Legislative Affairs

Graduate Medical Education

An appropriate supply of well‐educated and trained physicians is an essential element to ensure access to quality health care services for all Americans. Unfortunately, the nation is facing a serious shortage of physicians, particularly a baby boomers age. And while medical schools in the U.S. have increased their enrollments, and additional medical and osteopathic schools have been established, the number of Medicare funded resident positions has been capped by law at 1996 levels. The solution for increasing physician numbers involves not only increasing medical student class size and the number of medical schools, but also increasing the number of funded residency positions. All payers of health care including the federal government, the states and private payers – benefit from graduate medical education (GME). To ensure an adequate supply of physicians, organized neurosurgery continues to petition Congress to maintain Medicare’s current financial support of graduate medical education and encourage all other payers to contribute to GME programs.

Key Resource Links:

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
• Association of American Medical Colleges
• National Resident Matching Program
• GME Match Day and the Looming Shortage of Doctors

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