Putting more residency training slots in rural areas is key to increasing access to healthcare among rural and underserved communities, several lawmakers and witnesses said Tuesday at a House hearing on advancing the next generation of the healthcare workforce. [MEDPAGE TODAY]

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"Residency training shapes where physicians ultimately practice," said rural health system CEO

"Rural hospitals must overcome a lack of resources, staff, and patient volume to establish new residency programs while simultaneously getting reimbursed less than their urban counterparts," Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), who chaired the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing in the subcommittee chair's absence, said in his opening statement. "Congress recognized this gap and recently funded more than 1,000 new GME [graduate medical education] slots, with 10% specifically reserved for rural areas, but concerningly, large urban hospitals have exploited a Medicare loophole and have collected 97% of the 800 slots distributed so far."

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