However, Americans who trained overseas had higher patient death rates, according to the study.
The study looked at data in Pennsylvania and found no real difference in the death rates of patients treated by foreign-trained doctors when compared to U.S.-trained doctors.
The issue may become more relevant as healthcare reform pushes millions of more people onto the rolls, resulting in a need for more doctors.
The study's authors said that U.S. medical schools must continue to be viligant in their admissions process even as they expand to meet the needs healthcare reform will bring.
The study looked at 244,153 hospitalizations of patients with congestive heart failure or acute heart attack. The patients were treated by a U.S.-trained or foreign-trained doctor in family medicine, internal medicine or cardiology. Foreign-born medical graduates had the lowest death rates.
The study also looked at length of stay. Patients of U.S. graduates had the shortest length of stay. Patients of Americans trained overseas had the longest.