Medicine: The Chosen Profession
“Be a physician” is the most common career advice that Americans give young adults, according to a Gallup poll of 1,003 adults aged 18 years and older. Twenty percent of survey respondents recommended that young women become doctors, while 17% suggested medicine as a career for young men. By comparison, 8% suggested that women choose careers in computers, and 11% suggested that men choose such careers. Medicine has always been cited as a top career choice for men, although the percentages have been rising steadily over the years for women, as more pursue careers as physicians. “These poll results offer great encouragement for a profession facing a diversity gap and a workforce deficit,” said Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., president of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Monitoring Health Fraud
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not monitoring its spending on health care fraud investigations as carefully as it should, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The report, requested by the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), found that some agents who previously were assigned to work on health care fraud had been shifted to counterterrorism activities. The GAO said it had been told by the FBI that the bureau wasn't too concerned about not spending enough because most of the time such spending was “historically far in excess” of the budgeted amount. “However, once FBI began to shift agent resources away from health care fraud investigations, agent[s] … charged to health care fraud investigations fell below the budgeted amounts.” The GAO recommended that the FBI improve its monitoring and reporting. The bureau said it already has taken steps in that direction.