For a long time there has existed a bottleneck in the physician training system with more medical students graduating than residency spots available. This phenomenon has been one of the contributors to the physician shortage in the United States.
In an effort to begin to relieve the problem, in 2021 Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act Section 126 to expand the number of Medicare-supported residency slots.
Last month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a list of hospitals that were awarded 200 new residency positions under the Act. About seven in 10 of the positions are going to primary care and psychiatry training programs.
You can read an American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) news article about the new slots here.
