Congress has reintroduced bipartisan legislation to protect critical federal funding for pharmacy and nursing residency programs. The Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2025 (H.R. 1708), introduced by Representative Darin LaHood, and cosponsored by Representatives Michelle Fischbach and Angie Craig, would clarify the requirements that hospitals and health systems must meet to receive Medicare reimbursement for operating healthcare residency programs, including pharmacy postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) programs.
ASHP, along with over 110 hospitals, health systems, and pharmacy organization partners, wrote to Congress urging support of this critical legislation. ASHP has been sounding the alarm about threats to residency funding since 2019 when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began clawing back Medicare funding from PGY1 residency programs, particularly those residencies hosted by multihospital health systems. ASHP has worked closely with Congress and a coalition of health systems and colleges of nursing to develop this legislation.
“The Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2025 protects patients’ access to residency-trained pharmacists by requiring CMS to clarify the requirements hospitals must meet when providing advanced clinical training for pharmacists,” said Tom Kraus, ASHP vice president of government relations. “ASHP is a strong supporter of the Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2025, which will strengthen our nation’s pharmacy workforce to meet the needs of patients.”
