This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to study how to identify places that are underserved by general surgeons. The study must look at whether current shortage designations accurately show where general surgeons are needed and consider a new method based on "surgery service areas." The bill lists specific steps for that method: map hospitals with surgery services and patient ZIP Code origins, identify actively practicing general surgeons, calculate surgeon-to-population ratios for each area, and set thresholds for optimal, adequate, shortage, and critical shortage levels. The Secretary must consider factors such as wait times, travel time to care, critical access hospitals without surgeons, and patient experience. HRSA must consult medical societies and other stakeholders, publish data comparing need and availability, and send a report to Congress within one year. After the report, the Secretary may use notice-and-comment rulemaking to create a formal method to designate general surgery shortage areas, publish lists of designated areas, and review them annually.
If enacted, the bill would lead to a federal study of where general surgeons are available and where they are lacking. The study could change how shortage areas are identified and might result in an official list of general surgery shortage areas. This could affect hospitals, surgical facilities, patients, and communities by highlighting areas with too few general surgeons and by making that information public.
No publicly available information.
The bill’s findings say the United States faces physician and surgeon shortages and uneven distribution of general surgeons, especially in rural areas. Supporters would say the bill creates better, up-to-date data and methods to identify areas with too few surgeons, so workforce planning and resources can be targeted where they are most needed.
No publicly available information.