ACR wants radiology prioritized in Senate bill to boost number of residency slots

The American College of Radiology wants the specialty prioritized under a Senate proposal to add 5,000 new medical residency slots in the U.S. by 2031. 

Members of Congress introduced the bipartisan draft legislation in December, hoping to help teaching hospitals train more physicians amid workforce shortages. ACR sent its feedback Jan. 30, messaging Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La., and the other three Senate co-signers. 

The college wants Congress to, instead, consider the Resident Physician Shortage Act, which would increase the number of federally supported medical residency positions by 2,000 annually for seven years. Despite growing demand for imaging, the number of medical students in the specialty has remained stagnant, at 1,084 in 2010 and falling to 1,006 two years ago. 

“If the number of radiologists trained does not grow and the amount and complexity of exams and procedures increase, patients may receive delayed diagnoses and potential unnecessary interventions,” ACR Executive VP Cynthia R. Moran wrote to Cassidy et al. This, she added, would drive “up healthcare costs for both individuals and the Medicare program. Ensuring an adequate supply of physicians is integral to the future of our nation’s healthcare infrastructure.”

Sens. Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., also are supporting the December bill, which is focused on primary care and psychiatry. ACR said it “understands the importance of these areas of medicine,” but believes other specialties have equally urgent needs. Congress previously increased the number of GME slots by 1,200 in 2021 and 2023. However, an “artificial cap” in place since 1997 has made it “impossible for resident training to keep up.”

“We encourage Congress to look outside of policies dictating a certain percentage of slots to specific specialties and instead consider that there are shortages prevalent in all of medicine,” Moran wrote. “If Congress wishes to improve the distribution of GME slots, other specialties, including radiology, must also be considered.”

The college said Congress should consider a cap of 30 slots per teaching hospital, providing a wide distribution of full-time equivalent resident positions. If there are leftovers, ACR said CMS should make additional disbursements until all positions are awarded.

Cassidy and colleagues also are seeking to expand physician training in underserved areas. But ACR expressed concern there is a “relatively small number of rural teaching hospitals” that are training or “over their cap” and unable to take advantage of the slots provided. Investing in other existing grant programs might be more impactful, Moran wrote. 

The Health Resources and Services Administration provides up to $750,000 in Rural Residency Planning and Development grants for new training programs. Hospitals, however, have faced obstacles launching these initiatives, due to the startup costs, with institutions unable to receive support until residents begin training at a facility. 

The program has helped lead to the development of 46 new rural residency programs since 2019, Moran wrote. 

“Last Congress, ACR joined the Association of American Medical Colleges and others in the medical community in supporting the Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2024 (H.R. 7855), which would authorize a dedicated funding stream for the RRPD. ACR continues to recommend that Congress codify the [Rural Residency Planning and Development] program.”

You can read more about Cassidy’s in this draft legislation and section-by-section break down of the bill. The Louisiana senator, a trained gastroenterologist, is up for reelection in 2026. Their bill also would improve federal data collection to better allocate GME funds. ACR said in a news update Friday that it “looks forward to working as the draft legislation advances.”