Report To Congress On Physician Exchange Visitor Programs PDF Download

Placing enough doctors in underserved areas is a long-standing problem in the United States. A growing number of locations are turning to non-U.S. citizens who have just finished their medical education in the United States. Waivers that allow foreign graduates of U.S. medical schools to remain in the United States if they agree to practice in areas with shortages of medical personnel have grown dramatically--from 70 in 1990 to more than 1,300 in 1995. However, the program is rudderless, with no single agency responsible for managing and coordinating waiver requests. Monitoring efforts to ensure that physicians fulfill the terms of their agreements remain spotty. In addition, physicians who end up practicing in underserved areas may not actually target those segments of the population that are underserved.