Congress considers more residency openings, but will they help?

Sg2 (free registration required), July 1, 2009

A bill working its way through Congress would expand the number of Medicare-funded physician residency positions by 15% over the next 3 years. The number of physician residency openings has been capped since 1997, and if passed the measure would add approximately 15,000 new residency training positions. The increases would be targeted to states that have had high population growth in the last decade. But simply creating more residency slots in primary care will not necessarily increase the number of primary care physicians, says Sg2 Vice President Natasha Goburdhun.