Recent events in the medical economy are putting stress on the educational mission of the schools, and officials at HMS said that the medical school needs to make sure that cost cutting measures don’t effect the quality of the teaching programs that goes on.

“The medical school is confident that the Beth Israel Deaconess can find a way to continue the educational mission at the hospital,” HMS spokesperson Don Gibbons said.

HMS is closely involved in the efforts to right the ship at BIDMC. HMS Dean Joseph B. Martin is chairing the search committee for a new CEO and Martin has in the past sat on search committees at HMS’ other affiliates.

There are also HMS representatives on the BIDMC’s recently formed Steering Committee which has met weekly since Reinertsen’s resignation to consider the hospital’s options. Paul Levy, HMS executive dean for administration, is one of the school’s prime liaisons with the hospital, and sits on the committee.

Steering committee meetings are private, and a spokesperson wouldn’t discuss what proposals were on the table, but Levy said that Harvard has suggested a real estate deal that would help BIDMC with its cash flow problems.

Under the plan, HMS would buy a Harvard Institute of Medicine building on the Longwood campus, and then lease it back to the hospital. Levy said the plan would provide relief to the cash-strapped hospital, without incurring cost to the school, since the hospital will repay HMS in rent money.

Levy said that HMS had proposed a similar deal two or three years ago, but that BIDMC was now seriously considering the plan.