Residency

In the news: Proposed legislation to increase residency slots

Residency Program Connection, May 12, 2009

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Congress is currently reviewing a bill that Congress would increase the number of Medicare-supported residency slots by 15%, that is, 15,000 positions, according to a May 8 article in HealthcareFinanceNews.com.

Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced the bill, “Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2009" on May 5.

The goal of the bill is to help hospitals that want to expand existing programs and start new ones by redistributing unfilled training positions and increasing the cap on resident spots. Hospitals that want expand its primary care and general surgery programs will preferentially receive extra positions, said an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) press release, which describes the organization's support of the legislation.

If enacted, the legislation would allow residents to be trained in physician offices, community health centers, and ambulatory care sites. These non-hospital training sites will also preferentially receive new residency slots, said the AAMC.



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