Medicare funding for residency...question

[Hjalmar]

Hello,

I have searched for an answer to my question to no avail. Last year I matched in Family Medicine only after I didn't match to my chosen field. At first I accepted the position and went to work on July 1st. After a few weeks, I knew I made a huge mistake and wanted to wait out the year and reapply through ERAS to see if I could have better luck this year. The program director allowed me to leave after one month without difficulty.

Since I started the residency, I believe my medicare funding started and will be locked in according the to the family medicine position I took...right? That will be three years of full DGME payments. Since I only did one month, does that mean I really only have two years or two years and 11 months???

Maybe aprogramdirector can answer this question. I hope this has not affected my ability to land a new position in a different field.

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[exPCM]

Basically, I believe your full funding is now limited to 2 years and 11 months.
See links:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/upload/mm/16/repga99.doc
http://www.amsa.org/pdf/Medicare_GME.pdf
1. FTE status is determined by an Initial Residency Period (IRP), which is the minimum number of years required to become board certified in a specialty. For example, an internal medicine residency has three years, surgery has five years. Also, if an internal medicine resident who has completed one year of her residency program decides that she wants to become a surgeon only counts as a FTE resident for the first two years of her residency and a half an FTE resident for the last three years.
2. In sum – a resident must choose his or her specialty wisely from the start otherwise risk that the program director will probably not want to make the switch at the expense of the loss of income from the switch! However, there is no problem if a resident wants to switch to a residency program that causes his or her training time to be less than his original IRP.

 

[Hjalmar]

I wonder if those 11 months are really applied...the government always finds a way to short change.

 

[gasping81]

I'm one of those who don't see myself in gas for the long haul.

So if I switch now as PGY-2, will a lot of medicine residencies out there accept me? Or will I have trouble doing it?

My PGY-1 was a transitional with 10 months medicine, 1 month surgery.

Thanks.

 

[turquoiseblue]

Hello,

I have searched for an answer to my question to no avail. Last year I matched in Family Medicine only after I didn't match to my chosen field. At first I accepted the position and went to work on July 1st. After a few weeks, I knew I made a huge mistake and wanted to wait out the year and reapply through ERAS to see if I could have better luck this year. The program director allowed me to leave after one month without difficulty.

Since I started the residency, I believe my medicare funding started and will be locked in according the to the family medicine position I took...right? That will be three years of full DGME payments. Since I only did one month, does that mean I really only have two years or two years and 11 months???

Maybe aprogramdirector can answer this question. I hope this has not affected my ability to land a new position in a different field.

A pd once told me that they don't look at that too heavily....although I resigned from my program at 6 months..and having trouble finding anything at all in many years. Why be worried if you haven't tried applying yet? Try to see if you get in somewhere first before worrying about this cap funding. You also may be lucky because they can just use that month as an unpaid vacation and then everything else is hunky dory. Try to ask around and see if they'd do that for you.

The thing they may look at is why you left your program and you have to make sure you have good evals and LORs to reassure future programs that you weren't kicked out or forced to resign, also may need to explain why you left after only a month in your personal statement I would imagine, because they could think what happened was she that bad? You have to allay their fears somehow.

Best of luck!

Turquoise

 

[turquoiseblue]

I'm one of those who don't see myself in gas for the long haul.

So if I switch now as PGY-2, will a lot of medicine residencies out there accept me? Or will I have trouble doing it?

My PGY-1 was a transitional with 10 months medicine, 1 month surgery.

Thanks.

Ask around and see, but I hear if you get caught you could get in trouble by your original program. Residentswap.org has a lot of positions where you can even swap with other residents..maybe someone else wants your gas. pun may be intended.

 

[gungho]

Hello,

I have searched for an answer to my question to no avail. Last year I matched in Family Medicine only after I didn't match to my chosen field. At first I accepted the position and went to work on July 1st. After a few weeks, I knew I made a huge mistake and wanted to wait out the year and reapply through ERAS to see if I could have better luck this year. The program director allowed me to leave after one month without difficulty.

Since I started the residency, I believe my medicare funding started and will be locked in according the to the family medicine position I took...right? That will be three years of full DGME payments. Since I only did one month, does that mean I really only have two years or two years and 11 months???

Maybe aprogramdirector can answer this question. I hope this has not affected my ability to land a new position in a different field.

completed FM residency many years ago before starting Path residency '04. only one interviewer raised the issue of funding and he indicated he didn't think it would be a barrier to ranking me (not where i ended up). no evidence on this, just my opinion, but i think a PD can use it as an excuse if they don't want you but it won't be an impediment if they see you as an asset.