The Graduate Medical Education (GME) Advocacy Coalition — including the American College of Radiology® (ACR®) — this week sent a letter to congressional leadership reiterating the importance of additional Medicare-funded GME residency slots in any forthcoming budget reconciliation legislation. The letter urges Congress to build upon its efforts from the previous year to increase the physician workforce.
As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Congress added an additional 1,000 GME slots, which reflected an initial investment in addressing the projected shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2034. However, the coalition believes further congressional action is required to address access issues in rural and urban underserved communities in both primary and specialty care, and ensure the physician workforce can meet the needs of an aging population.
The ACR will continue to advocate for additional Medicare funded GME residency slots. For more information, contact Rebecca Spangler, ACR Senior Government Affairs Director.