AHA urges CMS to reconsider residency slot distribution methods going forward

Commenting today on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ hospital inpatient prospective payment system final rule for fiscal year 2022, the AHA expressed concern that the rule prioritizes Health Professional Shortage Areas and training time in HPSAs when distributing new graduate medical education slots to teaching hospitals, methods that do not reflect statutory intent and are operationally complicated. 
  
“Because the deadline to apply for FY 2023 residency slots is quickly approaching, we urge CMS to distribute these residency slots for the first year without delay and assess the methodology finalized in this rule for future rulemaking,” AHA said.