ACLGIM Hess Initiative

At present, academic GIM leaders do not have sufficient information about how to structure their clinics, expectations, and teams to meet the demands of modern primary care while ensuring the sustainability of the primary care physician (PCP) role. There is substantial variation in the structure of clinical care delivery across practice settings but also a lack of nationwide benchmarks regarding optimal general internal medicine (GIM) structures and supports.  

Workgroup Goal:  To identify how academic GIM practices across the United States approach design of practice structures, asynchronous work, patient panels, PCP compensation, and primary care teams.  

Learn more about this workgroup’s findings.

Download the Hess Workgroup Report

There are gaps in research, publications, and recommendations related to team-based care in academic GIM. We need to understand what is truly needed in an academic primary care clinic to deliver what primary care is being asked to do (prevention, acute disease management, chronic disease management).  

Workgroup Goal:  To better define range of staffing benchmarks and staff role definitions in GIM faculty practices. 

Recruitment and retention of general internists, particularly academic general internists, has become increasingly challenging over the last decade. Inpatient and academic pressures limit resident exposure to high-functioning primary care clinics.  

Workgroup Goals:  To propose recommendations prioritizing high-functioning primary care experiences and continuity for internal medicine residents to ACGME.