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Background Rural US populations face a chronic shortage of physicians and an increasing gap in life expectancy compared to urban US populations, creating a need to understand how to increase residency graduates' desire to practice in such areas. Objective This study quantifies associations between the amount of rural training during family medicine (FM) residencies and subsequent rural work. Methods American Medical Association (AMA) Masterfile, AMA graduate medical education (GME) supplement, American Board of Family Medicine certification, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital costs data were merged and analyzed. Multiple logistic regression measured associations between rural training and rural or urban practice in 2018 by all 12 162 clinically active physicians who completed a US FM residency accredited by the ACGME between 2008 and 2012. Analyses adjusted for key potential confounders (age, sex, program size, region, and medical school location and type) and clustering by resident program. Results Most (91%, 11 011 of 12 162) residents had no rural training. A minority (14%, 1721 of 12 162) practiced in a rural location in 2018. Residents with no rural training comprised 80% (1373 of 1721) of those in rural practice in 2018. Spending more than half of residency training months in rural areas was associated with substantially increased odds of rural practice (OR 5.3-6.3). Only 4% (424 of 12 162) of residents spent more than half their training in rural locations, and only 5% (26 of 436) of FM training programs had residents training mostly in rural settings or community-based clinics. Conclusions There is a linear gradient between increasing levels of rural exposure in FM GME and subsequent rural work.

ObjectiveTo examine the workforce that provides vasectomies in the United States using national-level medical claims data (IQVIA Dx, 2019).MethodsWe combined IQVIA Dx 2019 data on medical claims with information on clinician characteristics and clinician type from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) and the American Medical Association (AMA) Masterfile. We assessed state-level trends in vasectomy provision. We used multivariate regressions to evaluate the association between clinician characteristics and two outcomes: providing at least one vasectomy and total volume of vasectomies in 2019.ResultsWe found total of 147,618 vasectomies performed by 7,592 clinicians in the IQVIA Dx 2019 data. About 76% clinicians were urologists, 16% family medicine specialists, and about 8% were general surgeons. Urologists performed about 91% of all vasectomies. Overall, about 92% of clinicians were located in urban areas. Multivariate regression analysis showed that clinicians that were female (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.12, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) (0.09 - 0.15)), graduated from osteopathic schools (OR 0.77, 95% CI (0.60 - 0.98)) had lower odds of providing vasectomies.ConclusionsClinicians from multiple specialties performed vasectomies in the U.S. Most often, this procedure was performed by male urologists practicing in urban areas. Wide state-level variations exist in vasectomy provision. Clinicians’ gender, location and type of medical degree received were associated with their vasectomy provision.

PURPOSE The Teaching Health Center (THC) Graduate Medical Education program enables primary care physicians to train in community-based, underserved settings by shifting the payment structure and training environment for graduate medical education. To understand how THCs have successfully trained primary care physicians who practice in community-based settings, the authors conducted a mixed methods exploratory study to examine THC residency graduates' experiences of mentorship and career planning during their residencies, perceptions of preparation for post-residency practice, and how these experiences were related to post-residency practice environments. METHOD Surveys were conducted for all 804 graduating THC residents nationally, 2014-2017 (533, 66% response rate). Three quantitative outcomes were measured: graduates' perceptions of preparation for practice after residency (Likert scale), satisfaction with mentorship and career planning (Likert scale), and characteristics of post-residency practice environment (open ended). A qualitative analysis of open-text survey answers, using thematic content analysis, was also conducted. RESULTS Most THC graduates (68%) were satisfied with their mentorship and career planning experience, and generally felt prepared for post-residency practice in multiple settings (78%-93%). Of the 533 THC graduates who provided information about their practice environment, 445 (84%) were practicing in primary care; nationally, 64% of physicians who completed primary care residencies practiced in primary care. Of the 445 THC graduates practicing in primary care, 12% practiced in rural areas, compared to 7% of all physicians. Just over half of THC graduates (51%) practiced in medically underserved areas, compared to 39% of all physicians. CONCLUSIONS This study offers early evidence that the THC model produces and retains primary care physicians who are well prepared to practice in underserved areas. Given these promising findings, there appears to be a substantial benefit to growing the THC program. However, the program continues to face uncertainty around ongoing, stable funding.

This is an introduction to the special issue "Innovations in Developing a Behavioral Health Workforce for Team Based Care." The purpose of this special issue was to highlight emerging research and projects to address workforce shortages and innovations in training paradigms, including those that could address the need for increased diversity. In this introduction, the authors spotlight some of the key themes as well as a few of the noticeable gaps they found as they completed this project. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

BACKGROUND: As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly progressed throughout the United States, increased demand for health workers required health workforce data and tools to aid planning and response at local, state, and national levels. OBJECTIVE: We describe the development of 2 estimator tools designed to inform health workforce planning for COVID-19. RESEARCH DESIGN: We estimated supply and demand for intensivists, critical care nurses, hospitalists, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists, using Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projections for COVID-19 hospital care and National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System, American Hospital Association, and Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupation Employment Statistics for workforce supply. We estimated contact tracing workforce needs using Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 case counts and workload parameters based on expert advice. RESULTS: The State Hospital Workforce Deficit Estimator estimated the sufficiency of state hospital-based clinicians to meet projected COVID-19 demand. The Contact Tracing Workforce Estimator calculated the workforce needed based on the 14-day COVID-19 caseload at county, state, and the national level, allowing users to adjust workload parameters to reflect local contexts. CONCLUSIONS: The 2 estimators illustrate the value of integrating health workforce data and analysis with pandemic response planning. The many unknowns associated with COVID-19 required tools to be flexible, allowing users to change assumptions on number of contacts and work capacity. Data limitations were a challenge for both estimators, highlighting the need to invest in health workforce data and data infrastructure as part of future emergency preparedness planning.

