How can Congress ensure that the United States has an adequate physician workforce to meet the future needs of its patients?
First, Congress should remove the limitations on the number of funded graduate medical education system that have been in place since the enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The stringent and static provisions established in 1997 have prevented growth in the physician workforce and are a leading contributor to our current shortage. The AOA is requesting that Congress increase the nation’s GME capacity by 15 percent over the next 3 years. We also urge Congress to enact legislation that will create new training opportunities in non-hospital settings and clarify existing regulations governing non-hospital training. Research has shown that physicians who are trained in community health centers, for example, are twice as likely to work in underserved settings and four times more likely to work in health centers after completing their residency. However, qualitative assessments reveal that the affiliation between health centers and primary care residency programs is hindered by fin
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