Harshbarger, O'Halleran Introduce the Rural Physician Workforce Production Act of 2022

Press Release

Today, Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) and Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ-01) introduced the Rural Physician Workforce Production Act of 2022 (H.R. 8508), bipartisan legislation that improves Medicare reimbursements and enhances the current structure of the Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) program to bring more medical residents and doctors to rural areas.

The Rural Physician Workforce Production Act:

Lifts the current caps on Medicare reimbursement payments to rural hospitals that cover the cost of taking on residents;
Allows Medicare to reimburse urban hospitals that send residents to train at rural health care facilities during a resident rotation;
Establishes a per-resident payment initiative to ensure rural hospitals have the resources to bring on additional residents.

"Having served as a pharmacist in East Tennessee for over 30 years, I understand the unique needs and challenges that face our rural communities. Rural regions struggle to recruit and retain physicians and other practitioners, resulting in a lack of access for patients and families,"said Rep. Harshbarger."My bill will help make rural residency programs more attractive and sustainable as well as strengthen our rural physician pipeline. This is a practical solution to encourage doctors and other health professionals to train in underserved rural regions and keep their lifesaving talents in the areas that need it most."

"As the representative of one of the largest and most rural districts in the country, I've seen firsthand just how hard it can be for families to access basic health care, let alone specialist care," said Rep. O'Halleran."Studies have shown that doctors are more likely to stay and practice in areas where they studied. Our bipartisan bill is commonsense policy fix that will incentivize more medical residents to practice and live in rural areas, providing better access to care for hardworking Arizonans that must often travel hundreds of miles to receive the care they need."

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