This cross-sectional study investigates changes in the workforce providing contraception and abortion services from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health care workforce diversity is a critical determinant of health equity and the social mission of medical education. Medical schools have a social contract with the public, which provides significant financial support to academic medical centers. Although a focus on diversity is critical in the admissions process for health professions schools, most US medical schools have failed to achieve racial-ethnic or economic diversity representative of the general US population. This article discusses limitations of holistic admissions, structural challenges for diverse learners in medical education, and how to implement socially accountable admissions.

OBJECTIVE: Independent freestanding emergency departments (IFEDs) have proliferated over the last decade, largely in Texas. We examined the IFED physician workforce composition and changes in emergency physician workforce supply across states and in rural Texas over the period of IFED proliferation following a 2009 legislation allowing the licensing of these sites. DATA SOURCES: IFED websites, Texas Medical Board lookup tool, National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Provider Enrollment and Chain/Ownership System (PECOS), Medicare Physician Shared Patient Patterns, CareSet DocGraph Hop Teaming, Healthcare Provider Database. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive analysis of the IFED physician workforce; quasi‐experimental difference‐in‐difference analysis of Texas emergency physician movement into and out of the state; and difference‐in‐difference‐in‐difference analysis of the change in emergency physician supply between rural and urban areas in Texas compared with other states. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: Using the NPIs obtained through Texas IFED websites and Texas Medical Board data, we examined NPPES/PECOS files, Medicare Physician Shared Patient Patterns, and CareSet DocGraph Hop Teaming for IFED physician practice locations from 2009 to 2017. We extracted all active emergency physicians from a Healthcare Provider Database, derived from a 5% Medicare claims (1999‐2017). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In 2019, 545 physicians practiced in Texas IFEDs, of which 515 (94.5%) were emergency physicians. We located 533 in previous practice, of whom 522 (97.9%) previously practiced in Disproportionate Share Hospitals and 100 (18.8%) in rural areas. Following legislation to begin licensing IFEDs in 2009, there were on average 42.1 (P

This cross-sectional study assesses the association of mistreatment and discrimination among medical students with attrition from medical school.

ImportanceLittle is known about primary care physicians who provide contraceptive services to Medicaid beneficiaries. Evaluating this workforce may help explain barriers to accessing these services since contraceptive care access is critical for Medicaid beneficiaries’ health.ObjectiveTo describe the primary care physician workforce that provides contraceptive services to Medicaid beneficiaries and explore the factors associated with their Medicaid contraceptive service provision.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study, conducted from August 1 to October 10, 2022, used data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System from 2016 for primary care physicians from 4 specialties (family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology [OBGYN], and pediatrics).Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcomes were providing intrauterine devices (IUDs) or contraceptive implants to at least 1 Medicaid beneficiary, prescribing hormonal birth control methods (including a pill, patch, or ring) to at least 1 Medicaid beneficiary, the total number of Medicaid beneficiaries provided IUDs or implants, and the total number Medicaid beneficiaries prescribed hormonal birth control methods in 2016. Physician- and community-level factors associated with contraceptive care provision were assessed using multivariate regression methods.ResultsIn the sample of 251 017 physicians (54% male; mean [SD] age, 49.17 [12.58] years), 28% were international medical graduates (IMGs) and 70% practiced in a state that had expanded Medicaid in 2016. Of the total physicians, 48% prescribed hormonal birth control methods while 10% provided IUDs or implants. For OBGYN physicians, compared with physicians younger than 35 years, being aged 35 to 44 years (odds ratio [OR], 3.51; 95% CI, 2.93-4.21), 45 to 54 years (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 2.43-3.72), or 55 to 64 years (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.82-2.83) was associated with higher odds of providing IUDs and implants. However, among family medicine physicians, age groups associated with lower odds of providing IUDs or implants were 45 to 54 years (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.55-0.80), 55 to 64 years (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.39-0.65), and 65 years or older (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.19-0.44). Except for those specializing in OBGYN, being an IMG was associated with lower odds of providing hormonal contraceptive service (family medicine IMGs: OR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.73-0.88]; internal medicine IMGs: OR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.77-0.93]; and pediatric IMGs: OR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.78-0.93]). Practicing in a state that expanded Medicaid by 2016 was associated with higher odds of prescribing hormonal contraception for family medicine (OR 1.50; 95% CI, 1.06-2.12) and internal medicine (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.18-2.48) physicians but not for physicians from other specialties.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study of primary care physicians, physician- and community-level factors, such as specialty, age, and the Medicaid expansion status of their state, were significantly associated with how they provided contraceptive services to Medicaid beneficiaries. However, the existence of associations varied across clinical specialties. Ensuring access to contraception among Medicaid beneficiaries may therefore require policy and program approaches tailored for different physician types.

Background and Objectives: Community-based residency programs are an important strategy to address rural and underserved primary care shortages, however, health centers report both benefits and challenges to training. This study aims to understand the impact of new Teaching Health Center (THC) residency programs on health center staffing, patient service, quality of care, and provider productivity. Methods: Using the Uniform Data System, we used inverse propensity score weighting to create a balanced sample of new THC and non-THC health centers in 2010. Using 2018 data, we applied propensity score weighted regressions to examine changes in staffing, service, quality of care, and productivity in THC versus non-THC health centers. Results: In 2018, health centers with new THC programs were associated with increased physician (16.40, P

The primary care workforce is an essential component of any high-functioning health care system. The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded six Academic Units for Primary Care Training and Enhancement grants in 2016. The overarching goal of the program is to improve primary care clinical teaching and research to strengthen the primary care workforce. Academic Units achieve this goal through 1) systems-level research to inform primary care training; 2) dissemination of best practices and resources; and 3) community of practice activities to promote the widespread enhancement of primary care training to produce a diverse, high-quality primary care workforce.

