Deep Dive Episode 99 – Promoting a More Adaptable Physician Pipeline

The COVID-19 pandemic has the medical community scrambling to address shortages of supplies and some clinicians to properly care for all of the many patients who will present soon with significant symptoms. Among the problems is a lack of sufficient numbers of physicians in some of the communities that have been hardest hit by the spread of the virus.

This episode will examine the current process for educating, training, and licensing physicians in the US, with a focus on whether the current process is sufficiently flexible to adjust as needed to accommodate changing demand by patients. James Capretta, the author of a recent paper on the subject (“Promoting a More Adaptable Physician Pipeline” released as part of the Regulatory Transparency Project), and Chris Pope, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, will briefly discuss the historical context of the US’ licensing system, the basic steps that are involved, the federal government’s role in financing residency training, the immigration rules for foreign-born physicians, and policies that might make the current system more flexible and adaptable to changing societal needs.

James C. Capretta

Resident Fellow and Milton Friedman Chair

American Enterprise Institute


Chris Pope

Senior Fellow

Manhattan Institute


FDA & Health

The Federalist Society and Regulatory Transparency Project take no position on particular legal or public policy matters. All expressions of opinion are those of the speaker(s). To join the debate, please email us at [email protected].

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