Florida’s congressional delegation is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve and renew Medicaid funding for physician residency programs as the state confronts a projected shortage of doctors.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean led the effort, working with the Florida Hospital Association to gather signatures for a letter asking CMS to coordinate with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration on funding for several graduate medical education programs.
Graduate medical education programs provide supervised clinical training for physicians after medical school. Medicaid funding currently supports more than 7,000 medical residents across Florida, according to the hospital association.
The association said more than 60% of residents remain in the communities where they complete their training, making residency programs an important part of the state’s physician workforce pipeline.
Florida hospital officials argue that the state has long been disadvantaged by a decades-old Medicare funding formula that favors states with more established residency programs. Florida’s population has grown by about 9 million people over the past 30 years, but federal support for physician training has not kept pace, the association said.
In response, the Florida Legislature created state-supported and Medicaid-funded residency programs. The association said CMS is now withholding approval for some newer programs and requiring certain established programs to end while the agency develops a new funding methodology.
Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, said delays could make it more difficult to train enough primary care doctors and specialists for Florida’s growing and aging population.
The association projects that Florida’s physician shortage could reach 32,000 by 2038. It said the shortage could lead to longer appointment wait times, delayed diagnoses, crowded emergency departments and reduced access to specialty care.
In their letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, Florida lawmakers argued that the current financing system rewards historic training capacity rather than present-day health care needs.
The hospital association is asking CMS to act promptly so hospitals can continue training physicians without disruptions to residency programs.
