Graduate Medical Education

The US Department of Health and Human Services, through the Children's Graduate Medical Education Payment Program, provides federal funds to freestanding children’s hospitals to support the training of pediatric and other residents in graduate medical education (GME) programs.

Graduate Medical Education Programs are part of the training that a physician receives when he or she graduates medical school. The cost is borne by the teaching hospitals, which pay for it through patient care revenues.

These educational opportunities for physicians are very important because there is a shortage of pediatric subspecialists. In order for children to continue to have access to the health care that fits their unique needs, it is critical that hospitals continue to have the capacity to train physicians in this area.

The Children's GME program was originally designed to compensate for the disparity in the level of Federal funding for teaching hospitals for pediatrics versus other types of hospitals. It is important that this program continue to prevent further disparities.

Graduate Medical Education handout