Qualified Hospitals: Apply for CMS Residency Slots until March 31

Published March 04, 2024

By AACOM Government Relations

Advocacy Federal Policy GME GME Funding Healthcare Workforce OME Advocate Rural Medicine

  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting applications from hospitals for its third round of new graduate medical education (GME) slots.
  • CMS will award 200 new GME slots every year through 2026, totaling 1,000, under section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021.
  • Section 126 requires hospitals to qualify in at least one of four categories to be eligible to receive additional residency slots. Hospitals must be:
    • located in rural areas (or treated as being in one under the law);
    • training a number of residents in excess of their GME cap;
    • located in states with new medical schools or branch campuses;
    • or serving areas designated as health professional shortage areas.
  • A single hospital can receive a maximum of 25 additional resident cap slots and each category must receive at least 10 percent of the cap slots under section 126.
  • The deadline for qualified hospitals to apply is March 31, 2024.
  • The residency slots awarded under this round will be announced by January 31, 2025, and are effective July 1, 2025.
  • Learn more about distribution criteria and instructions on how to apply.