NEWS RELEASE
East Carolina University News Services
Contact: Mary Schulken,
Telephone: (252) 328-6482
April 23, 2013
ECU’s med school dean tells Senate care strategies must change
The East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine’s successful record for training primary care physicians is in a U.S. Senate spotlight today as its dean testifies to a committee examining workforce health.
Dr. Paul Cunningham will tell lawmakers today a more robust supply of primary care physicians is a critical ingredient in supporting a healthier workforce and lower health care costs for the nation.
The current system of strategies and rewards for practicing medicine and training doctors needs to shift for that to happen, he said.
“The government has a responsibility to help with the transitions that are necessary to align payment and rewards with the current and future needs of our citizens,” said Cunningham, who also practiced as a primary care physician in the small eastern North Carolina town of Windsor, in Bertie County.
The focus of the hearing by the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging is health care workforce programs and the effectiveness of those programs.
Cunningham was asked to testify because of the success of the Brody School of Medicine in training primary care physicians, particularly its record in preparing physicians that practice in rural and underserved areas. The school leads the nation in sending graduates into family medicine, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Since 1980, 60 percent of graduates who completed a family medicine residency at ECU are still practicing medicine in North Carolina today. Ninety-eight of them, or 30 percent, are practicing east of Raleigh, where a shortage of doctors — particularly primary care physicians — is the most pronounced in North Carolina.
The strategy used by the Brody School can be a model for the nation, Cunningham said. Increasing the emphasis on primary care will help move the nation toward a system of “care homes” where teams of health professionals coordinate care for patients and families. That comprehensive approach, he said, is more effective and efficient than having health care delivered in a fragmented fashion.
Cunningham plans to offer written testimony, along with five minutes of oral testimony. He is expected to then answer questions from committee members.
The Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging has oversight over many issues including: The Older Americans Act; elder abuse, neglect, and scams affecting older adults; long-term care services, community health centers, The Health Resources and Services Act, oral health, health care disparities, Alzheimer's disease and family caregiving.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, is the committee chair and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, is the ranking member.
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Note to media: Copies of Cunningham’s written testimony will be available. Cunningham is available Tuesday, April 23 for telephone interviews or for on-camera interviews later in the week. Contact Mary Schulken, executive director of communication, public affairs and marketing, 252-328-6482, .