WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to significantly increase Medicare-supported doctor training slots to help address the growing shortage of primary and specialty care physicians in Arkansas and across the country.
The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act would lift the arbitrary cap on the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) positions and gradually raise the number of GME positions by an additional 14,000 over seven years. The legislation prioritizes an increase in positions in hospitals located in states with new medical schools, training over their caps, in rural areas and serving Health Professional Shortage Areas.
“To ensure we are prepared for evolving challenges in medical care and treating patients, we must have a well-trained physician workforce. Arkansans and communities throughout the country depend on access to life-saving and preventative care, which underscores the need for an ample pipeline of medical students. By expanding training opportunities for medical school graduates, we can help address the growing shortage of physicians nationwide and improve access to quality health care close to home,” Boozman said.
Arkansas ranks among the lowest states in active patient care physicians per 100,000 persons. Between one-third and one-half of medical school graduates leave Arkansas for residency training. In recent years, there were nearly half as many available residency positions as medical school graduates in the state, meaning a large share of prospective residents are forced to continue their medical training elsewhere. The effect of this displacement is the loss of future physicians in The Natural State given residents’ tendency to practice close by the communities in which they complete their training.
