AMA builds on efforts to expand funding for graduate medical education

To ensure patients have access to an adequate physician workforce, the American Medical Association (AMA) today adopted policy at its Annual Meeting aimed at ensuring there is sufficient funding for medical residency positions. The new policy also calls for transparency in the actual costs of residency programs and how graduate medical education (GME) funding is distributed to address physician shortages in undersupplied specialties.

"The AMA is committed to improving GME funding to ensure we train enough physicians to meet our country's changing healthcare needs," said AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D. "We believe that financial transparency will be essential to the sustainable future of GME funding, particularly in making sure that we have enough physicians trained in needed specialties and regions to increase patient access to health care. To help accomplish this, we encourage institutions to publically report the aggregate value of GME payments they receive as well as how these payments are used. We will continue to vigorously advocate for the continued and expanded contribution by all health care payers at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as private sources, to adequately fund GME."