Colorado § 8-87-102 - IMG assistance program - creation - services - report.

§ 8-87-102. IMG assistance program - creation - services - report.

(1) The IMG assistance program is established in the department to provide direct services to international medical graduates wishing to reestablish their medical careers in this state. The executive director shall contract with a third party to administer the assistance program and shall comply with the "Procurement Code", articles 101 to 112 of title 24, in selecting and contracting with the third-party administrator.

(2) The assistance program must provide the following direct services to program participants:

(a) Review the background, education, training, and experience of program participants in order to recommend appropriate steps to enable program participants to integrate into the state's health-care workforce as physicians or to pursue an alternative health-care career;

(b) Provide technical support and guidance to program participants through the credential evaluation process, including preparing for the USMLE and other applicable tests or evaluations;

(c) Provide scholarships or access to scholarships or funds for certain program participants to help cover or offset the cost of the medical licensure process, including the costs of the credential evaluation process, preparing for the USMLE and other applicable tests or evaluations, the residency application process, and other costs associated with returning to a career in health care;

(d) In partnership with community organizations working with IMGs, develop:

(I) A voluntary roster of IMGs interested in entering the state's health-care workforce as physicians, in order to assist in assistance program planning and administration, including making available summary reports that show the aggregate number and distribution, by geographic location and specialty, of IMGs in the state; and

(II) A voluntary roster of IMGs seeking alternative health-care careers in order to support those IMGs in their integration into nonphysician health-care roles; and

(e) Provide guidance to IMGs to apply for medical residency programs or other pathways to licensure.

(3) The executive director shall determine, with input from stakeholders and after considering relevant research of the needs of the workforce and IMGs in Colorado, the eligibility criteria for participation in the program, any limits on the amount of direct services provided to an individual program participant, any caps on scholarship amounts available under the assistance program, and any other matters regarding the assistance program that the executive director deems necessary.

(4) (a) Within one year after implementation of the program and annually thereafter, the third-party administrator shall submit a report to the executive director regarding the operation of the assistance program, including:

(I) The number of IMGs who participated in the program and their demographics;

(II) The specific services provided to program participants, including the number of program participants that received the service and the cost of providing the service;

(III) The total amount awarded to or accessed as scholarships or other funds by program participants, including the amount of each scholarship or other funds awarded or accessed and the origination of the scholarship or funds;

(IV) The total cost of providing direct services under the assistance program; and

(V) Any other information the third-party administrator deems appropriate or the executive director requests.

(b) The report must not include any personally identifying information about program participants.

(c) The executive director shall include the report as part of its report pursuant to section 8-87-104.

Source: L. 2022: Entire article added, (HB 22-1050), ch. 379, p. 2691, § 2, effective June 7.