House introduces bill to authorize AHA-supported Medical Student Education Authorization Act

The AHA Sept. 24 expressed support for the Medical Student Education Authorization Act (H.R. 5428), legislation introduced in the House Sept. 17 that would authorize a federal program to award grants to public institutes of higher education to expand or support graduate education for physicians. It particularly focuses on states with the most severe primary care provider shortages.

"Hospitals face ongoing, significant challenges sustaining, building and retaining the health care workforce," the AHA said in a letter to the bill's sponsors, Reps. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Dina Titus, D-Nev. "Our nation simply does not have enough clinicians to care for patients today and too few in the training pipeline for the future."