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Rep. Susie Lee and Rep. David McKinley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address Doctor Shortage

August 10, 2022

WASHINGTONToday, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) and Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Physicians for Underserved Areas Act. This legislation aims to address the doctor shortage in the United States, which is particularly dire in Nevada. Specifically, this legislation would 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.

"Our state's severe doctor shortage means that too many Nevadans are going without the care they need," said Rep. Susie Lee. "Nevada ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to primary care physicians per capita and all 17 of Nevada's counties are designated as health professional shortage areas. We must do more to get Nevada families the health care they need, and that means we need to make it possible for more doctors to train and practice medicine here in Nevada. I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help close the gap by bringing more residency slots and physicians to Nevada."

"From cancer to diabetes to substance abuse, West Virginia faces many health challenges," said Rep. McKinley. "However, access to care is often hampered by a shortage of physicians and other medical professionals, especially in rural communities. This common sense bill will help address this problem by incentivizing doctors to train and practice in West Virginia and other regions that face similar shortages."

"The Nevada Primary Care Association, representing the state's Community Health Centers, is grateful to Congresswoman Lee for introducing this important legislation," said Nancy Bowen, CEO of the Nevada Primary Care Association. "Nevada 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."

"We are excited about this proposed legislation as it will help to relieve the physician shortage found in Nevada," said Dr. Marc J. Kahn, Dean, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. "It 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."

"Nevada continues to struggle with statewide physician workforce shortages," said Dr. John Packham, Associate Dean, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. "This important bill will support efforts by medical schools and teaching hospitals across the state to expand graduate medical education opportunities to train tomorrow's doctors."

"Roseman 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," said Dr. Pedro "Joe" Greer, Dean, Roseman College of Medicine. "We thank Congresswoman Lee 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's needs."

"It is paramount that we create more opportunities in physician education and training so that we can retain and continue building the much-needed physician workforce for Nevada," said Wolfgang Gilliar, D.O., FAAPMR, Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine. "This bill as introduced by Representative Lee and Senator Rosen will go a long way in creating and filling important residency training positions in Nevada."

"It has been an honor and a privilege working alongside some of Nevada's finest leaders in Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education," said Angelina Rodriguez, MD, Family Medicine Program Director at Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center. "We appreciate Congresswoman Lee's work to expand medical residency training programs in Nevada. As 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."

Rep. Lee has spearheaded legislation to expand access to health care in communities across Nevada. Earlier this Congress, she introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to mobile health units and community health centers. Rep. Lee also introduced bipartisan legislation to bring more specialists to health centers in rural and underserved areas. Earlier this year, Rep. Lee's work to expand access to health care was recognized nationally when she received the Distinguished Community Health Champion Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) for her advocacy for community health centers in Nevada and across the country.

More on the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act:

The bipartisan Physicians for Underserved Areas Act 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. Nevada, like many other states, graduates more medical students each year than there are GME slots in Nevada. This means that while some medical students might be inclined to stay in Nevada for residency, they may not be able to do so due to a lack of GME slots, and are then forced to leave the state for residency, and are unlikely to return, exacerbating Nevada's physician shortage.

This legislation is supported by the following organizations:

  • The Nevada Primary Care Association
  • UNR School of Medicine
  • Roseman College of Medicine
  • UNLV Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine
  • Touro University of Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Nevada State Office of Rural Health
  • The Nevada Public Health Association

You can read more about the Physicians for Underserved Areas Acthere.

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Issues:Health Care