The Society of General Internal Medicine asked a task force to redefine the domain of general internal medicine. The task
force believes that the chaos and dysfunction that characterize today’s medical care, and the challenges facing general internal
medicine, should spur innovation. These are our recommendations: while remaining true to its core values and competencies,
general internal medicine should stay both broad and deep—ranging from uncomplicated primary care to continuous care of patients
with multiple, complex, chronic diseases. Postgraduate and continuing education should develop mastery. Wherever they practice,
general internists should be able to lead teams and be responsible for the care their teams give, embrace changes in information
systems, and aim to provide most of the care their patients require. Current financing of physician services, especially fee-for-service,
must be changed to recognize the value of services performed outside the traditional face-to-face visit and give practitioners
incentives to improve quality and efficiency, and provide comprehensive, ongoing care. General internal medicine residency
training should be reformed to provide both broad and deep medical knowledge, as well as mastery of informatics, management,
and team leadership. General internal medicine residents should have options to tailor their final 1 to 2 years to fit their
practice goals, often earning a certificate of added qualification (CAQ) in special generalist fields. Research will expand
to include practice and operations management, developing more effective shared decision making and transparent medical records,
and promoting the close personal connection that both doctors and patients want. We believe these changes constitute a paradigm
shift that can benefit patients and the public and reenergize general internal medicine.
Key words primary care - medical education - physician payment - hospitalist - geriatrics
The longer version of this report is available at http://www.sgim.org/futureofGIM.pdf.
Members of SGIM Task Force on the Domain of General Internal Medicine: Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH—Chair; Ronald V. Loge, MD;
Eileen Reynolds, MD; Wendy Levinson, MD; Lynne M. Kirk, MD; Mark Williams, MD; Neil Wenger, MD, MPH; Steven Schroeder, MD;
Stephan D. Fihn, MD, MPH—Special Consultant; Lewis Sandy, MD, MBA—Special Consultant; Martin Shapiro, MD, PhD—SGIM President
(2002–03); Judy Ann Bigby, MD-SGIM President (2003–04).