S. 1044: Physicians for Underserved Areas Act

This bill, known as the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act, aims to amend the Social Security Act to improve how residency slots are redistributed when a hospital closes. The main provisions of the bill are as follows:

Redistribution of Residency Slots

The bill proposes changes to the process by which residency training slots for medical graduates are reassigned when a hospital ceases operations. The key changes include:

• The removal of certain stipulations that currently affect how residency slots are allocated.
• An alteration in the criteria for assessing hospitals' ability to fill these residency positions. Specifically, it will focus on two criteria:
  • The likelihood of new programs starting to utilize the available residency positions within two years.
  • The likelihood of filling the available positions within five years.

Implementation Timeline

The amendments outlined in the bill will take effect for the redistribution of residency slots pertaining to hospitals that close on or after its enactment date. This means that any hospital closing prior to the bill's passage will not be subject to the new redistribution rules.

Impact on Healthcare Workforce

The intent of the bill is to enhance the distribution of medical training resources, particularly in underserved areas, which may help address shortages of healthcare professionals in specific regions.

Relevant Companies

None found.