By: Susan Walter

The Affordable Care Act established a $230 million,5-year THCGME payment program to support indirect and direct costs for training primary care residents (defined as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine-pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and geriatrics) operated by community-based entities including health centers. NACHC and other stakeholders advocated for the broadest eligibility criteria interpretation of the THCGME Program and were pleased that the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) program guidelines allow certain consortia to participate, in addition to health centers which hold the accreditation for their programs. On January 25, 2011, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that $1.9 million in THCGME funding will be available to support 11 new teaching health centers, including 9 health centers. Awardees will receive funding for three months (July to September of this year), and HRSA estimates that 50 additional full-time equivalent residents will be trained as a result. HRSA estimates that future funding will be available in FY2012 through FY2015) to cover full-year costs and facilitate the training of additional residents. Click here to learn more about the new grantees.
Stay tuned to the Policy Shop and Health Centers on the Hill for more information on the grantees in the coming weeks and for updates on NACHC’s efforts to ensure that all levels of involvement in residency training have opportunities to strengthen and expand their efforts.

NACHC congratulates all of the awardees and stands ready to assist those health center awardees in addition to those health centers considering applying for future funding cycles.