Medical education in ambulatory care

To the Editor: The article by Eisenberg (June 8 issue)¹ and the accompanying editorial by Federman² argue convincingly that it is in society's best interest to help finance ambulatory care education. They conclude that such an investment by the public and private sectors would pay rich, long-term rewards. Unfortunately, decision making in the free market is notorious for being governed by short-term financial constraints — all of which bode poorly for ambulatory care education and primary care. Why should the directors of health maintenance organizations (HMOs), who must answer to stockholders at the next annual meeting, invest in ambulatory care.