In An Ironic Twist, the AMA Seeks Alternatives to the Residency Matching Program

Jeffrey A. SingerLast weekend the American Medical Association House of Delegates passed a  resolution tacitly claiming that the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) is likely anti ‐​competitive and a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. The resolution concluded:RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association study alternatives to the current residency and fellowship Match process which would be less restrictive on free market competition for applicants. (Directive to Take Action)This is quite surprising, given that the AMA was a  co‐​defendant, along with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and several teaching hospitals in a 2002 antitrust class action lawsuit brought by Dr. Paul Jung (Jung v. AAMC) on behalf of current and former residents.As Eastern Virginia Medical School Professor Bryan Carmodyexplains in his blog and this very well ‐​producedvideo, the NRMP system established in the 1950s has since been the only way that medical school graduates may seek positions in residency programs. The program was established by the AAMC and National Student Internship Committee and supported by the AMA. It provides a  centralized application process that matches applicants with residency programs using a mathematical algorithm designed to maximize the preferences of both parties. The NRMP eliminated and replaced the process...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs