Radiology groups voice ‘enthusiastic support’ for proposal to add 14,000 more Medicare-funded residency slots
Radiology groups are voicing “enthusiastic support” for a proposal in Congress to add 14,000 additional Medicare-funded residency slots to address physician shortages across the U.S.
Lawmakers in July reintroduced the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act in the House and Senate after the bill failed to pass previously. In making their case for the bill, members of Congress have highlighted an AAMC estimate that America could see a shortfall of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036.
The American College of Radiology and Society of Interventional Radiology recently wrote to congressional co-sponsors, touting their backing of the bill. They’re part of the GME Advocacy Coalition, a group of over 60 healthcare organizations fighting for the expansion of head counts in America’s residency programs.
“This bipartisan legislation is crucial to expanding the physician workforce and ensuring that patients across the country are able to access quality care from health providers,” ACR, SIR and others wrote Sept. 9, noting that medical schools and physicians are already making sizable investments in the next generation of docs, including new care models. “These efforts are improving efficiency and expanding access, but they alone are not enough. Without expanding the pipeline of physicians, workforce shortages and access barriers will remain,” they added later in the letter.
Congress already has taken small steps to address physician shortages by supporting the creation of 1,200 new Medicare-funded Graduate Medical Education positions. This represents the first such increase in nearly three decades but falls short of what’s needed to keep the country’s healthcare system humming, doc groups contend. The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act “builds on this momentum” by adding 2,000 additional GME slots annually over seven years.
“Importantly,” the coalition added, the bill would earmark a portion of positions to high-need communities including rural geographies. It also would prioritize hospitals in states with new medical schools or training above their existing resident caps.
“We look forward to working together to support the training of future physicians and to secure additional support for the passage of this important legislation,” the letter concluded.
The radiology societies’ advocacy comes as lawmakers consider funding bills for the federal government in 2026. Others signing the GME letter included the Medical Group Management Association, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, the Society for Vascular Surgery and numerous others. The American Hospital Association also voiced support for the bill in similar letters sent to House and Senate leaders on Sept. 11.
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.