Find out how you can support changes to the laws and rules governing graduate medical education that are hindering your ability to train future family physicians.
Medicare GME
Broad Medicare GME reform is needed. Family medicine is currently revising its policy on overall Medicare GME reform.
- Rural training under Medicare is hindered by low reimbursement and “gotcha” rules. Find out how we can better support rural training as we await overall GME Medicare reform:
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, GME provisions
- Section 126, additional 1,000 residency positions; There is a deadline of March 31 of each year to apply for new slots under Section 126. First application is due March 31, 2022. Application process and materials for Section 126 slots
- Section 127, changes to rural training track legislation (now rural track program) which allow for growth of new rural sites; and
- Section 131, resetting of Per Resident Amounts (PRA) and/or Cap on residency slots for certain hospitals. If your hospital is interested in resetting it's low cap or low PRA, you can check the CMS website listed in the summary to see if your hospital is eligible. If you think you are eligible, but it doesn't show on the website, you must apply to your MAC by July 1, 2022 for a one-time determination from your MAC; all others who are eligible based on the website should contact your MAC as soon as you feel you will trigger the option for a reset (within the next five years.)
HCRIS extract files to identify eligibility for Section 131 PRA/Cap reset.
Teaching Health Center GME
An alternative to Medicare GME, this program supports primary care residency training through a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program. Learn about this important and successful program and its need for permanence.
Veteran's Administration Graduate Medical Education Funding
In addition to Medicare, the Veterans Administration also supports graduate medical education by funding residency positions. Find out how new legislation and regulations may help family medicine residencies obtain new funding for residency positions.
Find out what primary care research is and how we can support primary care research funding at the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
AHRQ
AHRQ is an independent agency within the Department of Health and Human Services which has a mandate to support primary care research. It has supported Practice Based Research Networks (PBRNs) and independent investigator research in health services and primary care research, among other things.
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
President Biden's FY2022 Budget includes establishing the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The budget describes the agency as having an “initial focus on cancer and other diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s.” Its purpose is to “drive transformational innovation in health research and speed application and implementation of health breakthroughs.” Language to authorize its establishment is being considered as part of legislation called "Cures 2.0."
PCORI
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is a private research organization authorized and funded by Congress to fund comparative effectiveness research.
Title VII Primary Care Training and Enhancement
- Find out about grant funding under this section of the Public Health Service Act which supports primary care departments, residencies, and faculty development.
- Find out how to support additional funding for this program.
