When choosing a residency program, medical students typically consider the reputation and training curriculum of the institution, as well as their own geographical and lifestyle preferences. But there's something else they should consider: The way academic medical centers deliver health care differs dramatically from one institution to the next. A new report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project, led by physicians in training, found that 23 top academic medical centers vary markedly in the intensity of care they provide patients at the end of life, in their quality, safety and patient experience ratings, and in their use of surgical procedures when other treatment alternatives exist.
