Arkansas Sen. John Boozman pens bill to address aging healthcare workforce

JONESBORO, Ark. – The end of the Baby Boomer generation is nearing its golden years, and for those working in the medical industry, it is time for a checkup.

Mostly due to their retirement, the Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. That equates to 40,000 fewer primary care doctors and 20,000 fewer surgical specialists.

It is the primary reason why U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) has introduced legislation to secure the next generation of healthcare.

The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act proposes raising the number of residency program positions that Medicare can fund by 14,000 over seven years and prioritizing those federally backed positions for states with hospitals located in rural areas, new medical schools, hospitals training physicians in excess of their cap, as well as hospitals that serve areas designated as health professional shortage areas.

Dr. Shane Speights is on the frontlines, staunching the bleeding. As dean of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkansas State University, his focus is on bringing new physicians into their first job.

“The reason why our medical school was founded was because of the workforce shortage,” Speights said.

Since launching in 2016, NYITCOM at A-State has placed graduates practicing in rural communities like McGehee, Wynne, Paragould, Piggott, Dardanelle, Highland, Newport, Jonesboro, Mountain Home, Little Rock, Conway, and Fayetteville. 

Thursday, they committed to a new family medicine residency program at the Mississippi County Hospital System, but to address the wider issue, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act may be necessary.

“That cap hasn’t been raised since 1997,” Boozman explained. “Now is definitely the right time. In fact the right time would be told me about 10 or 15 years ago.”

Boozman said the reason the cap on residency programs has not been raised since 1997 is the expense. His bill is sponsored by fellow republicans in Maine and Georgia. Eight democrats and one independent senator are also sponsoring.

“It’s not a partisan issue. It’s all about helping people,” Boozman explained.

Boozman said the workplace shortage will affect far more than physicians, but the effect may be greater since the career requires lengthy education.

“Private industry, public policy, non-for-profit, what have you. It will take everybody to be around the table to come up with a sustainable solution that really impacts generations to come,” Dr. Speights said.