Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Dean Heller (R-NV) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) last week introduced a Senate companion to the AHA-supported Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S. 1301), legislation that would add 15,000 Medicare-funded residency positions to alleviate physician shortages that threaten patients’ access to care. Introduced in the House last month, the legislation outlines a hierarchy for distributing the new positions, prioritizing teaching hospitals that are currently training residents in excess of their cap, those in states with newly opened medical schools, those that emphasize training physicians in community-based or outpatient hospital settings, and those that operate a rural training track. At least half of the new slots would be for specialty residency programs with shortages. “We believe this approach responsibly addresses the nation’s urgent need for additional physicians,” AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels said in a letter of support to the Senate sponsors.

Related News Articles

Headline
In a video released Sept. 17 for National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, Carrie Cunningham, M.D., an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School…
Blog
Public
Medical residency is one of the most demanding stages in a physician’s career. Long hours, intense learning and new responsibilities often push trainees to…
Headline
The AHA today expressed support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 4731 /S. 2439) to House and Senate sponsors of the bills. The…
Headline
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation supported by the AHA to address the ongoing nurse and physician shortage was reintroduced in Congress yesterday. The…
Headline
A recent blog by Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA’s group vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, highlights how some hospitals and health systems are…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Sept. 10 advanced the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3593), AHA-supported…