Combined with President Obama's deficit reduction plan, the shortage of physicians already looming over the United States may only grow worse as teaching hospitals trim residency training programs, according to a Bloomberg news report.
Teaching hospitals receive a portion of their funding through Medicare, but Pres. Obama's proposal to cut $248 billion from the program over 10 years includes $1 billion in cuts to teaching hospitals.
Herbert Pardes, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said his organization is trying to identify costs that won't affect people, but it's becoming challenging. "What else are you going to cut when most of your budget is people?" he said in the report.
This week, 39 healthcare groups and medical associations, including the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges sent a letter to members of Congress' supercommittee urging them to protect Medicare funding for graduate medical education.
Other experts say that reductions in residency slots will be much more politically popular than lessening patient services, making them an obvious target to Medicare cuts.
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Teaching hospitals receive a portion of their funding through Medicare, but Pres. Obama's proposal to cut $248 billion from the program over 10 years includes $1 billion in cuts to teaching hospitals.
Herbert Pardes, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said his organization is trying to identify costs that won't affect people, but it's becoming challenging. "What else are you going to cut when most of your budget is people?" he said in the report.
This week, 39 healthcare groups and medical associations, including the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges sent a letter to members of Congress' supercommittee urging them to protect Medicare funding for graduate medical education.
Other experts say that reductions in residency slots will be much more politically popular than lessening patient services, making them an obvious target to Medicare cuts.
Related Articles on Teaching Hospitals:
UCLA: New Resident Training Rules Will Cost Teaching Hospitals $1.3B AnnuallyStudy Finds Cutting Indirect Medical Education Payments as Part of Budget Deficit Would Cost 73K Jobs
Report: Not All Teaching Hospitals Excel in Patient Safety