1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) According to the Bureau of Health Workforce, the United States faces a shortage of physicians. (2) A 2016 study entitled Supply and Demand of General Surgeons: Projections From 2014–2030 , prepared by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the American College of Surgeons, found that the supply of general surgeons will grow slightly by 2030 but will not keep up with overall growth in the United States population or demand for surgical services. (3) A 2017 report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges projects shortages of between 19,800 and 29,000 surgeons by 2030. (4) In order to accurately prepare for future physician workforce demands, comprehensive, impartial research and high quality data are needed to inform dynamic projections of physician workforce needs. (5) A variety of factors, including health outcomes, utilization trends, growing and aging populations, and delivery system changes, influence workforce needs and should be considered as part of flexible projections of workforce needs. (6) Given the particularly acute needs in many rural and other surgical workforce shortage areas, additional efforts to assess the adequacy of the current general surgeon workforce are necessary. 3. Study on designation of general surgery shortage areas Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: XIII General Surgery Shortage Areas 340J. Designation of general surgery shortage areas (a) General surgery shortage area defined For purposes of this section, the term general surgery shortage area means, with respect to an urban, suburban or rural area in the United States, an area that has a population that is underserved by general surgeons. (b) Study and report (1) Study The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall