The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced another round of resident cap slots to be redistributed under Section 5506 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Teaching hospitals can apply for these slots to gain access to additional Medicare reimbursement for residency training, one of the few ways they may increase their caps.
Selection Criteria
We previously noted that slots are awarded based on an applicant’s assessment in three main categories.
In our recent blog post we indicated that, while geographic proximity to the closed teaching hospital is of primary importance in allocating the slots, our analysis indicates other factors are also given significant weight—in particular, existing relationships with the closed teaching hospital (e.g., GME Medicare-affiliated group arrangements, displaced residents absorbed into existing programs).
Don’t Miss Your Chance
The application for the approximately 50 FTEs associated with the closure of Providence Hospital in Washington, DC (round 15) is due by October 31, 2019.
Additionally, GME leaders should regularly monitor the CMS website and Federal Register for notifications of subsequent rounds to ensure their hospitals are well positioned to secure additional cap slots in the future.
Published September 25, 2019