On April 16th, ACG’s Board of Governors, Early Career Leadership Program participants, and other senior ACG leaders will head to Capitol Hill for our 2026 Advocacy Day.
Previously, we discussed our push to pass the Safe Step Act and crucial Medicare physician reimbursement reforms. This week, we’re covering the physician and GI workforce shortage.
More than 45 million Americans, or roughly 14% of the U.S. population, live more than 25 miles from the nearest gastroenterologist. The counties with the fewest GI specialists are disproportionately rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged, compounding existing disparities in access to care. And the pipeline isn’t filling fast enough to keep up: HRSA projects a shortage of more than 141,000 full-time equivalent physicians across all specialties by 2038, with non-metro areas bearing the brunt of that gap.
For GI specifically, demand is growing, even as the workforce available to meet that demand is contracting – especially in rural areas. A New England Journal of Medicine study estimated that by 2030, the supply of rural physicians will drop by 23% as older physicians retire without being replaced.
ACG’s Workforce of the Future Task Force, established last year under the leadership of Immediate Past President Amy Oxentenko, MD, MACP, MACG, identified federal legislation as one pillar of a multi-faceted solution.
That’s why on Advocacy Day, our delegation will urge Congress to cosponsor the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act (H.R. 4681 and S. 1380), led by Sens. Jackie Rosen (D-NV) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in the Senate, and Reps. John Joyce, MD (R-PA) and Deborah Ross (D-NC) in the House.
The SPARC Act would establish a federal loan repayment program specifically designed to increase the number of specialist physicians, including gastroenterologists, practicing in rural, underserved communities. In exchange for a six-year service commitment, participants would be eligible for up to $250,000 in loan repayment.
We recognize that the SPARC Act does not address all factors contributing to workforce shortages — no single bill can — but it addresses some barriers to rural specialty care: debt burden and geographic incentive. In 2024, 67% of medical students graduated with debt, at a median of $200,000. The SPARC Act would encourage young specialists to practice and remain in rural communities long-term.
You don’t need to be in Washington to make a difference. Reach out to your Representative and Senators today, urge them to co-sponsor the SPARC Act, and share your own story of how the physician shortage is affecting your practice and patients.