Oklahoma § 70-697.5 - Powers, duties and responsibilities

§ 70-697.5. Powers, duties and responsibilities

The Health Care Workforce Training Commission, in order to

perform its official function in establishing and administering

physician training programs, shall have the following specific

powers, duties, and responsibilities:

1. To review all available data on health care workforce in

Oklahoma in order to determine the current and projected

distribution of physicians by geographic location and by type of

practice, and, to accomplish this review, the Commission shall

obtain information from and work in conjunction with the State

Department of Health and all other agencies which gather data and

evaluate health care workforce needs;

2. To review data and information on accredited physician

internship and residency programs currently operated by Oklahoma

hospitals and other approved clinical situations, in order to

ascertain the number and distribution by physician specialty

training and by geographic location of available internship and

residency positions and to evaluate the impact of internship and

residency placement on the establishment of practices by physicians

in that geographic area or similar areas within the state where

their services are urgently needed;

3. To serve as an agent to advise hospitals, clinics, and

communities on setting up and planning internship and residency

programs which emphasize the provision of additional primary care

physicians to service the rural areas of Oklahoma with primary care

specialties to be defined to include training in the area of

internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, emergency

trauma, and family practice;

4. To provide general counsel and advice in the development,

operation and evaluation of physician internship and residency

programs throughout this state in cooperation with the efforts of

the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the state’s

physician training institutions such as the University of Oklahoma

College of Medicine, Oklahoma City and Tulsa campuses, and the

Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine , and

subject to accreditation by official and appropriate accrediting

agencies;

5. To develop the criteria for determining the physician

training cost component or associated clinical and hospital training

costs which are or may be nonreimbursable by third-party payers in

programs proposed by accredited hospitals, clinical situations, or

hospital and clinical programs affiliated with and administered by

the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, University of

Oklahoma College of Medicine – Tulsa, or Oklahoma State University

College of Osteopathic Medicine in order to determine the share for

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

the state in supporting the salary, benefits, training and program

administration costs incurred by hospitals in supporting of the

interns and residents;

6. To develop the criteria and procedure by which state

matching funds will be awarded to hospitals, accredited clinical

situations, in cooperation with the University of Oklahoma College

of Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine - Tulsa, and

the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine which

shall administer programs in hospital and clinical situations in the

state to be used to underwrite the salaries, benefits and associated

training and administration costs provided for the physician interns

and residents during their period of training in such a way as to

create an incentive for the development and establishment of

residency and internship positions by hospitals, clinical

establishments or by affiliation agreement with the University of

Oklahoma College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of

Medicine – Tulsa, and the Oklahoma State University College of

Osteopathic Medicine by providing funds to cover and to supplement

the nonreimbursable or additional costs incurred in hospitals for

training activities or for delivery of service in outreach and

ambulatory clinical situations which are outside but associated with

the hospitals and clinical establishments participating in the

program;

7. To review and to approve for inclusion in the programs

funded the applications for funds submitted by accredited hospitals

and clinical situations participating in physician training programs

in cooperation with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine,

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine – Tulsa, and the Oklahoma

State University College of Osteopathic Medicine for the costs of

supplying residents and interns in programs which they administer by

affiliation agreements with hospitals and clinical situations

throughout the state in which the interns and residents are

supervised and funded by the University of Oklahoma College of

Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine – Tulsa, and

the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and

the hospitals and clinical establishments pay for the patient care

services rendered in their institutions by these residents and

interns during the period of training;

8. To determine the specific level of funding and the

priorities used for granting state support to approved hospitals and

clinical situations, in cooperation with the University of Oklahoma

College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine –

Tulsa, and the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic

Medicine for approved hospital physician training programs for

interns and residents and to recommend to the Governor and the

Legislature the total funds needed to carry out the purpose of this

program;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

9. To employ a director and any staff personnel required to

administer the funding of approved physician training programs and

to contract with other state agencies and institutions to conduct

and to perform specified services, functions and aspects in

administering state funds on the specified cost-sharing basis

determined by the Commission or for developing programs and

community and institutional participation in these training

programs;

10. To ensure that hospitals or clinical situations that can

qualify in all sections of Oklahoma be utilized, and to take all

steps necessary to assist such hospitals or clinics in obtaining

necessary recognition or status, or in meeting standards for

accreditation or affiliation so that they may participate in these

physician training programs;

11. To ensure that in programs administered and operated by the

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma

College of Medicine – Tulsa, and the Oklahoma State University

College of Osteopathic Medicine in hospitals and clinical situations

throughout the state that funds allocated to the colleges are paid

by the hospitals and clinical situations in which the patient care

services are rendered, the funds are expended for such purposes in

funding residents and interns in the physician training programs

that the colleges have established with the approved hospitals and

clinical situations which programs are designed to provide primary

health care services to the rural and medically underserved parts of

the state;

12. To conduct and to administer a program of physician and

health care workforce placement services throughout this state.

Placement services shall be made available to communities,

hospitals, health care facilities, physician and health professional

training institutions, health professional associations and

organizations, individual physicians, health professionals, students

in physician and health professional training institutions and

schools, and other interested parties in such a way so as to further

the purposes of improving the distribution of physicians and health

professionals practicing or available for practice in the state and

improving in the availability of health care services to the people

of the state. The placement service shall include but not be

limited to assisting communities in matching with, contacting and

recruiting physicians and health professionals to practice in

communities in the state. The Commission shall develop criteria and

procedures for the conduct and performance of placement services and

employ any staff, contract for services with any private agency,

nonprofit corporation, or institution to facilitate the performance

of placement services; and

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

13. For purposes of the income tax credit authorized pursuant

to Section 1 of this act and in cooperation with the Oklahoma Tax

Commission:

a.

to certify preceptorship rotations for allopathic

medicine, osteopathic medicine, advanced practice

registered nursing, and physician assistant training

programs in this state and to register faculty

preceptors who provide certified training,

b.

to charge administrative expenses to the State Board

of Medical Licensure and Supervision, the State Board

of Osteopathic Examiners, and the Oklahoma Board of

Nursing pursuant to Sections 2 through 5 of this act,

and

c.

to promulgate any additional rules necessary for the

implementation of this act.

Added by Laws 1975, c. 271, § 5, emerg. eff. June 5, 1975. Amended

by Laws 1976, c. 212, § 11, emerg. eff. June 7, 1976; Laws 1989, c.

227, § 38; Laws 2022, c. 407, § 19; Laws 2024, c. 316, § 6, emerg.

eff. May 16, 2024.

NOTE: In accordance with Article VI, Section 11, of the Oklahoma

Constitution, House Bill 2776 became law without the Governor's

signature. It was filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State on May

27, 2022.