Diversity in the medical workforce is critical to improve health care access and achieve equity for resource-limited communities. Despite increased efforts to recruit diverse medical trainees, there remains a large chasm between the racial and ethnic and socioeconomic composition of the patient population and that of the physician workforce.To analyze student attrition from medical school by sociodemographic identities.This retrospective cohort study included allopathic doctor of medicine (MD)-only US medical school matriculants in academic years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. The analysis was performed from July to September 2021.The main outcome was attrition, defined as withdrawal or dismissal from medical school for any reason. Attrition rate was explored across 3 self-reported marginalized identities: underrepresented in medicine (URiM) race and ethnicity, low income, and underresourced neighborhood status. Logistic regression was assessed for each marginalized identity and intersections across the 3 identities.Among 33 389 allopathic MD-only medical school matriculants (51.8% male), 938 (2.8%) experienced attrition from medical school within 5 years. Compared with non-Hispanic White students (423 of 18 213 [2.3%]), those without low income (593 of 25 205 [2.3%]), and those who did not grow up in an underresourced neighborhood (661 of 27 487 [2.4%]), students who were URiM (Hispanic [110 of 2096 (5.2%); adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.41; 95% CI, 1.13-1.77], non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander [13 of 118 (11.0%); aOR, 3.20; 95% CI, 1.76-5.80], and non-Hispanic Black/African American [120 of 2104 (5.7%); aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.13-1.77]), those who had low income (345 of 8184 [4.2%]; aOR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.15-1.54), and those from an underresourced neighborhood (277 of 5902 [4.6%]; aOR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16-1.58) were more likely to experience attrition from medical school. The rate of attrition from medical school was greatest among students with all 3 marginalized identities (ie, URiM, low income, and from an underresourced neighborhood), with an attrition rate 3.7 times higher than that among students who were not URiM, did not have low income, and were not from an underresourced neighborhood (7.3% [79 of 1086] vs 1.9% [397 of 20 353]; P .001).This retrospective cohort study demonstrated a significant association of medical student attrition with individual (race and ethnicity and family income) and structural (growing up in an underresourced neighborhood) measures of marginalization. The findings highlight a need to retain students from marginalized groups in medical school.

Increasing focus on health equity is placing a spotlight on health professionals' roles. Recent public health crises-the opioid epidemic, maternal mortality, and the COVID-19 pandemic-have renewed focus on racial and ethnic inequity and underscored that trust is foundational to public health and health professionalism. Organizational, system, and policy reform demand that professionalism be redefined in terms of its capacity to motivate equity in health professions education and clinical practice.

PURPOSE This study examines whether characteristics of dental education, practice characteristics and state Medicaid policies are associated with dentists' pediatric Medicaid participation. METHODS Cross-sectional analysis of data about dentists' Medicaid participation in 2016, based on current practice characteristics and characteristics of dental schools they attended 5 to 10 years earlier. We analyze data about 22,500 general and pediatric dentists, drawn from the American Dental Association's Masterfile for 2016 and its dental school survey for 2009-10. The primary outcome is whether dentists participated in Medicaid-enrolled to accept Medicaid patients and payments-in at least 1 of their practice sites in 2016. RESULTS A majority (55%) of dentists accepted Medicaid in at least 1 practice site, while a quarter (24%) accepted Medicaid in all their sites. Dentists who attended schools with higher tuition rates were less likely to serve Medicaid patients at any site several years later (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = .761). Dental schools' receipt of grants that encourage community-based training were associated with increased Medicaid participation at all sites (AOR = 1.22). Those practicing in rural areas also had higher Medicaid participation (AOR = 2.62). A 10% increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates was associated with increased Medicaid participation at any site (AOR = 1.24). CONCLUSIONS Dental school practices and state Medicaid policies are associated with whether dentists care for Medicaid patients. Changes in dental school or Medicaid policies, such as higher reimbursement rates, could help encourage more dentists to accept Medicaid patients, thereby increasing access to care.

OBJECTIVE This study examines the use of temporary providers in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in recent years and identifies associated factors. METHODS Using 2013-2017 federal administrative data of 1,028 FQHCs, we describe trends in the number and percentage of FQHCs that used temporary primary care physicians and advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives). We employed descriptive statistics to compare facility and patient characteristics between FQHCs that used and did not use temporary providers and constructed multivariate linear probability models to identify factors associated with their use. FINDINGS Slightly over one-third of FQHCs used temporary primary care providers during 2013-2017. During this period, fewer FQHCs used temporary family physicians, while more FQHCs used nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Centers that used temporary providers were larger and less rural. Multivariate regression analysis showed that neither Health Professional Shortage Area facility scores (a measure of provider shortage), nor the county primary care provider-to-population ratio, was a predictor of temporary provider usage in FQHCs. Instead, facility regular primary care staff-to-patient ratio was positively associated with use of temporary providers. CONCLUSION Temporary providers tend to be used in FQHCs where measure of underservice appears to be less severe. Future research should use qualitative interviews or other data sources to explore further the underlying reasons for using temporary providers in FQHCs.

