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It has long been a maxim of superior medical practice to emphasize the importance of continuity of care. A consistency of approach and the continued engagement of the same principles of care has allowed for a sense of knowing expectation that eases the anxieties of uncertainty. To apply that same principle of management to national programs would appear to be reasonable; for the long-term program of medical education and research that the nation requires, the need for continuity of care is urgent.
The key element in this equation is the federal government. As has been mentioned many times before by many observers, during the past quarter century there has been a striking growth of biomedical information and of the institutions in which that information has been generated and transmitted. The federal government has played a crucial and determining role in that growth. Over these years, medical scientists and institutions for