Two physicians of Austin, Texas-based University Medical Center Brackenridge have testified before committees in the Texas Senate and House to ask for $4 million in funds to restore the Statewide Preceptorship Program, which pairs primary care physicians with medical students.
The program lost state funding in 2011 causing a drop in student placements from 240 to 50 annually, according to one of the physicians, Alejandro Moreno, MBBS, MPH, JD, associate director of internal medicine at UMC Brackenridge and associate professor at The University of Texas Dell Medical School.
"We know the program is effective at doing what [it] is supposed to do: incentivize students to stay in Texas and practice in one of the primary care specialties," said the other physician, Ildelfonso Ismael Rodriguez, MD chief resident of internal medicine at UMC Brackenridge. Dr. Rodriguez is a former participant of the program. "I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the program as a student, because I knew early-on what my future and role in health care would be like," he said in a statement.
The physicians hope the program will help address Texas' growing primary care shortage. The state has 68 primary care physicians for every 100,000 people, which is below the national average of 81 per 100,000, according to Dr. Moreno.
"The state has more than 115 counties designated primary care shortage areas, of which 19 have only two physicians, 17 have only one physician and 25 have no physician at all," Dr. Moreno said in a statement.
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