Fact sheet on Georgia's physician training programs [Feb. 2005]

Georgia Board for Physician Workforce Fact Sheet on Georgia's Physician Training Programs
February 2005

Floyd Medical Center

Georgia's Medical Schools and Community Based Teaching Hospitals

Grady Memorial Hospital

Emory University School of Medicine2

Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta Medical Center
The Medical Center, Inc.
Medical Center of Central Georgia
Mercer University School of Medicine

Medical College of Georgia
Memorial Health University Medical
Center

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital

Satilla Regional Medical Center

Community Based Teaching Hospitals Georgia Medical Schools

Graduate Medical Education Overview Graduate medical education, or residency training, prepares a physician to practice a specific specialty. Residency training takes a minimum of three years to complete and follows graduation from medical school. Research has shown that graduates tend to establish practice within a 50-mile radius of where they completed residency training.
In terms of structure, most residency programs are sponsored by teaching hospitals; however, other health care institutions such as a medical school may also sponsor programs. Teaching hospitals in Georgia range from hospitals with a single residency program to large academic medical centers sponsoring more than 50 residency programs.

Graduate Medical Education Funding Sources The largest source of funding for graduate medical education is the federal government, which provides funding to pay for Medicare and Medicaid's share of medical education costs. Other major sources of funding include: state government, teaching hospitals, medical schools, research and education grants, and fees generated by teaching physicians who see patients. The GBPW's FY 2005 budget for graduate medical education totals $6,112,400.

Physician Training Capacity

Teaching Institution
Emory Medical College of Georgia Morehouse School of Medicine Memorial Health University Medical Center Medical Center of Central Georgia Atlanta Medical Center The Medical Center, Inc. Floyd Medical Center Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Satilla Regional Medical Center Total * Figures do not include off-cycle graduates.

Total Number of Filled Residency Positions (2004-
2005 Academic Year) 974 405 126 99 86 91 38 21 18 1 1,859

Total Graduates in
2004* 304 139 26 26 20 23 12
4 7 1 562

A GBPW survey of residency graduates found 54% with confirmed plans are remaining in Georgia. This rate falls between California at 79% and New York at 51% retention. The retention rate increases to an average of 70% for Georgia's Family Practice graduates.

How does Georgia compare to other states in terms of the number of resident physicians per capita? Georgia ranks 34th among the 50 states that have residency programs in the number of
resident physicians per 100,000 population. (Source: Health Resources and Services Administration)
Georgia's resident physician to population ratio of 22 per 100,000 is significantly below the national average of 35.9 per 100,000. (Source: Health Resources and Services Administration)

Why is it important to sustain Georgia's medical education infrastructure?

Challenges Related to Physician Supply and Distribution

Access to Quality Health Care And Economic Impact Considerations

Residency training programs prepare a physician to practice a specific specialty. While in training, physicians also become members of the surrounding community, increasing the likelihood they will stay in Georgia to practice.

Teaching hospitals and large academic medical centers are an integral part of the state's health care delivery system, with more than 20% of the licensed physicians in the state involved in medical education.

Indicators suggest an impending physician shortage. According to the American Medical Association, Georgia ranks 38th in its ratio of physicians to population. Consequently, any reductions in funding for Georgia's medical education programs will have an adverse impact on physician supply.
Georgia has always relied heavily on physician migration from other states and on international medical graduates to meet workforce needs. Increasing competition from other states, visa delays and restrictions, as well as other factors such as the medical liability climate, are influencing whether doctors practice in Georgia.

Teaching hospitals provide the majority of care to the medically indigent and Medicaid beneficiaries, often serving as the sole source of care for patients without insurance.
Teaching hospitals provide the majority of specialty care, trauma and emergency care, high-risk maternal/infant care, and other advanced medical services.
Research shows that teaching hospitals, in general, provide better quality of care than other institutions according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Teaching hospitals face the same competitive pressures of other health care institutions and have the added financial responsibility of mission-related programs such as medical education, research, and medical care to the indigent.
Limits on resident work hours, reduced reimbursement rates, and the medical liability climate are forcing teaching hospitals to reexamine the financial viability of their commitment to medical education.

Teaching hospitals and medical schools are major employers and economic contributors in Georgia communities. In rural settings, each rural physician contributes 17 jobs and has a total economic impact of $2 million to the local economy.

For more information, please contact the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce at (404) 206-5420 or 1718 Peachtree St, NW, Suite 683, Atlanta, Georgia 30309.