AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, issued the following statement on the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act:
“The AAMC applauds lawmakers and the administration for coming to an agreement that recognizes, as an ongoing priority, additional financial relief to teaching hospitals and academic physicians that are caring for patients on the frontlines of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the urgent need to continue expanding the nation’s COVID-19 testing capacity.
It is critical that the additional $75 billion for the provider relief fund support teaching hospitals and faculty physician practices that are leading the response to this epidemic by treating complex patients, serving as key testing sites, and building surge capacity. The $25 billion in the bill to improve testing capacity will bolster the efforts of numerous stakeholders, including laboratories at medical schools and teaching hospitals that are providing this vital service and actively working to expand capacity.
We urge swift enactment and implementation of this legislation and look forward to working with Congress and the administration to support providers, laboratories, and other health professionals who are caring for patients on the frontlines of this national emergency.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health care through innovative medical education, cutting-edge patient care, and groundbreaking medical research. Its members comprise all 155 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 80 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC serves the leaders of America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and their 173,000 faculty members, 89,000 medical students, 129,000 resident physicians, and more than 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences. Additional information about the AAMC and its member medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org.