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BOSTON (August 31, 1999) – In a unique partnership to educate the next generation of caregivers, long-time collaborators Tufts Health Care Institute (THCI) and AstraZeneca recently signed a three-year agreement to develop and promote THCI’s on-line managed care curriculum for medical school and residency programs nationwide.
"Our commitment to high quality managed care education is greatly strengthened by our partnership with AstraZeneca," says Rosalie Phillips, MPH, Executive Director of Tufts Health Care Institute. "This partnership enables us to focus on developing the most relevant and up-to-date educational materials that we can jointly distribute throughout the country."
One of the strengths of the partnership rests with AstraZeneca’s ability to leverage its national sales force in distributing the CD-ROM educational component to health plans, teaching hospitals and medical residency programs nationwide. In addition, the educational conferences, media symposia and other relationships THCI has with the managed care industry ensure that the useful information contained in the programs is communicated to medical residents and physicians.
"AstraZeneca believes there is a link between physician education and health outcomes. Through partnerships with national organizations like THCI, we are ultimately working to improve the health status of the nation," says Tom Behan, Director, AstraZeneca Managed Care Group.
The THCI/AstraZeneca partnership represents a critical initiative during the current transition of today’s health care system. As medical schools and teaching hospitals work to prepare residents for life outside the classroom, many educational institutions are initiating mandatory managed care studies in their curriculum. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that even after extensive education, many medical students and residents begin their careers with negative perceptions and biased information regarding managed care.
THCI and AstraZeneca began distributing the first CD-ROM program for primary care residents in early 1999. This program gives residents an opportunity to experience through a virtual practice, some of the contemporary care management issues they will face daily when they enter practice themselves. When using the self-guided, interactive CD-ROM, residents learn the basics of managed care. Program components include how to manage financial risk for a patient population with constrained resources; how to use quality improvement initiatives to optimize health outcomes; and ways to provide high quality patient care in multiple settings through coordinated delivery systems.
Under development are introductory CD-ROMs for:
- Medical students
- Surgical and hospital-based residents
- Physicians in practice
Future programs will include more in-depth, computer-based courses, including such topics as risk assessment and adjustment; evidence-based medicine; utilization management; physician-patient communications; and practice management. An introductory course for pharmacists is planned for 2000.
THCI and its medical advisors are responsible for all of the program content and instructional design. THCI and AstraZeneca will jointly distribute the educational programs across the country through AstraZeneca’s national network of sales representatives.
Tufts Health Care Institute is an independent, not-for-profit, educational organization established in 1995 as a collaboration between Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Health Plan to provide managed care education to a full range of health care professionals. THCI has developed a variety of customized seminars, course materials and symposia on timely topics, tapping talented faculty from a broad range of health care institutions. In addition, THCI has provided a neutral forum for discussion among stakeholders with differing perspectives on the current and future challenges of managed care. THCI sponsors CME-accredited conferences for practicing professionals on such issues as capitation, ethical considerations in managed care, case management, and measuring quality and patient satisfaction.
AstraZeneca is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.
AstraZeneca is a strong research-driven organization with a formidable range of products designed to fight disease in important areas of medical need. The company was formed in April 1999 by the merger of Astra AB and Zeneca Group PCL. | 
