Children?s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Payment Program

The Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Payment Program provides funding to freestanding children’s hospitals to support the training of pediatric and other residents in graduate medical education (GME) programs. The program aims to compensate for the disparity in federal GME funding between freestanding children’s hospitals and other types of teaching hospitals. The program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and is authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 256e. • Eligible applicants include freestanding children’s hospitals that meet specific criteria, such as having a Medicare provider agreement and participating in an approved GME residency training program. • The program provides formula-based payments to eligible hospitals, with the amount of funding determined by a formula that considers factors such as the number of full-time equivalent residents and the hospital’s specific geographic variations in costs and inflation. • The program also includes a Quality Bonus System (QBS) that provides bonus payments to hospitals that meet certain standards. • The program supports the training of residents in various specialties, including pediatrics, general surgery, and osteopathic general practice.