{"id":2098,"date":"2022-05-17T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T19:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rosen-testing.senate.gov\/2022\/05\/17\/rosen-boozman-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-address-physician-shortage\/"},"modified":"2022-07-13T20:22:41","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T20:22:41","slug":"rosen-boozman-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-address-physician-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rosen.senate.gov\/es\/2022\/05\/17\/rosen-boozman-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-address-physician-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"Rosen, Boozman Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address Physician Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON DC<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b> \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced the bipartisan Physicians for Underserved Areas Act<\/i> to help address the nationwide physician shortage by updating the Graduate Medical Education (GME) slot process following a hospital closure to prioritize sending federally-funded medical residency slots to areas where doctors are most needed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNevada currently ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to primary care physicians per capita, and this shortage has had a dire impact on Nevadans\u2019 ability to seek health care,\u201d dijo el Senador Rosen.<\/b> \u201cThis bipartisan legislation will help add to the number of medical residency slots available for Nevada hospitals and encourage more doctors to come practice in our state, including in communities which previously have been underserved.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn rural states like Arkansas, the shortage of primary care physicians and specialty doctors creates a health care delivery challenge,\u201d said Senator Boozman.<\/b> \u201cThe Physicians for Underserved Areas Act is part of the solution to bridge this gap and encourage more medical school graduates to practice in rural areas. I\u2019m pleased to continue advancing proposals to ensure all Americans, no matter where they live, get the care they need.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited about this proposed legislation as it will help to relieve the physician shortage found in Nevada,\u201d said Dr. Marc J. Kahn, Dean of the University of Nevada Las Vegas\u2019 Kerkorian School of Medicine.<\/b> \u201cIt is well known that physicians are most likely to practice where they have completed their training, especially if they have attended medical school in the same state. Nevada has significant shortages in nearly every physician specialty and we are woefully underfunded for residency positions compared to most other states. Any effort to decrease this disparity is greatly needed for our community.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNevada continues to struggle with statewide physician workforce shortages,\u201d said Dr. John Packham, Associate Dean of the University of Nevada, Reno\u2019s School of Medicine.<\/b> \u201cThis important bill will support efforts by medical schools and teaching hospitals across the state to expand graduate medical education opportunities to train tomorrow\u2019s doctors.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Nevada Primary Care Association, representing the state\u2019s Community Health Centers, is grateful to Senator Rosen for introducing this important legislation,\u201d said Nancy Bowen, CEO of the Nevada Primary Care Association.<\/b> \u201cNevada has been blessed with rapid population growth throughout its modern history, but this has come at a cost of persistent and profound health provider shortages. The Physicians for Underserved Areas Act is an important step to increasing the number of providers who are trained in the state and stay to deliver health care to our residents.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRoseman University College of Medicine is dedicated to retaining the medical professionals we train here at home in the Las Vegas valley and GME modernization is an important part of that mission,\u201d said Dr. Pedro \u201cJoe\u201d Greer, Dean of Roseman College of Medicine.<\/b> \u201cWe thank Senator Rosen for engaging with us and the rest of the medical training community in the creation of this bill and look forward to a continued partnership in modernizing the GME program to fit our area\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been an honor and a privilege working alongside some of Nevada\u2019s finest leaders in Senate, Undergraduate, and Graduate Medical Education,\u201d said Angelina Rodriguez, MD, Family Medicine Program Director at Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center.<\/b> \u201cAs we continue to address healthcare access and disparity, including the alarming rate of physician shortage across our great state, we are committed to doing our part to give back to the communities we serve.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

el bipartidista Physicians for Underserved Areas Act<\/i> would revise the GME process to give medical residency programs in areas with physician shortages a greater chance of gaining available residency slots after hospital closures elsewhere in the country. The legislation also would continue to prioritize keeping medical residency slots local and within the same state when hospitals close and would update the requirement for quickly filling GME slots.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Rosen has been actively working to address the physician shortage in communities across Nevada. She has introduced or co-led bipartisan bills to: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n