts are felt. Tulane University School of Medicine experienced impacts on i ts academic and clinical missions as a result of the joint venture between Tulane University and HCA, a for-profit public company. The laws of busines s bad entered the halls of medicine. Although patients, personnel, and phys icians experienced culture shock and inconveniences, Tulane University Scho ol of Medicine has been able to maintain viable training programs, and its faculty physicians have a hospital and corporately run clinics across the s treet. In addition, multidisciplinary centers of excellence, long spoken of in the academic realm, came to fruition through the corporate world. This may not have been the case, had Tulane University not entered into a joint venture with HCA. Is it worth the effort? For Tulane University, whether on e likes the entire package or not, the answer must be yes. The greatest imp act is that the orthopaedic surgeons still are in a position to fulfill the ir academic and clinical missions.