Pitts’ children’s hospital legislation approved by subcommittee

Posted by Press Release on July 27, 2011

The House Energy and Commerce
Health Subcommittee approved U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts’ — R-16, of Cochranville —
legislation to help train pediatricians. The bipartisan legislation, H.R. 1852,
reauthorizes the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Payment
Program to help keep well-trained doctors in the pipeline by maintaining
existing hospital graduate medical education programs.

“Today, the Subcommittee acted
unanimously to reauthorize an important program that is responsible for
training 40 percent of our nation’s pediatricians and 43 percent of pediatric
subspecialties,” said Pitts. “I’m proud to work with Ranking Member Frank Pallone,
D-NJ, to make sure that we have enough doctors trained specifically to care for
children.”

Despite the program’s success
in reversing declines in pediatric training programs in the 1990s, President
Obama’s fiscal year 2012 Budget eliminated funding for the program. H.R. 1852
maintains the funding levels for the program by providing $330 million to
hospitals over the next five years.

“We’re one step further toward
passage of H.R. 1852, which will ensure that we have well-trained cadre of
pediatric professionals,” said Pallone in his opening statement. “At a time
when we are still facing a shortage of pediatricians in New Jersey and across
the country we should not slow down funds for the pipeline of new specialists.”

Nationwide, 56 hospitals in 30
states participate in the program which funds medical school graduates,
enhances hospitals’ research capabilities and improves hospitals’ ability to
provide care to vulnerable and underserved children. In 2009, the program
supported the training of 5,361 resident physicians.

In Pennsylvania, the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, St. Christopher’s
Hospital for Children and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh all participate in
the program.