Group Releases Report on Leveraging GME to Increase Primary Care and Rural Physician Capacity
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Despite strong medical schools, high resident retention rates and $189,940,402 in spending on Graduate Medical Education (GME) by South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) in state fiscal year 2012, South Carolina has struggled for years to attract and retain physicians to serve rural areas and the urban poor. All 46 counties in South Carolina are considered Health Professional Shortage Areas, and there is strong evidence that this shortage contributes to poor health outcomes in these populations.
As an outcome of Proviso 33.34, Medicaid Accountability & Quality Improvement Initiative, SCDHHS established an advisory group to help restructure its GME policy and payments to better meet the physician workforce demands in South Carolina. Lead by Fred Carter, president of Francis Marion University, the advisory group comprises medical training providers and physicians as well as consumers of medical education, including employers, consumer representatives and community leaders. After reviewing baseline data on GME capacity, funding and physician workforce needs and conducting research on models and best practices, the GME Advisory Group released a report with 11 recommendations.
View the GME Advisory Group’s report, Leveraging Graduate Medical Education to Increase Primary Care and Rural Physician Capacity in South Carolina.
