FAIR Act Addresses Root Cause of DO Match Rate Disparities
Published April 03, 2023
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy GME OME Advocate
A February 2023 Letter to the Editor in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education by Richard Terry, DO, MBA, and Samantha Lavertue, OMS III, explores how recent data reveal that discriminatory residency programs are the root problem of match rate disparities for DO students. Since most programs consider a COMLEX-USA score even if a USMLE score is required, the report recommends requiring all programs to report the number of DO and MD students they interview and rank, withdrawing funding from institutions that do not grant equal opportunities to equally qualified applicants.
The FAIR Act, H.R. 751, is a solution to this problem and would require Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) programs to report annually on the number of osteopathic and allopathic applicants and accepted residents, and affirm that COMLEX-USA and USMLE will be equally accepted, if an exam score is required.
Use your voice to urge Congress to pass the FAIR Act and guarantee equal opportunities in residency placement for DOs.