NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

Name of the agency: Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)

The topic of the public information notice: Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding for
SFY 2020
The public information relating to the topic:

The State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2020 budget appropriates $9.9 million for Graduate Medical Education. Of this amount, $5.5 million is allocated for GME programs located in a county with less than 500,000 persons and $4.4 million is allocated towards GME programs located in a county with more than 500,000 persons. Priority is to be given to programs at hospitals in counties with a higher percentage of persons residing in a health professional shortage area, the funds are to be used to reimburse direct costs, and this funding is to be used to supplement, but not supplant, voluntary payments made from political subdivisions for payments to hospitals that operate a GME program (Laws 2019, Chapter 263, Section 12). The AHCCCS Administration will develop a rule to comply with this appropriation.

In addition to this funding, AHCCCS is authorized pursuant to A.R.S. § 36-2903.01(G)(9)(f), to permit local, county and tribal governments and any university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Board of Regents to provide additional matching funds to draw down federal dollars to support the costs of GME programs at designated hospitals via Intergovernmental Agreements. The pool structure and methodology used to determine a hospital’s allocation are described in A.A.C. R9-22-712.05.

In order for the hospital to receive GME funds not included in the $9.9 million appropriation, a hospital must partner with a local, county or tribal government or any university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Board of Regents. A final, executed intergovernmental agreement must be received by AHCCCS no later than August 15, 2020 in order to receive 2020 GME funds.

More information can be obtained from the AHCCCS website at: https://www.azahcccs.gov/PlansProviders/RatesAndBilling/GMEpayments.html.

Please direct any comments, which must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 20, 2019, to:

Amy Upston
Hospital Finance Administrator
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System 701 E. Jefferson St., MD 6100
Phoenix, Arizona 85034 FFSRates@azahcccs.gov