$1.3 trillion federal appropriations bill loaded with new health care spending Last Friday, President Trump signed a massive $1.3 trillion federal spending bill—the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. It is loaded with new spending for health care programs that were supported by the California Medical Association (CMA). Unfortunately, it did not include two bills that CMA was strongly promoting – the Affordable Care Act (ACA) market stabilization bill and a permanent solution for the nearly 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients. A brief summary of the federal spending bill is below. Bipartisan ACA Market Stabilization: CMA, the American Medical ... April 5, 2018 General Affordable Care Act, Drug Abuse, Federal Budget, Federal Legislative Advocacy, Firearms, Graduate Medical Education, Guns, Mental Health, Opioids 0 0 Comment Read More »
State awards $30.5 million in primary care residency program funding The California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission awarded upwards of $30.5 million to support more than 175 primary care residency slots for the 2017 cycle of the Song Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program. A record number of applications were received this year, in large part due to the additional physician workforce funding secured by the California Medical Association (CMA) through the state budget. In 2016, the California legislature passed a budget that committed $100 million over three years ($33 million each year) in health care workforce funding. Although Governor Brown proposed ... February 5, 2018 CMA, General GME, Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Primary Care, Residents and Fellows, Song Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program 0 0 Comment Read More »
State sees marked increase in applications for primary care residency program funding The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development received a record number of applications for family medicine and primary care residency funding through the Song Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program. For the 2017 application cycle, 77 applications were received, representing 103 residency slots. The increase is due in part to additional physician workforce funding secured by the California Medical Association (CMA) through the state budget. In 2016, the California legislature passed a budget that committed $100 million over three years ($33 million each year) in health care workforce funding. Although ... November 14, 2017 CMA, General Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Residents and Fellows 0 0 Comment Read More »
California congressmen introduce bills to address physician shortage Two important bills have been introduced in Congress to address our state’s serious physician shortage and improve access to care in California. The first bill, the Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act of 2017 (HR 3394), would reauthorize for an additional three years the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (GME) program that was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Teaching Health Center program is a community-based primary care physician training program that has been extremely successful in expanding the physician workforce in underserved areas. ... August 9, 2017 General Federal Legislation, Federal Legislative Advocacy , Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Primary Care, Rural Health, Underserved Communities 0 0 Comment Read More »
California grapples with 'severe' doctor shortage, study shows California doesn't have enough doctors to handle its primary health care demands and the problem is getting worse. A new study by UCSF Healthforce Center finds that California doesn’t have enough primary care physicians in most regions of the state. According to the study, the shortage is becoming more acute because of an aging physician workforce, a growing patient population and expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act. According to the study, only two regions of California (the Greater Bay Area and Sacramento) have ratios of primary care physicians per ... March 2, 2017 General California State Budget, Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Primary Care, State Legislative Advocacy, Underserved Communities 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA and CMA efforts to secure adequate funding for GME continue In an effort to increase the number of medical residency slots and to help address the national physician shortage, delegates to the American Medical Association (AMA) renewed their support for alternative funding sources for graduate medical education (GME). AMA also adopted policy to explore additional funding models for GME beyond those examined in the Institute of Medicine’s 2014 report on GME governance and financing. Under the new policy, AMA will encourage insurance payors and foundations to enter into partnerships with state and local agencies, as well as academic medical centers ... December 7, 2015 General Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, GME, Physician Supply 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA takes on public health, Medi-Cal with 2015 sponsored legislation California Medical Association (CMA) sponsored bills for 2015 include a $2 per pack tax on cigarettes, increasing provider rates for Medi-Cal and establishing a Graduate Medical Education Trust Fund in light of inadequate funding levels from the federal government. SB 591 (Pan) – Cigarette and tobacco products taxes: California Tobacco Tax Act of 2015 This bill is the CMA-led Save Lives Coalition’s legislative strategy to increase the state’s tobacco tax by $2 per pack. The bill would allocate funds raised by the tax to tobacco prevention and education, programs provided by ... March 24, 2015 General Medi-Cal, POLST, State Legislative Advocacy, Tobacco Tax, Workers' Compensation, Graduate Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
Match Day keeps some new doctors in California, sends others out-of-state Friday, March 20, on National Match Day, California’s graduating medical students learned whether they can begin practicing medicine here – or if they must leave the state to begin their careers. The National Resident Matching Program matches graduating medical students with residency programs using a mathematical algorithm that pairs the rank-ordered preferences of applicants and program directors to produce a “best fit” for filling available training positions. However, this year, more than 41,000 medical school seniors and graduates applied for only 30,000 available residency positions. “Match Day is a pivotal point ... March 23, 2015 General Advocacy, Match Day, Residents and Fellows, Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
Hundreds of California medical students learn where they will continue training Sacramento – Friday, March 20, 2015, is national “Match Day.” Hundreds of California medical students will learn whether they can begin their medical practice in state, or if they will be forced to leave California to complete their training to become fully licensed physicians. Medical students select a residency program based on the medical specialty they plan to pursue as well as the specifics of a program, which may include particular aspects of training or geography. “Match Day is a pivotal point in a medical student’s career,” said California Medical Association ... March 23, 2015 General Match Day, Medical Students, Residents and Fellows, Graduate Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
State budget includes $7 million for new primary care residency slots Following the unprecedented grassroots advocacy by the physician and medical student community, the Legislature approved a state budget that includes $7 million for new primary care residency slots. The budget is now on Governor Brown's desk awaiting his signature. The California Medical Association is urging all physicians to contact the governor's office and urge him to maintain this critical funding, which will help California meet the increased demand for medical services now that millions of additional patients are insured under the Affordable Care Act. Three million dollars would be applied ... June 19, 2014 General Residents and Fellows, State Legislative Advocacy, Graduate Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
