The American Medical Association adopted policy Tuesday to explore additional funding models to modernize, maintain and expand graduate medical education.
The AMA will now urge payers and foundations to partner with state and local agencies and academic medical centers and community hospitals to expand GME funding to increase the number of medical residencies across the nation. The policy also asks those organizations with successful funding models to share best practices, outcomes and costs to help guide others.
"We are committed to expanding funding for GME to ensure that there are enough residency slots to train physicians in regions where healthcare services are needed most," AMA Board Member Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, said in a statement. "This means urging all healthcare payers at local, state and federal levels as well as private entities to work together to adequately fund GME programs with the goal of reducing physician shortages and increasing patient access to the care they need."
This policy will bolster the AMA's existing "SaveGME" campaign, which pushes for protection of federal GME funding, and its "Accelerating Change in Medical Education" initiative, which supports modernization of medical school curricula.
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