States Work To Add Residency Slots Amid Doctor Shortage
States with physician shortages are working to increase their available medical residency positions in an attempt to retain doctors they train. However, creating extra residency slots can be difficult. The spots mostly are funded by the state, hospitals, medical schools and Medicare, but the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 limits the number of residencies that Medicare can fund. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, it costs about $150,000 to train each resident annually.
- "To Address Doctor Shortages, Some States Focus on Residencies" (Beitsch, "The Gupta Guide," Stateline/MedPage Today, 8/13).