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This is disingenuous. Medical schools would increase resident caps even without the bonus money from Medicare if there was a reason to do so. Reasons go beyond

This is disingenuous. Medical schools would increase resident caps even without the bonus money from Medicare if there was a reason to do so. Reasons go beyond just the Medicare funds that go for those slots.

akshatpradhan 12y ago
Could you articulate more? Why aren't Academic Hospitals allowed to increase the cap limit on Residency programs?
- vonmoltke 12y ago
  They are most certainly allowed to increase the cap. They don't have the money to. Texas is putting state money into state-run academic hospitals in order to increase the number of slots open, and at least one non-profit academic hospital here (Scott & White) is using their own money to increase the number of residency slots they have.
  - akshatpradhan 12y ago
    I don't think its true that they're allowed to increase the cap. These quotes suggest otherwise. "Physicians and medical students from across the country are urging Congress...to lift the cap on the number of available residency slots." http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2013-02-03-urge-congress-retain-funding-for-residency-programs.page http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2013-02-03-urge-co... "The BBA resident limits have imposed significant limitations on the ability of teaching hospitals and medical schools that sponsor and conduct graduate medical education programs to respond to the needs of the communities they serve." https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/gme/71178/gme_gme0012.html https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/gme/71178/gme_gme0012.html
    - king_jester 12y ago
      Its not a hard cap, its a cap of number of residencies that will be supported by federal funding through Medicare: http://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2012/08/30/why-residency-programs-cant-fill-the-physician-gap http://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2012/08/30/why-reside... A large majority of residencies are funded this way due to the very high cost of residency. As a result, many private institutions won't increase residency numbers on their own due to funding. The main issue is the cost of residency is massive and is prohibitive for private money to fund anyone's residency.
    - vonmoltke 12y ago
      Medicare funding drives GME availability, but that is only because it represents the lion's share of the funding for it. Universities in Florida and Texas[1], the two states with the biggest shortfalls in residency slots, are taking steps to address this by finding other sources of funding or creating partnerships with non-academic hospitals to have med students do their residencies there. I may be mistaken, but I don't think the federal government even has the power to restrict the number of residency slots. [1] http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/MedicalEducation/42786 http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/MedicalEducat...

akshatpradhan 12y ago

Could you articulate more? Why aren't Academic Hospitals allowed to increase the cap limit on Residency programs?

vonmoltke 12y ago
They are most certainly allowed to increase the cap. They don't have the money to. Texas is putting state money into state-run academic hospitals in order to increase the number of slots open, and at least one non-profit academic hospital here (Scott & White) is using their own money to increase the number of residency slots they have.
- akshatpradhan 12y ago
  I don't think its true that they're allowed to increase the cap. These quotes suggest otherwise. "Physicians and medical students from across the country are urging Congress...to lift the cap on the number of available residency slots." http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2013-02-03-urge-congress-retain-funding-for-residency-programs.page http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2013-02-03-urge-co... "The BBA resident limits have imposed significant limitations on the ability of teaching hospitals and medical schools that sponsor and conduct graduate medical education programs to respond to the needs of the communities they serve." https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/gme/71178/gme_gme0012.html https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/gme/71178/gme_gme0012.html
  - king_jester 12y ago
    Its not a hard cap, its a cap of number of residencies that will be supported by federal funding through Medicare: http://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2012/08/30/why-residency-programs-cant-fill-the-physician-gap http://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2012/08/30/why-reside... A large majority of residencies are funded this way due to the very high cost of residency. As a result, many private institutions won't increase residency numbers on their own due to funding. The main issue is the cost of residency is massive and is prohibitive for private money to fund anyone's residency.
  - vonmoltke 12y ago
    Medicare funding drives GME availability, but that is only because it represents the lion's share of the funding for it. Universities in Florida and Texas[1], the two states with the biggest shortfalls in residency slots, are taking steps to address this by finding other sources of funding or creating partnerships with non-academic hospitals to have med students do their residencies there. I may be mistaken, but I don't think the federal government even has the power to restrict the number of residency slots. [1] http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/MedicalEducation/42786 http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/MedicalEducat...