COGME Addresses Physician
Supply
October 17, 2003 - At its Sept. 17 meeting,
the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) once again
considered a report commissioned from the Center for Health
Workforce Studies at SUNY Albany. Center researchers led by
Ed Salsberg projected U.S. demand for physicians and the physician
supply. Researchers concluded that if physician practice patterns
remained as they are, demand would exceed supply by 2020 because
of U.S. population growth, the aging of the population, and
changing age-specific per capita physician utilization rates.
Based on these findings, the report's authors recommended
increasing medical school graduations and residency positions
15 percent by 2015 and suggested that specialty distribution
should be left to the marketplace. Other recommendations included
the development of systems to track the supply, demand and
need for physicians, and a comprehensive re-assessment within
the next four years.
On a close vote, the Council accepted the report but dropped
a recommendation to increase the number and use of physician
assistants, nurse practitioners, and other non-physician clinicians.
Legislative authorization for COGME expired Sept. 30; however,
the Senate version of the FY 2004 Labor-HHS appropriations
bill includes a provision extending COGME's charter through
FY 2004. The bill is currently in conference and may be considered
by Congress in the coming weeks.
Information:
Sunny Yoder, Director of Resident Affairs
AAMC Health Care Affairs
syoder@aamc.org
(202) 828-0497
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