The COVID-19 pandemic and calls for racial justice have highlighted the need for schools to promote social mission. Measuring social mission engagement and performance in health professions education may encourage institutional efforts to advance health equity and social justice commitments.To describe the current state of social mission commitment within dental, medical, and nursing schools in the US and to examine how social mission performance compares across school types.This cross-sectional survey study invited all US dental and medical schools and a subset of baccalaureate- and master's degree-conferring nursing schools to participate in a self-assessment to measure their school's social mission commitment from January 29 through October 9, 2019. The survey measured 79 indicators (with indicators defined as responses to specific scored questions that indicated the state or level of social mission commitment) across 18 areas in 6 domains of school functioning (educational program, community engagement, governance, diversity and inclusion, institutional culture and climate, and research) that have potential to enhance social mission engagement and performance. Individual health professions schools were the unit of analysis, and 689 dental, medical, and nursing schools were invited to participate. School deans and program directors were the primary target respondents because of their broad insight into their school's programs and policies and their ability to request data from various internal sources. Demographic information from respondents was not collected because multiple respondents from an institution could complete different sections of the survey.Survey responses were analyzed to create indicator scores, standardized area scores, and an overall social mission score for each school. Using descriptive analyses, frequency and contingency tables of specific indicators within each area were created, and schools were compared based on ownership status (private or public), Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education research classification group (doctoral university with very high research activity [R1], doctoral university with high [R2] or moderate [R3] research activity, baccalaureate or master's nursing college or university, or special focus institution), and discipline group (dental school, medical school granting doctor of osteopathic medicine [DO] degrees, medical school granting doctor of medicine [MD] degrees, nursing school granting baccalaureate-level degrees, or nursing school granting master's-level degrees).Among 689 invited schools, 242 schools (35.1%) completed the self-assessment survey. Of those, 133 (55.0%) were nursing schools, 83 (34.3%) were medical schools, and 26 (10.7%) were dental schools. Response rates ranged from 133 of 420 invited nursing schools (31.7%) to 83 of 203 invited medical schools (40.9%). Most schools included social determinants of health in their curriculum in either required courses (233 of 242 schools [96.3%]) or elective courses (4 of 242 schools [1.7%]), but only 116 of 235 schools (49.4%) integrated social determinants of health across all years of study. Most schools also included health disparities in either their required courses (232 of 242 [95.9%]) or elective courses (6 of 242 [2.5%]); however, only 118 of 235 schools (50.2%) integrated health disparities across all years of study. In several areas of social mission, public schools performed better than private schools (eg, curriculum: mean [SE] standardized area score, 0.13 [0.07] points vs -0.14 [0.09] points, respectively), and R1 doctoral universities and special focus institutions performed better than R2 and R3 doctoral universities and baccalaureate and master's nursing colleges and universities (eg, extracurricular activities: mean [SE] standardized area score, 0.25 [0.09] points for R1 doctoral universities and 0.20 [0.12] points for special focus institutions vs -0.05 [0.12] points for R2 and R3 doctoral universities and - 0.30 [0.12] points for baccalaureate and master's nursing colleges and universities. Different areas of strength emerged for dental, medical, and nursing schools. For example, in the curriculum area, MD-granting medical schools had a mean (SE) standardized area score of 0.38 (0.08) points, which was significantly higher than the standardized area scores of dental schools (mean [SE], -0.21 [0.14] points), DO-granting medical schools (mean [SE], -0.22 [0.13] points), graduate nursing schools (mean [SE], -0.21 [0.19] points), and undergraduate nursing schools (mean [SE], -0.05 [0.10] points).In this study, there was widespread interest from health professions educational leaders in understanding and enhancing social mission commitment. Future work may focus on identifying and promoting best practices using the framework described, providing schools with continued opportunities for self-assessment, and further validating the self-assessment survey.

This cross-sectional study uses national medical claims data set to examine the workforce providing abortion care and management of pregnancy loss.

Background Contraception care is essential to providing comprehensive healthcare; however, little is known nationally about the contraception workforce. Previous research has examined the supply, distribution, and adequacy of the health workforce providing contraception services, but this research has faced a series of data limitations, relying on surveys or focusing on a subset of practitioners and resulting in an incomplete picture of contraception practitioners in the United States. Objective This study aimed to construct a comprehensive database of the contraceptive workforce in the United States that provides the following 6 types of highly effective contraception: intrauterine device, implant, shot (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate), oral contraception, hormonal patch, and vaginal ring. In addition, we aimed to examine the difference in supply, distribution, the types of contraception services offered, and Medicaid participation. Study Design We constructed a national database of contraceptive service providers using multiple data sets: IQVIA prescription claims, preadjudicated medical claims, and the OneKey healthcare provider data set; the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System data set; and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data on population demographics. All statistical analyses were descriptive, including chi-squared tests for groupwise differences and pairwise post hoc tests with Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons. Results Although 73.1% of obstetrician-gynecologists and 72.6% of nurse-midwives prescribed the pill, patch, or ring, only 51.4% of family medicine physicians, 32.4% of pediatricians, and 19.8% of internal medicine physicians do so. The ratio of all primary care providers prescribing contraception to the female population of reproductive age (ages, 15–44 years) varied substantially across states, with a range of 27.9 providers per 10,000 population in New Jersey to 74.2 providers per 10,000 population in Maine. In addition, there are substantial differences across states for Medicaid acceptance. Of the obstetrician-gynecologists providing contraception, the percentage of providers who prescribe contraception to Medicaid patients ranged from 83.9% (District of Columbia) to 100% (North Dakota); for family medicine physicians, it ranged from 49.7% (Florida) to 91.1% (Massachusetts); and for internal medicine physicians, it ranged from 25.0% (Texas) to 75.9% (Delaware). For in-person contraception, there were large differences in the proportion of providers offering the 3 different contraceptive method types (intrauterine device, implant, and shot) by provider specialty. Conclusion This study found a significant difference in the distribution, types of contraception, and Medicaid participation of the contraception workforce. In addition to obstetrician-gynecologists and nurse-midwives, family medicine physicians, internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants are important contraception providers. However, large gaps remain in the provision of highly effective services such as intrauterine devices and implants. Future research should examine provider characteristics, programs, and policies associated with the provision of different contraception services.

