GAO Report on the Nation's Physician Workforce


May 25, 2017

Despite physician shortages in rural areas and continued projected deficits of physicians in such areas, federal efforts to increase graduate medical education in rural areas and primary care were limited, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office.

A well-trained physician workforce adequately distributed across the country is essential for providing Americans with access to quality health care services. Federal spending on graduate medical education is over $15 billion/year, and in 2015, GAO recommended that the Department of Health and Human Services develop a plan for its health care workforce programs—it has yet to do so.

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