The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 21 announced the award of 200 new Medicare-funded GME positions authorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260, PDF) to 109 hospitals in 33 states. AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, applauded the release of these slots in a statement, noting, “These new residency positions will have a tangible, positive impact on a diverse mix of communities across the nation, including traditionally underserved areas.”
The legislation authorized 1,000 new Medicare-funded GME positions to be distributed over five years starting in 2022. The CMS identified that 70% of the awards went to primary care or psychiatry specialty programs: 90 were made to primary care residency programs and 50 were made to psychiatry or psychiatry subspecialty programs. As the CMS did for Rounds 1 and 2, Round 3 distributions were prioritized based on the health professional shortage area (HPSA) score associated with the applying institution. Qualifying hospitals with the highest HPSA scores received awards first, then if slots remained, the next highest HPSA score, and so on until all the slots were awarded. The highest HPSA score awarded slots in Round 3 was 22, and the lowest was 12.
The application for the fourth round of 200 Medicare-funded positions will open in January 2025 and will be due to the CMS by March 31, 2025. The CMS modified the distribution prioritization for Rounds 4 and 5. Specifically, hospitals that serve a geographic HPSA will be awarded positions first. If any positions remain, the CMS will use the same HPSA prioritization used in the first three rounds of awards.