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Expanding Residency Training
The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2009 (S.973/H.R.2251)
Recent discussions surrounding health care reform have accurately focused on shortages of primary care physicians as a major obstacle to achieving improvements to our current system. Our medical schools are increasing enrollment, but the number of physicians—in many specialties—will not meet the needs of our communities unless teaching hospitals are able to expand graduate medical education (GME) training.
The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2009 (S.973/H.R.2251) would strengthen our health care infrastructure by expanding the number of Medicare-supported physician training positions. Specifically, this bill would:
- Increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15 percent (approximately 15,000 slots).
- Change existing rules that limit the flexibility of hospitals to train residents in non-hospital setting such as physician office and ambulatory care sites.
- Preserve Medicare-funded training positions when hospitals are closed, allocating these positions to other teaching hospitals in the same area.
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