To describe the residents who chose to train in teaching health centers (THCs), which are community-based ambulatory patient care sites that sponsor primary care residencies, and their intentions to practice in underserved settings.The authors surveyed all THC residents training in academic years 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016, comparing their demographic characteristics with data for residents nationally, and examined THC residents' intentions to practice in underserved settings using logistic regression analysis.The overall survey response rate was 89% (1,031/1,153). THC resident respondents were similar to residents nationally in family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry in terms of gender, age, race, and ethnicity. Twenty-nine percent (283) of respondents came from a rural background, and 46% (454) had an educationally and/or economically disadvantaged background. More than half (524; 55%) intended to practice in an underserved setting on completion of their training. Respondents were more likely to intend to practice in an underserved area if they came from a rural background (odds ratio 1.58; 95% confidence interval 1.08, 2.32) or disadvantaged background (odds ratio 2.81; 95% confidence interval 1.91, 4.13).THCs attract residents from rural and/or disadvantaged backgrounds who seem to be more inclined to practice in underserved areas than those from urban and economically advantaged roots. THC residents' intentions to practice in underserved areas indicate that primary care training programs sponsored by community-based ambulatory patient care sites represent a promising strategy to improve the U.S. health care workforce distribution.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: In recent years, more and more emergency departments (EDs) are located and operated away from hospital campuses. A MedPAC report found at least 556 stand‐alone EDs around the country, comprising of 363 hospital‐affiliated off‐campus emergency departments and 203 independent freestanding emergency departments (IFEDs) in 2017. Five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Texas accounted for over 72 percent of all IFEDs in the country. The rapid proliferation of IFEDs brings into question, who and where are the workforce coming from for these IFEDs. This study explores the origin and composition of health workforce of IFEDs in Texas and the implications of IFEDs on rural and underserved workforce. STUDY DESIGN: We compiled a list of current IFED physicians using the freestanding emergency department list released by Texas Department of State Health Services (July 2019 version) in conjunction with a search of Texas Medical Board Licensing and IFED organization web searches. We identified 545 physicians from 211 IFEDs. We were not able to find staffing information for 11 IFEDs (5.2% of IFEDs). We tracked the IFED physicians prior practice locations using the Medicare Physician Shared Patient Patterns data (2009‐2013) and CareSet DocGraph Hop Teaming data (2014‐2017). We identified those physician’s self‐reported specialty in National Provider and Plan Enumeration System (NPPES) and Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS). We further examined the historical volume of Medicare services provided by these IFED physicians over time using Medicare Part B Public Use Files (2012‐2017). POPULATION STUDIED: All 545 physicians who we can identify worked at Texas IFEDs at the time of data collection (September 2019). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of the 545 IFED physicians, NPPES data indicate 481 physicians are Emergency Medicine physicians, 38 Family Medicine, 11 Internal Medicine and 15 other. PECOS data differed slightly. We were able to identify at least 1 previous practice location for 533 of the 545 physicians currently working at IFEDs. In any year, physicians may have practiced in up to seven hospitals. In 2012, we can identify the practice hospitals for 442 IFED physicians, of whom 95 practiced at rural hospitals and 417 practiced at Disproportionate Share Hospitals (hospitals may be both rural and DSH). In 2017, we can identify the practice hospitals for 267 IFED physicians, of whom 48 practiced at rural hospitals and 207 practiced at Disproportionate Share Hospitals. The reduction of IFED physicians who we can identify from Medicare databases represented the movement of physicians from hospital EDs to IFEDs. We observed a 64.7% decline in total volume of Medicare services provided by this cohort of physicians from 2012 to 2017. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest IFEDs are recruiting physicians largely from rural and underserved settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY OR PRACTICE: The recruitment of IFED physicians from rural and underserved settings taken in combination with evidence that freestanding emergency departments locate in areas with higher incomes and lower proportions of Medicaid patients; our findings raise concerns about the potential negative workforce and access side effects of these newer, entrepreneurial health care organization models. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Health Resources and Services Administration.

Purpose To examine the potential impact of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding (predoctoral [PD] and postdoctoral [PDD] programs) on dentists' practice location in the United States. Method The authors linked 2011-2015 data from HRSA's Electronic Handbooks to 2015 data from the American Dental Association Masterfile, dental health professional shortage areas, and rural-urban commuting area codes. They examined the associations between PD and PDD funding and dentists' practice location between 2004 and 2015 using a difference-in-differences analysis and multiple logistic regressions, adjusting for covariates. Results From 2004 to 2015, 21.2% (1,588/7,506) of dentists graduated from institutions receiving PD funding and 26.8% (2,014/7,506) graduated from institutions receiving PDD funding. Among dentists graduating from institutions receiving PDD funding, after adjusting for covariates, those graduating between 2011 and 2015 were more likely to practice in a rural area than those graduating between 2004 and 2010 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-3.76). The difference-in-differences approach showed that PD and PDD funding significantly increased the odds that a dentist would practice in a rural area (respectively, OR = 2.70; 95% CI = 1.31-5.79/OR = 2.84; 95% CI = 1.40-5.77). Conclusions HRSA oral health training program funding had a positive effect on dentists choosing to practice in a rural area. By increasing the number of dentists practicing in rural communities, HRSA is improving access to, and the delivery of, oral health care services to underserved and vulnerable rural populations.

