Replacing Residents with Midlevel Practitioners: A New York City-Area Analysis

Abstract

Reducing the number of residency positions in U.S. teaching hospitals poses special problems for New York City-area hospitals, which rely heavily on residents to deliver patient care services. This study analyzes the costs of replacing residents with midlevel practitioners under proposals considered in 1994 by Congress to limit the number of first-year training positions and alter the configuration of primary care physicians and specialists produced. The study found that, depending on the replacement strategy used, the proposals could require New York City-area hospitals to hire thousands of midlevel practitioners and other staff, costing a minimum of $242 million annually, to cover patient care services.