Bill proposes eased rules to allow foreign-born doctors to stay after training

A proposed streamlining of the visa process for physicians could mean a “partial solution” to the doctor shortage in some areas.

 

The Senate immigration reform plan would allow more people, including physicians, to apply for a specialty worker visa, the H-1B, so doctors could apply to stay here legally after their medical residencies, reports Politico.

 

Now, many foreign-born doctors get the J-1 educational or cultural visa, “which requires them to return to their home country for at least two years after completion of their training,” the article states. Or they complete their training and agree to work for three years in underserved areas.

 

HHS has designated nearly 6,000 areas in the U.S. as shortage areas because they have more than 3,500 people per primary care physician. “The Health Resources and Services Administration says it would take 7,550 more primary-care doctors to eliminate all the shortage areas,” the article states.

 

But demand for primary care physicians could increase under the health care reform law, critics say. To learn how your practice will be affected by the Affordable Care Act, subscribe to Part B News.