CMS has issued an interim final rule on how it will determine resident cap reductions for teaching hospitals that are members of a Medicare graduate medical education affiliated group, according to an AHA News Now report.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act calls for reductions in full-time equivalent resident caps for some hospitals. These caps limit the number of residents CMS will include in a hospital's Medicare GME and indirect medical education adjustments.
The PPACA called for the reduction determinations to be made on an individual hospital basis, rather than the aggregate experience of the GME affiliated group. Medicare GME affiliations allow teaching hospitals to temporarily transfer cap slots to other hospitals in order to facilitate the cross training of residents.
However, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010 included an AHA-advocated provision that amended the PPACA to allow CMS to determine the resident cap reduction for members of the same Medicare GME affiliated group in the aggregate, rather than only on an individual basis, according to the report.
CMS is accepting comments on the interim rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, through April 13.
Read the interim final rule on GME resident cap reductions.
Read more coverage on graduate medical education:
- Lawmakers Oppose Planned GME Payment Cuts to Children's Hospitals
- Mayo Clinic: Limits on Resident Workload Could Hurt Continuity of Care
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act calls for reductions in full-time equivalent resident caps for some hospitals. These caps limit the number of residents CMS will include in a hospital's Medicare GME and indirect medical education adjustments.
The PPACA called for the reduction determinations to be made on an individual hospital basis, rather than the aggregate experience of the GME affiliated group. Medicare GME affiliations allow teaching hospitals to temporarily transfer cap slots to other hospitals in order to facilitate the cross training of residents.
However, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010 included an AHA-advocated provision that amended the PPACA to allow CMS to determine the resident cap reduction for members of the same Medicare GME affiliated group in the aggregate, rather than only on an individual basis, according to the report.
CMS is accepting comments on the interim rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, through April 13.
Read the interim final rule on GME resident cap reductions.
Read more coverage on graduate medical education:
- Lawmakers Oppose Planned GME Payment Cuts to Children's Hospitals
- Mayo Clinic: Limits on Resident Workload Could Hurt Continuity of Care