Washington, D.C., April 19, 2004 --The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) hailed the U.S. Congress for preserving the integrity of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) by enacting legislation recently that confirms the program does not violate antitrust laws.

"For more than fifty years, the Match has helped medical students and residency programs align their preferences for each other as closely and fairly as possible. We are extremely pleased that Congress has expressed its approval of this important part of medical education," said AAMC President, Jordan J. Cohen, M.D.

Passed by Congress on April 9 as part of the Pension Funding Equity Act, H.R. 3108, the Match provision states "it shall not be unlawful under the antitrust laws to sponsor, conduct, or participate in a graduate medical matching program." President Bush signed the pension bill into law the following day. According to the bill's text, the provision takes effect immediately and applies to all pending judicial and administrative actions.

Calling the Match an "integral part of an educational system that has produced the finest physicians and medical researchers in the world," congressional supporters of the legislation are concerned that a recent antitrust lawsuit filed against the Match "has the potential to undermine this highly efficient, pro-competitive and long-standing process" as well as divert scarce teaching hospital resources from their "crucial missions of patient care, physician training and medical research."

The AAMC, which supported the legislative provision, is one of five sponsors of the NRMP and is a named defendant in the antitrust lawsuit filed in May 2002 by three former residents and 15 law firms.

Noting that the Match typically pairs more than 85 percent of U.S. medical school seniors with one of their top three choices, and that more than 60 percent are matched with their first choice, AAMC President Jordan Cohen said, "The Match works. It is a fair and efficient system created at the urging of medical students to bring order to the chaotic and unfair process that previously marked the transition from medical school to residency. Whatever concerns exist about the Match should be resolved through open and honest discussions - not costly and destructive litigation. We are extremely grateful to Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA), for their support of the Match and this legislation."

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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