Designated Priority Programs:
The New York State Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) has completed its review of the 45 applications from residency training programs seeking approval as Designated Priority Programs (DPPs). Thirty-three programs have been recommended to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) for approval; of the remaining programs, five were recommended for disapproval, four were not required to apply or withdrew, and three OB/GYN program applications are pending review by a panel of experts. All the programs that were recommended for disapproval failed to meet the DPP outcome requirement, whereby at least 55% of the program's graduates must be engaged in primary care practice. Letters from COGME advising program directors of their program's status were sent out last week.

GME Incentive Pool:
DOH received data from 83 New York teaching hospitals in response to its survey request for those institutions wishing to participate in the GME Incentive Pool. The data collected will be used to distribute the $54 million Year 3 funds as required under the Health Care Reform Act of 1996. The GME Incentive Pool rewards New York teaching hospitals and GME consortia that meet certain State GME policy goals, including reducing the number of non-primary care residents and increasing underrepresented minority participation in GME. DOH staff has completed its review of the data and has begun contacting hospital staff regarding data that need to be clarified. According to DOH, three-fourths of the hospitals will be contacted, and initial calls should be completed by mid-July. Letters were also sent to all teaching hospitals that did not submit data to verify that no data were received and that the hospital will, therefore, not be eligible to receive a distribution from the pool.