October 23, 2025
Mrs. Blackburn introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
To establish a real-time data dashboard for graduate medical education training positions to improve health care workforce planning and distribution for the purposes of alleviating physician shortages in medically underserved communities.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Health Care Workforce Real-Time Data Dashboard Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis has projected shortages across a wide range of health care occupations, particularly in rural and medically underserved communities.
(2)
The Health Resources and Services Administration has increased its focus on rural residency training through programs such as the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program.
(3)
Real-time information on graduate medical education training positions, applications, and residency match fulfillment rates would enhance the ability to assess whether Federal programs are effectively addressing physician shortages in medically underserved communities.
(4)
Improved data collection and analysis regarding graduate medical education training positions would support evidence-based health care workforce planning and policy development.
Sec. 3. Graduate medical education real-time data dashboard
(a) Establishment
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, (referred to in this section as the Secretary
) shall develop and maintain a real-time data dashboard for graduate medical education residency training position participants.
(b) Dashboard components
The dashboard established under subsection (a) shall include—
(1)
real-time information on residency applications and match rates, including—
(A)
information on the number of applications received per residency program;
(B)
the geographic distribution of applicants to each such program; and
(C)
the number of interviews conducted with applicants to each such program;
(2)
aggregate statistical data on the characteristics of applicants to residency programs, presented in a manner that—
(A)
provides useful workforce planning information; and
(B)
protects individual privacy and does not include personally identifiable information;
(3)
residency position fulfillment rates by specialty and geographic region;
(4)
data on training program completion rates and graduate practice location patterns; and
(5)
an analysis of trends in physician placement in rural and medically underserved communities.
(c) Interagency collaboration
(1) Required collaboration
In developing and maintaining the dashboard under this section, the Secretary shall collaborate with—
(A)
the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services;
(B)
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and
(C)
the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(2) Data sharing agreements
The Secretary shall enter into appropriate data sharing agreements with Federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to access relevant graduate medical education data maintained by such agencies, including data maintained by or through the Association of American Medical Colleges.
(3) Coordination with existing systems
The dashboard shall be designed to complement and integrate with existing data collection and reporting systems to avoid duplication and maximize efficiency.
(d) Data privacy and security
(1) Privacy protection
The dashboard shall be designed and operated in compliance with all applicable Federal privacy law, including the privacy regulations promulgated pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note) and section 552a of title 5, United States Code.
(2) De-identification
All individual-level data included in or used to generate dashboard information shall be de-identified in accordance with applicable Federal regulations.
(3) Security measures
The Secretary shall implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data used in connection with the dashboard.
(4) Access limitations
(A) Non-public data
The Secretary shall limit access to non-public dashboard data to authorized personnel with a legitimate need for such information in connection with health care workforce planning and program evaluation activities.
(B) Public data
The Secretary shall make aggregate, de-identified information from the dashboard publicly available through an accessible online interface, subject to appropriate privacy and security protections.
Sec. 4. Reporting
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on—
(1)
the implementation and operation of the dashboard;
(2)
key findings regarding health care workforce trends and distribution;
(3)
the effectiveness of Federal programs in addressing physician shortages in medically underserved communities; and
(4)
recommendations for improving health care workforce planning and distribution.
Sec. 5. Definition
In this Act, the term medically underserved community has the meaning given such term in section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).
Sec. 6. Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2026 to carry out this Act.