CMS Awards 200 New GME Positions to Increase Healthcare Access in Underserved Communities

On November 21, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded the third round of 200 new Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) positions to address workforce shortages and support healthcare access in communities of greatest need. New residency slots were awarded to 109 of the 206 teaching hospitals that applied. Hospitals across 33 states received positions, 90 for primary care and 50 for psychiatry.

Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, made available an additional 1,000 residency slots phased in at a rate of no more than 200 slots per year beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2023. A hospital must qualify in at least one of four categories, and at least 10 percent of the slots go to hospitals in each category as follows:

Hospitals in rural areas (or treated as being located in a rural area under the law);

Hospitals training a number of residents in excess of their GME cap;

Hospitals in states with new medical schools or branch campuses;

Hospitals that serve areas designated as health professional shortage areas (HPSAs);

This fourth eligibility category refers only to geographic HPSAs and not population HPSAs.

We anticipate that applications for the fourth round of 200 slots will open in January 2025, with applications due March 31. To learn more about slot distribution under Section 126, view this CMS resource.