By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Maybe We Don’t Need to Train So Many Doctors
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Education > Maybe We Don’t Need to Train So Many Doctors
BusinessMedical Education

Maybe We Don’t Need to Train So Many Doctors

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

The CEOs of two academic hospitals are upset that Congress may reduce the funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME) paid through Medicare. To fight back, they’ve written a scare story for the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed page (We Can’t Afford to Train Fewer Doctors) that’s full of omissions and misleading statements.

To summarize their arguments:

The CEOs of two academic hospitals are upset that Congress may reduce the funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME) paid through Medicare. To fight back, they’ve written a scare story for the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed page (We Can’t Afford to Train Fewer Doctors) that’s full of omissions and misleading statements.

To summarize their arguments:

More Read

clinical trials
Overcoming Clinical Trial Marketing Challenges: Patient Recruitment and Retention
Temporary Health Plans With Low Benefits Continue to Grow
Informal Influence in Healthcare: #NPSFLLI7
How Local Hospitals Are Under Mounting Pressure?
CMS and Transitional Care Management Reimbursement Expansion
  • A cut in GME funding “could dramatically limit the ability of patients to see physicians, even for critical illnesses” by limiting the number of new physicians trained
  • Hospitals have been buying up physician practices and as a result now provide most primary care, outpatient care, and care for the indigent. Reducing funding in one area (e.g., GME) “will impact all services that hospitals provide to the community”
  • We need 90,000 more doctors by 2020 to meet increased demand and to replace doctors who retire

The authors make it sound like a cut in GME funding will doom the country to a dire doctor shortage. I think they’re being over dramatic:

  • There is serious overutilization of medical services in this country today. Reduce that and we won’t need so much physician capacity. Conversely, supply creates its own demand. Train more doctors and overall utilization and costs will rise
  • I don’t see why a reduction in GME funding will automatically lead to cuts in other programs. If their funding is fungible as the authors imply, maybe hospitals should just find other revenue sources to substitute for lost Medicare GME. Or maybe GME cuts can be offset by reductions in overhead expenses such as administrator salaries?
  • Technology and process improvement should make physicians more productive. The number of farmers has dropped dramatically as agricultural methods have improved. To get costs under control we’ll need to see some of the same effect in health care
  • Plenty of well-trained physicians from overseas are interested in working in the US. We could make up for some of the expected shortage by encouraging more immigration
  • Physicians aren’t the only medical providers out there. Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are an important, growing component of the clinical work force and can continue to take up some of the slack


Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

How Setting Boundaries Helps Trauma Survivors Heal
Health
October 30, 2025
how to improve REM sleep
Unlock Better Sleep: How to Improve REM Sleep Naturally
Wellness
October 30, 2025
uv protection in winter
Winter Sun Safety: Why UV Protection Matters Year-Round
Health
October 29, 2025
Nurse Scheduling Software
Evaluating 7 Best Nurse Scheduling Software
Nursing Technology
October 28, 2025

You Might also Like

Value-Based Purchasing Must Bring Healthcare Providers & Vendors Together

March 18, 2012

Telemonitoring at Work in the Netherlands

November 25, 2013
Global HealthcareMedical EducationMedical RecordsNews

Here’s Why The Lab Automation Market Is Growing

February 2, 2019

Virus Wipes Out Medical Records at Hospital in India

March 14, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?