What faculty members value in practice plans.
Faculty practice plans are under scrutiny at many academic medical centers as teaching hospitals seek ways to encourage their physicians to increase their clinical activities. Discussions with physicians at two medical schools yielded insights into the faculty members' perspective on faculty practice plans. Interviews disclosed that the physicians were satisfied with a practice plan if they felt their professional goals were in balance with the institution's goals. Changes in the plan can either sustain institutional values or introduce new priorities. In view of physicians' loyalty to a particular plan and their anxiety in the face of change, the authors suggest that it may be better to modify an established plan than to impose a new system. The physicians interviewed agreed that strong chairmen can work within any plan to reward faculty members for research, clinical, or administrative contributions and thus to determine a department's directions and character. In considering changes in a practice plan, chairmen, deans, and administrators need to weigh the faculty's values and commitments.