Neurosurgery Joins Coalition in Urging Policymakers to Fund Additional GME Slots
On May 18, the AANS and the CNS joined the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Advocacy Coalition in sending a letter to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) expressing support for including additional Medicare-supported GME positions in the upcoming infrastructure package.
The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S. 834/H.R. 2256) was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), John Boozman, OD, (R-Ark.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and in the House by Reps. Terri Sewell (D-Ark.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Rodney Davis (R-Ill.). This legislation would provide 14,000 new Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) slots over seven years. The bill builds on the GME provisions included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260), which provided 1,000 new Medicare-funded GME positions.
In determining which hospitals would receive slots, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would consider the likelihood of a teaching hospital filling positions and would be required to distribute at least 10% of the positions in each of the following categories:
- Hospitals in rural areas;
- Hospitals training over their current GME caps;
- Hospitals in states with new medical schools or new branch campuses; and
- Hospitals that serve areas designated as health professional shortage areas.
Click here to read the letter.