Today. the Cap-Flex Coalition sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reinforcing Congress’s encouragement that CMS utilize its existing authority to extend the cap-building window time period as well as offering the Coalition as partner to work with CMS on these issues. The Cap-Flex Coalition is uniquely positioned to work with CMS on developing policies to address our national physician workforce shortages and distribution issues.
As has been reported earlier here, the Cap-Flex Coalition succeeded in inserting Graduate Medical Education (GME) and cap flexibility language in the FFY 2020 Appropriations bill.
In light of the Graduate Medical Education and cap-flexibility language included in the FFY 2020 Appropriations bill passed by Congress in December 2019, the Cap-Flex Coalition letter called on CMS to take immediate action to address our national physician workforce issues by:
(1) utilizing its authority to extend the time period described in section 413.79(e) of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, and adopt a cap-flexibility policy for new teaching hospitals in underserved areas;
(2) supporting the Cap Flex Act, and
(3) convening a work-group of physicians, hospitals, associations, medical societies, and other health care stakeholders from underserved areas to better understand population health challenges affecting our areas.