A new analysis estimates that the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program could yield up to $1.8 billion in public program savings over the course of five years, from 2019 to 2023. The THCGME program, which began in 2011 and is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), aims to increase the number of primary care residents training in community-based care sites like community health centers. Currently, 56 Teaching Health Centers (THCs) in 23 states train residents in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, ob-gyn and dentistry.  Current federal authorization and funding for the THCGME program expire on September 30, 2019. The President’s proposed FY2020 budget includes two years of additional funding for teaching health centers. This analysis shows how the THCGME program has the potential to significantly reduce Medicaid and Medicare costs – both during and after clinician training – while providing high quality primary care in medically underserved locations.

Download the report here.