Indian Health Service (IHS) data show sizeable vacancy rates for clinical care providers in the eight IHS geographic areas where the agency provides substantial direct care to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. The overall vacancy rate for providers--physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives, physician assistants, dentist

According to 2015 data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)--the most recent available at the time of GAO's review--small physician practices with 15 or fewer providers in rural or non-rural areas were more likely to receive a negative payment adjustment in legacy Medicare payment incentive programs GAO reviewed than were larger practices. These legacy programs, which paid phys

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continues to face challenges related to physician staffing, recruitment, and retention, though it has begun work to implement recommendations made in GAO's October 2017 report. Specifically, GAO's report found the following: (1) VHA's data on the number of physicians that provided care at VA medical centers (VAMC) were i

For the sample of veterans' medical records that GAO reviewed, most veterans received primary and mental health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) within timeliness goals set by VA's Veterans Health Administration (VHA). However, GAO also found that some of these veterans experienced delays related to the processing of their enrollment a

Federal agencies and state Medicaid agencies spent over $16.3 billion in 2015 to fund graduate medical education (GME) training for physicians--commonly known as residency training. The federal government spent $14.5 billion through five programs, and 45 state Medicaid agencies spent $1.8 billion. About half of teaching sites that received funding--such as teaching hospitals--received funds from

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) followed its standard review process when it approved the application and revised labeling reflecting certain changes, including the indication and dosing regimen, for the drug Mifeprex, which is used for the medical termination of early pregnancy. It based its approval on reviews of peer-reviewed published studies, articles, and other information submitted

Federal support of graduate medical education (GME) training in children's hospitals is provided under the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Payment Program. In 2014, a program reauthorization expanded eligibility for the CHGME program to two additional types of hospitals, after which four hospitals became newly qualified. Similar to the Medicare GME program, CHGME program p

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has opportunities to improve staffing, recruitment, and retention strategies for physicians that it identified as a priority for staffing, or mission-critical. For 2016, the top five physician mission-critical occupations were primary care, mental health, gastroenterology, orthopedic surgery, and emerge

Under the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) expanded access program, patients with serious or life threatening ailments and no other comparable medical options can obtain access to investigational drugs outside of a clinical trial. Expanded access requests must be submitted to FDA but manufacturers must also grant permission for patients to access their investigational drugs. Of the nearly 5,8