Chicago

The United States has the largest health care system in the world, and Chicago is arguably the capital of that system. The city is first among the major dental and medical training centers in the United States. It is also home to the sprawling Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side, which includes Rush University Medical Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago medical center, and John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, the largest trauma-center in the city and the basis for the hospital in NBC's popular drama ER. The American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Dental Association, and the American College of Surgeons are based in the city. The American Osteopathic Association is also located in Chicago. The University of Illinois College of Medicine at UIC is the largest medical school in the United States (1300 students, including those at campuses in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana-Champaign). Chicago is also home to a large number of nationally recognized medical schools. These include the above-mentioned University of Illinois medical school, Rush Medical College, the Pritzker School of Medicine of the University of Chicago, and the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University. In addition, the Chicago Medical School and Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine are located in the suburbs of North Chicago and Maywood, respectively. The Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Downers Grove. The leading healthcare informatics organizations are located in Chicago, including the American Medical Informatics Association and the long-standing HIMSS Health Information Management Systems Society. These organizations include as members most healthcare I.T. vendors and the C.I.O./VP Technology leaders of most American healthcare operations. Medical products and services companies headquartered in the Chicago area include Baxter International, Abbott Laboratories, and the Healthcare Financial Services division of General Electric.