Lee’s Summit, MO — Lee’s Summit Medical Center is introducing a graduate medical education program at Lee’s Summit Family Medicine in affiliation with HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s leading healthcare provider. Earlier this year HCA Midwest Health’s parent company, HCA Healthcare, announced that it offered 1,867 positions across the country for its July 2022 graduate medical education programs. HCA Healthcare is the nation’s largest sponsor of graduate medical education programs. 

The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) granted accreditation for the Lee’s Summit Family Medicine residency program at the end of April. The three-year program, which accepted its first class of residents on July 1, 2022, will give physicians academic training and hands-on experience as they start their careers. Six residents will be selected each year for a total of 18 by its third year. 

The Association of American Medical Colleges has projected that the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, especially shortfalls in primary care. 

“HCA Healthcare has a longstanding commitment to graduate medical education across the country, sponsoring more than 300 residency and fellowship programs in 16 states,” says HCA Vice President, Graduate Medical Education Sabesan “Saby” Karuppiah, MD, MPH, FAAFP. “Because Lee’s Summit Medical Center is part of HCA Midwest Health, it has access to a strong infrastructure necessary to create the program. We are proud of Lee’s Summit Medical Center’s new GME-accredited program that will further address the shortage of primary care physicians, while increasing access to high-quality, compassionate patient care in Eastern Jackson County.” 

“A residency is a critical component of a physician’s career path,” says Lee’s Summit Family Medicine’s Residency Program Director Lawrence Gibbs, MD, MSEd, FAAFP, a Board-certified family medicine physician. “Lasting three years, this program will allow our trained medical staff to help prepare physicians to provide comprehensive medical care to patients across their lifespan, an essential element of family medicine training. Attracting and retaining talent is integral to expanding access to patient care and improving the overall health of our community.” 

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