Everything You Need to Know About CHGME

Everything You Need to Know About CHGME

An overview of the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program, which is devoted to training pediatricians and pediatric specialists.
little girl and doctor playing with a stethoscope

The Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program is the only federal program devoted to the training of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. The program is intended to compensate for the disparity in the level of federal graduate medical education funding (GME) for pediatric teaching hospitals versus other types of hospitals.

Defining CHGME Hospitals

There are 59 hospitals across the U.S. that receive CHGME funding. While adult-focused teaching hospitals may offer pediatric training, they are not eligible for these funds because they receive Medicare GME. Organizations identified as CHGME hospitals:

  • Primarily serve children under 18.
  • Have an accredited pediatric training program.
  • Make up 1% of all hospitals but provide close to one third of inpatient hospital care received by children on Medicaid.
    CHGME hospitals train civilian and some military providers, including:
  • Pediatricians and pediatric specialists, as well as child and adolescent psychiatrists, pediatric dentists and podiatrists.
  • Family medicine and other adult specialists for their pediatric rotations.
  • Most physicians in some fields, like pediatric rehabilitation, receive their training at CHGME hospitals.

Funding and Managing the Program

The Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) administer the program, which accounts for only 2.5% of total federal spending on GME. The program is funded based on annual appropriations and reauthorized every five years, meaning that 2023 is a reauthorization year. It's a discretionary grant program so the overall funds are capped.

CHGME hospitals receive two types of payments:

  • Direct Medical Education (DME) payments cover the direct cost of GME, such as stipends and fringe benefits for residents, and salaries and fringe benefits for faculty.
  • Indirect Medical Education (IME) payments cover expenditures such as the cost of treating more severely ill patients and processing diagnostic tests because of the training of residents.

Learn more about CHGME and CHA's advocacy efforts.

About Children's Hospital Association

Children’s Hospital Association is the national voice of more than 220 children’s hospitals, advancing child health through innovation in the quality, cost and delivery of care.

Related Content

CHGME and Workforce

Providing the best possible care for children starts with access to the best children's doctors. The future of the pediatric workforce hinges on continuous and adequate funding.

FY 2024 CHGME Appropriations Resources

For FY 2024, we are requesting $738 million for the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program.

CHGME/GME Resident Funding Comparison Study

This analysis documents inequity between the Medicare GME and CHGME per resident funding support .

April 07, 2022