This cross-sectional study investigates the amount of Medicare funding for dental and podiatry graduate medical education programs at teaching hospitals from 1998 to 2018., Key Points Question How much does the US invest in training the dental and podiatry workforce? Findings In this cross-sectional study of US teaching hospitals, Medicare provided nearly $730 million in dental and podiatry graduate medical education (GME) payments to teaching hospitals in 2018, with per capita payments varying across states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Medicare payments for dental and podiatry GME increased from 1998 to 2018. Meaning These findings suggest that dental and podiatry GME represents a substantial, growing public investment, and deliberate policy reform may be warranted to address national oral and podiatric health needs., Importance Oral health care faces ongoing workforce challenges that affect patient access and outcomes. While the Medicare program provides an estimated $14.6 billion annually in graduate medical education (GME) payments to teaching hospitals, including explicit support for dental and podiatry programs, little is known about the level or distribution of this public investment in the oral health and podiatry workforce. Objective To examine Medicare GME payments to teaching hospitals for dental and podiatry residents from 1998 to 2018, as well as the distribution of federal support among states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 1252 US teaching hospitals. Data were analyzed from May through August 2020. Exposures Dental and podiatry residency training. Main Outcomes and Measures Medicare dental and podiatry GME payments were examined. Results Among 1252 teaching hospitals, Medicare provided nearly $730 million in dental and podiatry GME payments in 2018. From 1998 to 2018, the number of residents supported more than doubled, increasing from 2340 residents to 4856 residents, for a 2.1-fold increase, while Medicare payments for dental and podiatry GME increased from $279 950 531 to $729 277 090, for a 2.6-fold increase. In 2018, an estimated 3504 of 4856 supported positions (72.2%) were dental. Medicare GME payments varied widely among states, territories, and the District of Columbia, with per capita payments by state, territory, and district population ranging from $0.05 in Puerto Rico to $14.24 in New York, while 6 states received no support for dental or podiatry residency programs. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that dental and podiatry GME represents a substantial public investment, and deliberate policy decisions are needed to target this nearly $730 million and growing investment to address the nation’s priority oral and podiatry health needs.

Graduate medical education (GME) determines the overall number, specialization mix, and geographic distribution of the US physician workforce. Medicare GME payments-which represent the largest single public investment in health workforce development-are allocated based on an inflexible system whose rationale, effectiveness, and balance are increasingly being scrutinized. We analyzed Medicare cost reports from teaching hospitals and found large state-level differences in the number of Medicare-sponsored residents per 100,000 population (1.63 in Montana versus 77.13 in New York), total Medicare GME payments ($1.64 million in Wyoming versus $2 billion in New York), payments per person ($1.94 in Montana versus $103.63 in New York), and average payments per resident ($63,811 in Louisiana versus $155,135 in Connecticut). Ways to address these imbalances include revising Medicare's GME funding formulas and protecting those states that receive less Medicare GME support in case funding is decreased and making them a priority if it is increased. The GME system badly needs a coordinating body to deliberate and make policy about public investments in graduate medical education.

Graduate medical education (GME) plays a key role in the U.S. health care workforce, defining its overall size and specialty distribution and influencing physician practice locations. Medicare provides nearly $10 billion annually to support GME and faces growing policy maker interest in creating accountability measures. The purpose of this study was to develop and test candidate GME outcome measures related to physician workforce.The authors performed a secondary analysis of data from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, National Provider Identifier file, Medicare claims, and National Health Service Corps, measuring the number and percentage of graduates from 2006 to 2008 practicing in high-need specialties and underserved areas aggregated by their U.S. GME program.Average overall primary care production rate was 25.2% for the study period, although this is an overestimate because hospitalists could not be excluded. Of 759 sponsoring institutions, 158 produced no primary care graduates, and 184 produced more than 80%. An average of 37.9% of internal medicine residents were retained in primary care, including hospitalists. Mean general surgery retention was 38.4%. Overall, 4.8% of graduates practiced in rural areas; 198 institutions produced no rural physicians, and 283 institutions produced no Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic physicians.GME outcomes are measurable for most institutions and training sites. Specialty and geographic locations vary significantly. These findings can inform educators and policy makers during a period of increased calls to align the GME system with national health needs.

Graduate medical education (GME), the system to train graduates of medical schools in their chosen specialties, costs the government nearly $13 billion annually, yet there is little accountability in the system for addressing critical physician shortages in specific specialties and geographic areas. Medicare provides the bulk of GME funds, and the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 redistributed nearly 3,000 residency positions among the nation's hospitals, largely in an effort to train more residents in primary care and in rural areas. However, when we analyzed the outcomes of this recent effort, we found that out of 304 hospitals receiving additional positions, only 12 were rural, and they received fewer than 3 percent of all positions redistributed. Although primary care training had net positive growth after redistribution, the relative growth of nonprimary care training was twice as large and diverted would-be primary care physicians to subspecialty training. Thus, the two legislative and regulatory priorities for the redistribution were not met. Future legislation should reevaluate the formulas that determine GME payments and potentially delink them from the hospital prospective payment system. Furthermore, better health care workforce data and analysis are needed to link GME payments to health care workforce needs.

Rural communities disproportionately face preventable chronic diseases and death from treatable conditions. Health workforce shortages contribute to limited health care access and health disparities. Efforts to address workforce shortages have included establishing graduate medical education programs with the goal of recruiting and retaining physicians in the communities in which they train. However, rural communities face a number of challenges in developing and maintaining successful residency programs, including concerns over financial sustainability and the integration of resident trainees into existing clinical practices. Despite these challenges, rural communities are increasingly interested in investing in residency programs; those that are successful see additional benefits in workforce recruitment, access, and quality of care that have immediate and direct impact on the health of rural communities. This commentary examines the challenges and benefits of rural residency programs, drawing from lessons learned from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program.

Contexte, problematique et objectifs : Les nombres restreints de diplomes sortant d’ecoles de medecine peu nombreuses, et l’emigration des diplomes vers d’autres pays contribuent au faible nombre de medecins presents en Afrique subsaharienne. L’etude sur les ecoles de medecine en Afrique subsaharienne a examine les defis, les innovations et les nouvelles tendances au regard de l’education en medecine dans la region. Methodes : Nous avons retenu 168 ecoles de medecine; parmi les 146 qui ont ete soumises a l’enquete, 105 (72 %) ont repondu. Resultats : Les observations tirees de l’etude indiquaient que les pays mettaient en priorite l’education medicale dans le cadre du renforcement du secteur de la sante et nous avons constate nombre d’innovations dans la preparation « pre-medicale », l’education en equipe et l’usage creatif du soutien limite en matiere de recherche. L’etude a aussi attire l’attention sur le probleme generalise d’un effectif insuffisant de professeurs capables d’enseigner les sciences fondamentales et cliniques, d’une infrastructure physique peu developpee et du manque d’accreditation externe. Les tendances enregistrees incluent la croissance des ecoles de medecine privees, l’education axee sur la communaute, les partenariats internationaux et l’effet positif de la recherche pour le developpement des professeurs. Dix recommandations orientent l’initiative de renforcement de l’education en medecine en Afrique subsaharienne.

