Medicare Graduate Medical Education Payments: An Overview (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Sept. 29, 2022 |
| Report Number |
IF10960 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Marco A. Villagrana |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The federal government makes significant investments in
graduate medical education (GME), which is postgraduate
training that medical, osteopathic, dental, and podiatric
residents must complete to be certified to practice
independently. Since its enactment in 1965, the Medicare
program has been a chief source of federal GME funding to
improve hospital quality and defray some of the extra costs
for teaching hospitals that serve Medicare patients. The
Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that
federal support for GME was $14.51 billion in 2015 (GAO18-240).
Medicare accounts for most of that support.
The national physician workforce is largely determined by
the number of residents who complete GME and the
practice specialties and practice locations they choose. As
such, Medicare funding has a significant effect on (1) the
size of total physician supply, (2) the number of physicians
practicing in various specialties, and (3) where physicians
practice after completing their residencies. However,
Medicare has acted primarily as a passive payer and has not
actively directed the workforce’s composition.
This In Focus provides an overview of Medicare GME
payments to hospitals. Specifically, it discusses hospital
eligibility for GME payments, what Medicare GME covers,
and how Medicare pays for GME. More information on
Medicare and other GME programs may be found in CRS
Report R44376, Federal Support for Graduate Medical
Education: An Overview.
