Expanding Residency Slots to Meet the Growing Physician Shortage

Strategic Insights -

Leonard Marquez, a cancer survivor and former Stage 4 cancer patient, is urging Congress to pass legislation that would help fund training for more doctors by expanding residency slots. Marquez credits his survival to highly specialized physicians equipped with advanced training, highlighting the critical role of graduate medical education (GME) in ensuring the healthcare system meets patient needs. With the US facing a projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, the need for more training programs has never been more pressing.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US is facing a projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with a growing demand for both primary and specialty care, particularly from specialists like oncologists and cardiologists.
  • The pipeline of future doctors must grow significantly and urgently to meet patient needs, with the need for more training programs driven by factors like a growing general population and increasing burnout among practicing physicians.
  • The federal cap on Medicare-supported residency slots, imposed in 1997, has limited hospitals' ability to expand and grow their residency training programs, creating a bottleneck in the physician workforce pipeline.
  • The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025, a bipartisan legislation pending in Congress, would gradually add 14,000 more residency slots over the next seven years to help grow the physician workforce and expand access to care across the country.
  • The distribution of new positions will matter, with a focus on ensuring they reach communities where the need is greatest, particularly in rural and low-income areas.
  • The growing demand for high-quality care is driven by factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing general population, and increasing rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Statistics:

  • 86,000: Projected shortage of physicians by 2036, as estimated by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
  • 6%: Percentage of patients diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer who live more than five years
  • 14,000: Additional residency slots proposed by the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 over the next seven years
  • 1,200: New Medicare-supported GME positions approved by Congress in December 2020
  • 23 years: Number of years since the last increase in Medicare-supported GME positions
  • 1997: Year the federal cap on Medicare-supported residency slots was imposed