March 29 Deadline: Apply for IME and DGME FTE Slots
February 25, 2021
MEMORANDUM
Teaching hospitals have until March 29 to apply for indirect medical education (IME) and direct graduate medical education (DGME) slots made available by the recent closure of two teaching hospitals: Westlake Community Hospital in Melrose Park, IL, and Astria Regional Medical Center in Yakima, WA. Available slots are distributed nationally, with priority given to hospitals located in the same or contiguous Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA). According to the calendar year (CY) 2021 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) final rule (pp. 86259-86261), the following slots are available:
| CCN | Provider Name | CBSA | Terminating Date | IME FTE Resident Cap* | DGME FTE Resident Cap* |
| 140240 | Westlake Community Hospital | 16984 | Aug. 24, 2019 | 36.33 | 39.28 |
| 500012 | Astria Regional Medical Center | 49420 | Jan. 15, 2020 | 12.03 | 13.02 |
Interested hospitals must fill out an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Section 5506 application. Applications must be received, not postmarked, no later than March 29, 2021. The closure of Westlake Community Hospital initiated the 18th round of the Section 5506 application and selection process. The closure of Astria Regional Medical Center initiated the 19th round of the Section 5506 application and selection process. Applicants should send hard copy applications to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Central Office at the following address:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Director, Division of Acute Care
7500 Security Boulevard
Mailstop C4-08-06
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850
After sending the application, CMS encourages applicants to notify the CMS Central Office of the mailed application by sending an email to ACA5506application@cms.hhs.gov. In the email, the applicant should state: “On behalf of [insert your hospital name and Medicare CCN#], I, [insert your name], am sending this email to notify CMS that I have mailed to CMS a hard copy of a section 5506 application under Round [18 or 19] due to the closure of [Westlake Community Hospital or Astria Regional Medical Center]. If you have any questions, please contact me at [insert your phone number] or [insert your email address].”
Applying hospitals should not attach an electronic copy of the application to the email; the email only serves to notify the CMS Central Office to expect a hard copy application.
There is not an established deadline by when CMS will issue final determinations to hospitals that receive slots. CMS will review all received applications by March 29 and notify applicants as soon as possible. For more information, visit CMS’ DGME website, which includes specific guidance for submitting an application.