Under a rule implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as part of the fiscal 2022 “inpatient prospective payment system,” 1,000 new Medicare-funded physician residency slots will be distributed to qualifying hospitals. “There will be 200 slots per year over five years,” CMS said Friday in an announcement. “CMS estimates that funding for the additional residency slots, once fully phased in, will total approximately $1.8 billion over the next 10 years,” the agency said Friday. “In implementing a section of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021, this is the largest increase in Medicare-funded residency slots in over 25 years. “CMS recognizes the importance of encouraging more health professionals to work in rural and underserved areas, and the need to train and retain physicians to improve access to health care in these communities,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said.

Source: Forbes December 18, 2021 05:14 UTC