The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows for the redistribution of unused Graduate Medicare Education (GME) training slots. Beginning July 1, 2011, the new GME policy will allow unused training slots to be redistributed to increase primary care training at other sites. Sixty-five percent of the unused slots would be redistributed to qualifying hospitals. However, a hospital that receives additional residency positions must meet certain requirements. For example, not less than 75 percent of these positions must be in primary care or general surgery.

Special preference will be given to programs in states with a low ratio of physician residents to the general population, and states with the highest ratio of people living in health professional shortage areas relative to the general population (i.e., rural hospitals).