The AAMC responded on Jan. 27 to draft legislation (PDF) pertaining to Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME). The letter to Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) answered several questions posed by the group when the draft was released on Dec. 18, 2024 [refer to Washington Highlights, Dec. 20, 2024]. The draft legislation would provide 5,000 new Medicare-supported GME slots as well as additional resources to assist rural training program development and expansion. It also proposed a modified per resident amount (PRA) calculation for new slots provided by the legislation.
The AAMC response noted the need for at least 10,000 Medicare-supported GME slots to address the physician shortage and proposed modifications and expansions to existing rural training programs to bolster the rural physician workforce — in particular, ways to strengthen partnerships between urban and rural teaching hospitals through Rural Training Programs. The response also provided feedback on the PRA proposal, raising concerns about the policy and urging the group to allow teaching hospitals the option to choose their current PRA or use the new formula.