AOA president testifies before House committee

On July 8, 2008-09 AOA President Carlo J. DiMarco, DO, testified before a congressional committee about the nation's growing shortage of physicians, especially those in primary care specialties.

Dr. DiMarco asked members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Small Business to consider health care reform provisions that the AOA believes will bolster the number of primary care and general surgery physicians by creating a stable reimbursement system and encouraging growth in the nation's graduate medical training system.

"With the baby boomer population quickly aging and the time needed to educate and train new physicians, we must begin to train a new cadre of primary care physicians now to meet future work-force needs," Dr. DiMarco said during the committee's.

Primary care 'increasingly onerous'

As the U.S. Congress sharpens its focus on overhauling the nation's health care system, Dr. DiMarco joined four other physicians in outlining key reform provisions.

Dr. DiMarco testified that health care reform policies need to catalyze a larger pool of physicians to meet the nation's health care needs. “[C]ertain challenges and factors are making the recruitment, training and practice environment for primary-care physicians and general surgeons increasingly onerous,” Dr. DiMarco told lawmakers.