Family physicians and teaching hospitals: a litany of woes.

Retreat of family physicians from caring for their patients in teaching hospitals has been partly imposed and partly passively accepted. Confusion of patient, family doctor and consultant relationships has resulted. Town/gown and family physician/specialist communication problems disrupt a proper model of care. Family physicians need to take individual and group action to initiate change, but little action has been evident. Everyone is the loser. We should reinstitute a model in which family physicians are the closest professionals to their patients, wherever they are in the health care system. Demonstrating the value of family physician coordination of care and continuity of care will positively affect the current financial `loss leader' status of this work.