Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Strengthening our Pediatric Workforce Act of 2017”.
Strengthening our Pediatric Workforce Act of 2017
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants for additional residency slots in children’s hospitals graduate medical education programs.
Sec. 2 Findings
The Congress makes the following findings:
Our Nation is facing a critical physician shortage.
The predicted supply of pediatric medical specialists is not expected to meet demand over the next ten years, which may make it more difficult to provide children with complex or special health conditions the care they need.
Current Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) funding helps compensate for the imbalance in amount of available funding for children’s teaching hospitals in comparison to other teaching hospitals.
The purpose of this Act is to further support and strengthen the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) payment program by providing additional assistance targeted at children’s specialty care.
Sec. 3 Grants for additional residency slots in children’s hospitals graduate medical education programs
Section 340E of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(i) Grant program for additional residency slots
“(1) In general—The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, may, for a year (beginning with 2018), make grants to—
“(A) children’s hospitals with approved graduate medical residency training programs that are otherwise receiving funding under this section for such year, for the direct expenses and indirect expenses associated with operating such program with respect to increasing the number of slots for qualifying full-time equivalent residents that exceed the limitation on the number of full-time equivalent residents under subparagraph (F) of section 1886(h)(4) of the Social Security Act, as applied pursuant to the previous provisions of this section, including for such purpose with respect to pediatric-related combined specialty programs recognized by an American Board of Medical Specialties; and
“(B) children’s hospitals for the start up costs associated with establishing an approved graduate medical training program for qualifying full-time equivalent residents.
“(2) Qualifying full-time equivalent residents—For purposes of this subsection, the term qualifying full-time equivalent resident means a full-time equivalent resident in pediatric medical subspecialties, or pediatric surgical specialties.
“(3) Authorization of appropriations—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection, not more than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2025.”