Group: Higher Education - Medical Education

Agency: Medical Education Council

Function

The Utah Medical Education Council (UMEC) focuses its efforts in three major areas: (1) retaining the Utah trained healthcare workforce, (2) facilitating rural training opportunities, and (3) strengthening public-private partnerships. Additionally, the UMEC is identifying approaches that use revenue sources more efficiently to stabilize funding for clinical training programs. However, within the past year changes to rules by the CMS, combined with economic factors, have led to diminished funding to the UMEC from teaching hospitals. This funding comprised the Dedicated Credits Revenue for the Council.

Historically, federal funding for state medical education was sent directly to hospitals providing healthcare workforce training. As part of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Demonstration Project, the UMEC received and disbursed federal funds for Graduate Medical Education (GME) expenses allowing the UMEC to directly tie the funding of medical education to workforce needs. By utilizing data from workforce surveys prepared by the Department of Workforce Services and the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, the UMEC determines where the most critical healthcare workforce needs are in the state and enters into contractual agreements with institutions that provide medical education training. In this way, the UMEC helps to alleviate shortages of healthcare professionals, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Statutory Authority

The following laws govern the Medical Education Program:

• UCA 63C-8-102 creates the Medical Education Program and the sources of funding,
• UCA 63C-8-103 creates the Medical Education Council to administer the program,
• UCA 63C-8-104 outlines the duties of the Medical Education Council, and
• UCA 63C-8-105 outlines the powers of the council.

Performance

The measure below shows the growth of residency and fellowship positions in Utah.

The measure below shows the retention rates of residents and fellows who received training in Utah.

The measure shows the number of Utah health providers. The largest majority are patient care physicians.

Funding Detail

The Medical Education Program funding consists of General Funds and Dedicated Credits (contracts and fees for services).

Note: Dedicated credits revenue and nonlapsing balances differ from last year's Compendia of Budget Information due to a change in the accounting of trust and agency disbursements at the Medical Education Council.

Table 1: Operating and Capital Budget Including Expendable Funds and Accounts