In the views of most medical educators, accreditation in medicine has been a powerful force for good, and accrediting bodies deserve credit for much of the quality which has been built into the American system of medical education. According to this philosophy, accreditation has helped to maintain a high standard of medical care in the United States.
But others, particularly economists and social scientists, believe that the accrediting bodies have restricted medical school enrollments and are responsible for the current physician shortage. In this view, accreditation has had a pernicious influence on the health care system in this country.
In one sense it is true that medical school enrollments are restricted by the accrediting bodies. For accreditation is clearly related to the capability of the institution to provide adequate education for the enrolled students; and the resources of the institution, including the physical facilities, the size of the faculty, and