Small numbers of graduates from few medical schools, and emigration of graduates to other countries, contribute to low physician presence in sub-Saharan Africa. The Sub-Saharan African Medical School Study examined the challenges, innovations, and emerging trends in medical education in the region. We identified 168 medical schools; of the 146 surveyed, 105 (72%) responded. Findings from the study showed that countries are prioritising medical education scale-up as part of health-system strengthening, and we identified many innovations in premedical preparation, team-based education, and creative use of scarce research support. The study also drew attention to ubiquitous faculty shortages in basic and clinical sciences, weak physical infrastructure, and little use of external accreditation. Patterns recorded include the growth of private medical schools, community-based education, and international partnerships, and the benefit of research for faculty development. Ten recommendations provide guidance for efforts to strengthen medical education in sub-Saharan Africa.

Importance Graduate medical education training may imprint young physicians with skills and experiences, but few studies have evaluated imprinting on physician spending patterns. Objective To examine the relationship between spending patterns in the region of a physician’s graduate medical education training and subsequent mean Medicare spending per beneficiary. Design, Setting, and Participants Secondary multilevel multivariable analysis of 2011 Medicare claims data (Part A hospital and Part B physician) for a random, nationally representative sample of family medicine and internal medicine physicians completing residency between 1992 and 2010 with Medicare patient panels of 40 or more patients (2851 physicians providing care to 491 948 Medicare beneficiaries). Exposures Locations of practice and residency training were matched with Dartmouth Atlas Hospital Referral Region (HRR) files. Training and practice HRRs were categorized into low-, average-, and high-spending groups, with approximately equal distribution of beneficiary numbers. There were 674 physicians in low-spending training and low-spending practice HRRs, 180 in average-spending training/low-spending practice, 178 in high-spending training/low-spending practice, 253 in low-spending training/average-spending practice, 417 in average-spending training/average-spending practice, 210 in high-spending training/average-spending practice, 97 in low-spending training/high-spending practice, 275 in average-spending training/high-spending practice, and 567 in high-spending training/high-spending practice. Main Outcomes and Measures Mean physician spending per Medicare beneficiary. Results For physicians practicing in high-spending regions, those trained in high-spending regions had a mean spending per beneficiary per year $1926 higher (95% CI, $889-$2963) than those trained in low-spending regions. For practice in average-spending HRRs, mean spending was $897 higher (95% CI, $71-$1723) for physicians trained in high- vs low-spending regions. For practice in low-spending HRRs, the difference across training HRR levels was not significant ($533; 95% CI, –$46 to $1112). After controlling for patient, community, and physician characteristics, there was a 7% difference (95% CI, 2%-12%) in patient expenditures between low- and high-spending training HRRs. Across all practice HRRs, this corresponded to an estimated $522 difference (95% CI, $146-$919) between low- and high-spending training regions. For physicians 1 to 7 years in practice, there was a 29% difference ($2434; 95% CI, $1004-$4111) in spending between those trained in low- and high-spending regions; however, after 16 to 19 years, there was no significant difference. Conclusions and Relevance Among general internists and family physicians who completed residency training between 1992 and 2010, the spending patterns in the HRR in which their residency program was located were associated with expenditures for subsequent care they provided as practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries. Interventions during residency training may have the potential to help control future health care spending.

Socio-economic status (SES) has an important effect on health. Individuals with lower SES experience more chronic disease, are less likely to receive preventive care, and have shorter life expectancies. As the Affordable Care Act is implemented and increasing numbers of previously uninsured people gain access to health care, the imperative to recognize patients’ SES and develop health initiatives that account for the social determinants of health increases. Health care providers across the nation are adopting electronic health records (EHRs). Policies such as Meaningful Use offer opportunities to systematically incorporate the collection of standardized SES indicators into EHRs in ways that improve health, increase the understanding of the relationship between SES and health, and inform future policies. This paper examines the use of SES indicators in research, national surveys, and federal programs and finds adding an income question is the most feasible and optimal SES indicator for the inclusion in EHRs.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 created the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program to provide graduate medical education (GME) funding directly to community-based health centers that expand or establish new primary care residency programs. The THCGME program was the legislation's only new investment in GME, and it represents a significant departure from the Medicare GME funding system. It provides payments to ambulatory care centers for both direct and indirect GME expenses, and mandates a level of reporting from recipients that is not required for Medicare GME support. This initial look at the 11 inaugural teaching health centers (THCs) shows that they are training primary care residents in relevant delivery models (e.g., interprofessional teams, patient-centered medical homes), developing educational initiatives that address primary care practice in underserved areas, and transforming organizational and funding structures to support community-based training. The THCs plan to evaluate and report resident performance, patient quality of care, and graduate outcomes. The work of the first THCs has implications for primary care training, the GME system, and future policies and legislation aimed at strengthening the health care workforce.

