GME Quality and Safety Incentive Program
The GME Quality and Safety Incentive Program works to align quality and safety initiatives between clinical training sites and residency and fellowship programs. The Incentive Program is a collaborative effort between GME, the affiliated hospitals, and the Housestaff Association. Please note eligibility requirements (pdf) for participation in this program. The reporting period for the 2025-2026 Incentive Program is July 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026.
Which metric(s) apply to my program? (pdf)
2025-2026 Program Metrics
University of Colorado Hospital (UCH)
The University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) metric for 2025 – 2026 is based on resident/fellow attendance at certified UCHealth Collaborative Case Review conferences (UCH CCR) and completion of the UCH Quality/Safety Module (link coming soon).
CCR conferences will be certified by the University of Colorado Hospital Quality and Patient Safety Team. To promote inter-departmental collaboration, residents/fellows from any training program may attend any certified CCR including those outside their parent department, and some are be offered virtually. Please note that if a conference is not listed on the document below at the time of attendance, it will not count toward attendance for the incentive program.
Click here to see the active list of available certified conferences.
Individual attendance must be tracked and submitted to GME for payout determination. Residents can complete a UCH CCR attendance form via the link below or on MedHub.
Complete the UCH Quality & Safety Module
Click Here to Complete and Submit a CCR Attendance Form
Denver Health
Residency and Fellowship programs with designated clinical time at Denver Health (DH) are responsible for DH-specific metrics, which make up half of the total incentive ($500 of the total $1000). These include two parts at DH:
1. STARS Reporting – Program-Based (Up to $250)
Programs must submit a target number of patient safety reports via the DH STARS system each month. The target is based on the average number of trainees rotating at DH that month. See your program's monthly STARS goal.
- Each month that the target is reached, residents earn money. The full $250 is earned when 8 months are at target.
- Payout is equal for all residents in the program, regardless of their individual DH rotation schedule.
- Even when not on rotation, residents can support their program by encouraging peers to report.
2. DH Collaborative Case Review (CCR) Attendance – Individual-Based (Up to $250)
Each resident/fellow must attend and document at least 2 DH CCRs during the year.
CCRs can be any meeting discussing a DH case. Examples include:
- Morning huddles
- Existing case/outcomes conferences
- Informal faculty-led discussions of DH cases
Attendance is tracked via a reflection form. CCRs can be from any specialty, not just the trainee’s own program.
Tips for Programs:
- Encourage cross-specialty participation.
- Share meeting schedules across departments.
- Faculty and site directors can support by carving out protected time for discussion and CCR reflection form completion, and facilitating discussions.
Summary of Incentive Payout:
| Metric | Amount | % of Total $1000 Possible Payout |
| DH STARS Reporting (program-wide) | Up to $250 | 25% |
| DH CCR Attendance (individual) | Up to $250 | 25% |
| UCH Metrics (CCR + Module) | Up to $500 | 50% |
| Total Possible Payout | $1000 | 100% |
About Denver Health Collaborative Case Reviews
Residents and fellows can attend CCRs from any specialty; it does not have to be one hosted by your program. The aim of this is to encourage these discussions regularly and in settings that work best for a particular team. Program leaders and site directors can help residents meet the DH CCR metric by facilitating conversations regarding Denver Health cases and helping to establish protected times for residents to attend DH CCRs.
DH has a central list of meetings happening in each department. However; it’s a great idea to reach out to other departments/programs with whom you work to share schedules and give opportunities to your residents for attending discussions across specialties.
Denver Health CCR Opportunities
Click to Complete and Submit a Denver Health CCR Attendance Form
Helpful Resources
Click here to see reporting tier requirements for the Denver Health Metric. (pdf)
Click here for a helpful guide about Collaborative Case Reviews (pdf)
Click here for examples of events to report (pdf)
Click to go to STARS Reporting System
(This link to the STARS system can be accessed on Denver Health network or VPN.)
Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO)
Pediatric Residency* Metrics:
There are two quality incentive metrics for the Pediatric Residency (and combined residencies) for 2025-2026:
- Participation in at least 2 Target Zero sessions AND
- Participation in at least 2 Children's Hospital Collaborative Case Reviews (CHCO CCR).
These are individual metrics. Every resident/fellow is responsible for their own participation.
CHCO CCR and Target Zero Opportunities
Click to Complete and Submit a CHCO CCR Attendance Form
Pediatric Fellowships Metrics:
Pediatric Fellows have 2 options for participation in the Quality & Safety Incentive Program.
Option 1: Complete a QI project (opt-in by October 1, 2025 if this is your preferred metric)
CHCO ORRQIRP Submission
Click and complete this form to submit your QI project to the GME for incentive credit
Option 2: Participation in Resident metrics (Participation in Target Zero sessions and CHCO CCR attendance). If you do not opt-in to Option 1/QI project, this is the default metric.
CHCO CCR Opportunities
Click to Complete and Submit a CHCO CCR Attendance Form
Helpful Resources
CHCO QI Project Instructions & Tips (pdf)
Download A3 Templates & Information
Example A3 (pdf)