House lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to bolster the number of residency slots in diagnostic imaging and other specialties, garnering support from trade groups including the American College of Radiology.
U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., first announced the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 in late March. The proposal aims to address workforce inadequacies by adding another 14,000 Medicare-supported medical residency positions over a seven-year period.
In advocating for their proposal, lawmakers highlighted recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, projecting that the U.S. could see a shortfall of up to 124,000 medical doctors by 2034.
“In Alabama and all across the nation, we are facing an urgent physician shortage that will only get worse as our population continues to age,” Sewell said in an announcement. “…This critical legislation will give hospitals and health centers the tools they need to improve access to care, lower wait times for patients, and create a pipeline of qualified medical professionals to serve Americans’ health needs.”
Others have since voiced their support for the legislation, including ACR, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Hospital Association, and the Greater New York Hospital Association. Getting the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act enacted has been a priority for ACR in previous years, the college noted in an April 6 news update.
“This action by Congress is a key strategy to address the growing physician shortage and improve patient access to care,” ACR said. “It also aligns with recent ACR advocacy efforts, including responding to a request for information issued by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) regarding healthcare workforce shortages.”
The federal government recently committed to investing $1.8 billion to create 1,000 new residency slots—the first such increase in 25 years. ACR applauded the move earlier this year but expressed concern that much of the money would go toward primary care, mental health and rural geographies.
Members of Congress also previously proposed the Resident Physician Shortage Act in 2021, but it failed to ever reach the president’s desk.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.