The early success of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in delivering antiretroviral medications in poor countries unmasked the reality that many lacked sufficient health workers to dispense the drugs effectively. The 2008 reauthorization of PEPFAR embraced this challenge and committed to supporting the education and training of thousands of new health workers. In 2010 the program, with financial support from the US National Institutes of Health and administrative support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, launched the Medical Education Partnership Initiative to fund thirteen African medical schools and a US university. The US university would serve as a coordinating center to improve the quantity, quality, and retention of the schools' graduates. The program was not limited to training in the delivery of services for patients with HIV/AIDS. Rather, it was based on the principle that investment in medical education and retention would lead to health system strengthening overall. Although results are limited at this stage, this article reviews the opportunities and challenges of the first year of this major transnational medical education initiative and considers directions for future efforts and reforms, national governmental roles, and the sustainability of the program over time.

Background Sub-Saharan Africa suffers a disproportionate share of the world's burden of disease while having some of the world's greatest health care workforce shortages. Doctors are an important component of any high functioning health care system. However, efforts to strengthen the doctor workforce in the region have been limited by a small number of medical schools with limited enrolments, international migration of graduates, poor geographic distribution of doctors, and insufficient data on medical schools. The goal of the Sub-Saharan African Medical Schools Study (SAMSS) is to increase the level of understanding and expand the baseline data on medical schools in the region. Methods The SAMSS survey is a descriptive survey study of Sub-Saharan African medical schools. The survey instrument included quantitative and qualitative questions focused on institutional characteristics, student profiles, curricula, post-graduate medical education, teaching staff, resources, barriers to capacity expansion, educational innovations, and external relationships with government and non-governmental organizations. Surveys were sent via e-mail to medical school deans or officials designated by the dean. Analysis is both descriptive and multivariable. Results Surveys were distributed to 146 medical schools in 40 of 48 Sub-Saharan African countries. One hundred and five responses were received (72% response rate). An additional 23 schools were identified after the close of the survey period. Fifty-eight respondents have been founded since 1990, including 22 private schools. Enrolments for medical schools range from 2 to 1800 and graduates range from 4 to 384. Seventy-three percent of respondents (n = 64) increased first year enrolments in the past five years. On average, 26% of respondents' graduates were reported to migrate out of the country within five years of graduation (n = 68). The most significant reported barriers to increasing the number of graduates, and improving quality, related to infrastructure and faculty limitations, respectively. Significant correlations were seen between schools implementing increased faculty salaries and bonuses, and lower percentage loss of faculty over the previous five years (P = 0.018); strengthened institutional research tools (P = 0.00015) and funded faculty research time (P = 0.045) and greater faculty involvement in research; and country compulsory service requirements (P = 0.039), a moderate number (1-5) of post-graduate medical education programs (P = 0.016) and francophone schools (P = 0.016) and greater rural general practice after graduation. Conclusions The results of the SAMSS survey increases the level of data and understanding of medical schools in Sub-Saharan Africa. This data serves as a baseline for future research, policies and investment in the health care workforce in the region which will be necessary for improving health.

Over the last 50 years, medical student debt has become a problem of national importance, and obtaining medical education in the United States has become a loan-dependent, individual investment. Although this phenomenon must be understood in the general context of U.S. higher education as well as economic and social trends in late-20th-century America, the historical problem of medical student debt requires specific attention for several reasons. First, current mechanisms for students' educational financing may not withstand debt levels above a certain ceiling which is rapidly approaching. Second, there are no standards for costs of medical school attendance, and these can vary dramatically between different schools even within a single city. Third, there is no consensus on the true cost of educating a medical student, which limits accountability to students and society for these costs. Fourth, policy efforts to improve physician workforce diversity and mitigate shortages in the primary care workforce are inhibited by rising levels of medical student indebtedness. Fortunately, the current effort to expand the U.S. physician workforce presents a unique opportunity to confront the unsustainable growth of medical student debt and explore new approaches to the financing of medical students' education.

The purpose of this study was to examine pediatric residents' knowledge of the communities they serve through their continuity clinics.The community was identified for each of 6 continuity clinics at an urban children's hospital by geocoding patient addresses using GIS software (1 hospital-based [n = 36], 1 primary care track site [n = 10], and 4 community clinics [n = 12]). We assessed resident and attending knowledge with a survey examining 7 content areas with basic questions about these communities. The survey answers were compared with publicly available community data.A total of 37 of 57 eligible residents (65%) and 21 of their 23 attendings (91%) completed the survey. The residents achieved an overall mean score of 28.9% correct (SD 9.2) and attendings scored 42.6% (SD 19.7). Scores were significantly greater for community-based attendings overall (P.002) and for community-based residents only in the questions of schools (P0.001). However, community-based residents had poorer scores in the demographics/economics content area (P0.001). Scores were not correlated with year of residency.Our pediatric professional organizations have recognized the importance of training residents in community pediatrics. This study is the first to describe resident community knowledge and to demonstrate that this knowledge is generally poor, with specific gaps in the content areas of schools, daycares, and health care access. There are differences in areas of knowledge between those working in hospital versus community clinics, suggesting this is an area for further investigation.

Background Relatively little has been written on Medical Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, although there are over 170 medical schools in the region. A number of initiatives have been started to support medical education in the region to improve quality and quantity of medical graduates. These initiatives have led to curricular changes in the region, one of which is the introduction of Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME). Institutional reviews This paper presents two medical schools, Makerere University College of Health Sciences and College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, which successfully implemented CBME. The processes of curriculum revision are described and common themes are highlighted. Both schools used similar processes in developing their CBME curricula, with early and significant stakeholder involvement. Competencies were determined taking into consideration each country's health and education systems. Final competency domains were similar between the two schools. Both schools established medical education departments to support their new curricula. New teaching methodologies and assessment methods were needed to support CBME, requiring investments in faculty training. Both schools received external funding to support CBME development and implementation. Conclusion CBME has emerged as an important change in medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa with schools adopting it as an approach to transformative medical education. Makerere University and the University of Ibadan have successfully adopted CBME and show that CBME can be implemented even for the low-resourced countries in Africa, supported by external investments to address the human resources gap.