Proposed Revisions to 940.25 - Rural Physician Incentive Program
Board policy:
1. Rural physician incentive trust
fund. There is a rural physician
incentive expendable trust fund in the state treasury. Money is payable into the fund as provided
in (2). Income and earnings on the fund
must be redeposited in the fund.
2. Fee assessments --
deposits. The Board of Regents will
assess a fee to students enrolling in a professional school on or after July 1,
1992, preparing to be physicians in the fields of medicine or osteopathic
medicine who are supported by the state pursuant to an interstate compact for a
professional education program in those fields, as those fields are defined by
the compact. The fee will be
may
not exceed an amount equal to 8% of the annual individual medicine
support fee paid by the state pursuant to 20-25-804, MCA. The fee must be assessed by the Board of
Regents and deposited in the rural physician incentive trust fund established
in (1).
3. Use of rural physician incentive trust
fund.
(i) The rural physician incentive trust fund is
statutorily appropriated, as provided in 17-7-502, MCA, to the
Board of Regents of Higher Education to be used to pay:
(a) the educational debts of rural
physicians who practice in medically underserved areas of the state that
demonstrate a need for assistance in physician recruitment; and
(b) the expenses of administering the rural
physician incentive program. The
expenses of administering the program may not exceed 10% of the annual fees
assessed pursuant to (2).
(ii) The Regents shall determine the areas of the
state that qualify for assistance. An
eligible area must demonstrate that a physician shortage exists or that the
area has been unsuccessful in recruiting physicians by other mechanisms.
(a) The Commissioner of Higher Education shall
appoint an advisory committee to establish criteria and to determine the areas
of the state that qualify for assistance in physician recruitment. In addition to the appropriate office
professional staff the advisory committee shall include a representative from
the Montana Medical Association, the Montana Hospital Association and the
Director of the WAMI program at Montana State University.
(iii) A physician from an area determined to be
eligible under (ii) may apply to the Board of Regents for payment of an
educational debt directly related to a professional school, as provided in
(iv). Physicians who have paid the fee
authorized in (2) must be given a preference over other applicants. To receive the educational debt payments,
the physician shall sign an annual contract with the Board of Regents. The contract must provide that the physician
is liable for the payments if the physician ceases to practice in the eligible
area during the contract period.
(iv) The maximum amount of educational debt
payment that a rural physician may receive is $30,000 over a 4-year
period or a proportionally reduced amount for a shorter period.
(a) The Commissioner of Higher Education shall
provide the contractual terms and the annual amounts of educational debt
payment a physician is eligible to receive.
(b) The Commissioner of Higher Education shall
submit a biennial report to the Board of Regents, summarizing the tuition
proceeds and contractual commitments for debt repayment.
(v) The amount contractually committed in a
year may not exceed the annual amount deposited in the rural physician
incentive trust fund.
History:
Item 71-901-R0691,
Rural Physician Incentive Program, June 21, 1991.