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S 2118Medical Services

Health and Safety - Primary Care Training Sites Program

This bill expands the list of accepted accreditations for primary care training sites to qualify for state funding and reduces mandatory training hours.

Introduced38 Yea0 Nay0 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 16, 2026Committee Senate Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the "Primary Care Training Sites Program" to expand the types of accreditation a primary care site can hold to qualify for state medical education contracts. Previously, sites required distinction from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The bill now allows accreditation from the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC), the Joint Commission, or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Additionally, it changes the didactic training requirement for trainees from a minimum of five hours to "up to" five hours and makes the Director of Health's duty to promulgate regulations optional rather than mandatory.

For younger readers

This law changes the rules for doctors' offices that help train new doctors and nurses. The state gives money to these offices to help with training. Before, an office needed a specific award to get this money. Now, they can have awards from different groups to qualify. The law also changes how much classroom teaching the offices have to do. Instead of needing at least five hours of teaching, they can do up to five hours. It also lets the health department leader decide if they want to make extra rules or not, instead of forcing them to.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Primary Care PhysiciansNurse PractitionersPhysician AssistantsMedical StudentsDepartment of Health
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Expands the eligibility criteria for primary care sites to receive state support, potentially increasing the number of available training locations for medical professionals.
  • Maintains the requirement that funded sites must provide integrated behavioral health services, ensuring mental health care remains a priority in medical training.
  • Recognizes a broader range of accreditation bodies (like OHIC), potentially allowing more diverse community health providers to participate in the program.
  • Reduces the educational requirement from a "minimum" of five hours to "up to" five hours, which could result in trainees receiving little to no didactic instruction on the medical home model.
  • Changes the language regarding the Director of Health's duty to create regulations from "shall" to "may," potentially weakening oversight and accountability.
  • Does not mandate an increase in the funding cap of $90,000, which may not be sufficient to support high-quality training in under-resourced areas.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces the regulatory burden on the Department of Health by making the creation of new rules optional rather than mandatory.
  • Provides private medical practices with more flexibility to qualify for contracts by recognizing multiple accreditation entities rather than a monopoly by the NCQA.
  • Lowers the mandate for non-clinical training hours ("up to five hours" instead of a minimum), allowing businesses to focus more on operations and patient care.
  • Continues the practice of using taxpayer money to subsidize private medical practices through government grants.
  • Expands the pool of entities eligible for government funds, which could lead to increased pressure for higher state appropriations in the future.
  • Maintains government involvement in defining how private medical practices should operate and train staff through specific accreditation mandates.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 21 additions · 10 deletions

SECTION 1. Sections 23-17.30-2, 23-17.30-4 and 23-17.30-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-17.30 entitled "Primary Care Training Sites Program" are hereby amended to read as follows: 23-17.30-2. Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases are construed as follows:

(1) “Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care” or “AAAHC” means an organization that provides ambulatory health care accreditation. (1)(2) “Director” means the director of the department of health. (2)(3) “Grant” means a sum awarded pursuant to a contract executed pursuant to § 23- 17.30-4. (3)(4) “National Committee for Quality Assurance” or “NCQA” means the nonprofit organization headquartered in the District of Columbia working to improve healthcare quality through the administration of evidence-based standards, measures, programs, and accreditation. (4)(5) “Office” means the office of primary care training established pursuant to the provisions of § 23-17.30-3.

(6) “Office of health insurance commissioner” or “OHIC” means the state agency with the authority to designate patient-centered medical home (PCMH), in accordance with agencies regulations. (5)(7) “Patient-centered medical home” or “PCMH” means a model of health care that puts patients at the forefront of care by providing team-based healthcare delivery led by a healthcare provider to render comprehensive and continuous medical care to patients with a goal to obtain maximal health outcomes. (6)(8) “Primary care” means day-to-day health care provided by a healthcare professional. Typically, the healthcare professional acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care that the patient may require. (7)(9) “Primary care site” means a site, location, or medical practice that serves as the patient’s entry point into the healthcare system and acts as the continuing focal point for all required healthcare services. 23-17.30-4. Contracts. In compliance with the provisions of § 42-11-11, the director shall have the authority to enter into contracts, subject to appropriation, for medical education to be conducted at primary care practice sites. Any contract entered into shall not exceed ninety thousand dollars ($90,000) per primary care site contract recipient, per calendar year and shall contain, at a minimum, the following terms, conditions, and provisions:

(1) The primary care site shall serve as an enhanced interdisciplinary clinical training site;

(2) The primary care site shall have achieved and shall maintain NCQA PCMH distinction;, or have achieved and maintained NCQA case management accreditation, or be recognized as a PCMH by the office of the health insurance commissioner, or other appropriate entity, such as the joint commission on AAAHC, as determined by the department of health.

(3) The primary care site shall provide integrated behavioral health services;

(4) The primary care site shall provide an agreed curriculum of training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and

(5) Training shall include a minimum of up to five (5) hours didactic training and shall introduce the trainees to the concept of PCMH and how the principles of the model have been operationalized in the primary care delivery setting. 23-17.30-5. Rules and regulations. The director shall may promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.