House leaders introduce bill to continue bringing physicians to underserved areas

The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program would be extended and expanded under bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), along with California Republicans Jeff Denham and David Valadao.

The Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act of 2017 would extend the THCGME program for three years. The program, which trains physicians in community-based primary care settings rather than hospital-based residencies, trained more than 700 residents in 24 states in the 2016-2017 academic year.

“Bringing more physicians to Eastern Washington is one of my top priorities,” McMorris Rodgers said. “Our rural and urban underserved communities struggle to access the medical professionals they need and Teaching Health Center programs like the Spokane Teaching Health Clinic will help create a new generation of rural doctors — trained right here in our community.”

Approximately 10 percent of the country’s physicians currently practice in rural areas. Those trained at Teaching Health Centers are 82 percent more likely to practice primary care and 55 percent more likely to practice in underserved areas.

“Expanding this program is critical to addressing the shortage of primary and specialty care physicians in rural and medically underserved communities,” Denham said. “This is one practical step toward ensuring we can both train and retain physicians in areas with the greatest need, such as California’s Central Valley.”

Valadao said Teaching Health Centers provide critical health services as fewer medical school graduates pursue careers in rural areas.

“By reauthorizing the THCGME program, and prioritizing rural and medically underserved areas, our bill will ensure our most disadvantaged communities, like California’s Central Valley, have access to the primary care services they deserve,” Valadao said.

The bipartisan bill was introduced along with U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA).