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Policy Briefs

The Case for Teaching Health Centers
Medical Education Futures Study
July 2009

"In order to achieve the quality, access, and affordability, we must invest in the development of a robust primary care physician workforce -- particularly as an aging population and expanded health care coverage increase the demand for services.  Developing residency programs within community-based ambulatory primary care settings such as health centers, with the appropriate infrastructure investment, will immediately bolster the primary care workforce. Residents provide patient care services and the opportunity to teach promotes recruitment and retention for existing staff."  

Graduate Medical Education: The Key to the Future of Primary Care?
November 2008

"A growing and aging population, the prospect of expanded health care coverage, and strategies to mitigate the rising cost of health care all point to a need for more primary care physicians.  The GME trends documented here, abetted by current Medicare GME policy, indicate fewer primary care physicians will be entering the workforce at a time when more are needed."

Physician Supply Follows Federal Policy: A Lesson From History
Medical Education Futures Study
October 2008

"Predictions of physician supply have swung from surplus to shortage and back again over the past century. While the answer to the question, "What is the right number of physicians?" is debatable, there is no question that physician supply is sensitive to legislative and policy changes.

Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine: The Need for a Diverse Physician Workforce
Medical Education Futures Study
July 2008

Significant disparities exist in access to health care for racial and ethnic minorities and also in their representation in the U.S. physician workforce.  African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans comprise more than 25% of the U.S. population, yet they account for less than 10% of the physician workforce.

Medical Education Expansion and the Future of Primary Care
July 2008

"Evidence shows primary care is associated with improved quality, decreased costs, and better outcomes in health systems.  However, recent trends in residency selection show young physicians are moving away from primary care. Family medicine programs are filling 15% fewer first year residency positions than 10 years ago with less than 50% of these positions filled by U.S. medical school graduates."

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