CHGME: Critical for All Children

By guest bloggers Magi Curtis, associate director of legislative advocacy programs, N.A.C.H. & Liz Parry, assistant director, policy analysis, N.A.C.H.

Has your child ever seen a pediatric specialist? Chances are that specialist was trained at a children’s hospital. In fact, independent children’s hospitals train 35 percent of all pediatricians, half of all pediatric specialists and the great majority of pediatric researchers. However, until eleven years ago children’s hospitals were largely excluded from the predominate payer of graduate medical education and they could be in danger of losing funding for their programs next year.

Medicare is the predominate payer of graduate medical education, but because children’s hospitals treat kids and not the elderly, they received virtually no reimbursement for their training programs. So, in 1999, Congress established the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program to address the disparity in federal graduate medical education support that existed between adult teaching hospitals and independent children’s teaching hospitals. The authorization for the CHGME program is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2011 and without authorization, the program may not be funded each year.

CHGME isn’t just important to children’s hospitals, it’s important to pediatrics overall. Here are the eight things you should know about CHGME.

• Without CHGME funding, there would likely have been a net decline in the number of general pediatricians trained per year
• As a result of CHGME funding, children’s hospitals have been able to sustain and improve their teaching programs, which has allowed them to expand their programs and reverse a decline in pediatric residencies that began in the 1990s
• Since CHGME was authorized, children’s hospitals have more than doubled the number of total pediatric specialty residents in response to local, regional and national needs
• Children’s hospitals have increased the number of new training programs by approximately 50 percent
• Although progress has been made in the number of pediatric residents and fellows, there are still shortages in pediatric subspecialties
• Shortages cause families to experience challenges accessing timely and appropriate care due to long wait times for medical appointments for their children
• Shortages will only intensify as patient volume increases as a result of health reform.
• CHGME is funded through an annual appropriation from Congress, which can change from year to year but is much easier to advocate for if the program is currently authorized by Congress

N.A.C.H. is already busy working to reauthorize the CHGME program. Earlier this year, we commissioned a report by an independent group to identify the pros and cons of the possible legislative vehicles for renewal of the CHGME program and we began discussions with legislative champions on Capitol Hill about the various legislative options. We’re also working with member hospitals to gather stories to help make the case for reauthorization to legislators and their staffs.

While we’re working to reauthorize CHGME, we’re simultaneously working to ensure that the program receives its full authorized funding of $330 million for fiscal year 2011. This program has always enjoyed strong bipartisan support, but during these tough economic times it is as important as ever for children’s hospitals and allied organizations to remind Congress that CHGME is a sound investment in the health of all children.

Comments

[Kids Well-being]

Definitely ur article is to be accepted.. The importance of pediatrics have been clearly revealed and emphasized.CHGME is the best organization that takes special interest and care on childs health... Glad that i visited your blog... Ur article sounds great!!!

[Kids checkup]

This is one of the interesting and informative article to me. Thanks for the awareness. Here we dont have such specialist in our home town. Childrens should be taken care of people to have check up with pediatric specialist..Hope we all have healthy life..