"The real test will come a long time down the road when we see which group of students does better," he says.

But Federman says that it is difficult to measure results in graduates.

"To prove that the New Pathway has accomplished something specific is hard," Federman says. "Medical students will adapt to anything in order to get their education. But they like [the New Pathway] better."

Good explains that today most medical schools have adopted at least part of the system. Almost all schools have behavioral science teaching like the patient/doctor course at HMS.

But schools continue to look into new methods. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded a project allowing eight medical schools to develop new curricula.

While the rest of America's medical schools tinker with similar programs, HMS says it plans to stay with this innovation for the forseeable future.

"Lots and lots of schools have followed Harvard partly, but most have not gone as far," Good says. "There's a more creative streak to learning medicine at Harvard."