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Health Care Provider Incentive Program

Health Care Provider Incentive Program

Background and History

The 2017 Oregon Legislature approved HB 3261, establishing the Healthcare Provider Incentives Program within the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to support access to care for underserved communities throughout Oregon. The Program offers various incentives, which include loan repayment, loan forgiveness and insurance subsidies to both students and providers who commit to serving patients in underserved areas of the state. This program is overseen by OHA and is being administered in partnership with the Oregon Office of Rural Health.

Program Guidelines

Oregon Administrative Rule 409-036, effective January 2, 2018, establishes guidelines for implementation and participation in the Program.

Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment Program

The Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment Program helps support underserved communities in their recruitment and retention of high quality providers who serve patients regardless of their source of coverage (Medicaid, Medicare, private, etc.) or ability to pay. In exchange for service at a qualifying practice site, participants receive funds to repay qualifying student loan debt. Awards are calculated based on the balance owed on qualifying loans upon program entry. See below for How to Apply.

Primary Care Loan Forgiveness

Primary Care Loan Forgiveness (PCLF) is an incentive for students participating in approved rural training tracks to receive funding during their education in exchange for a future service obligation in a rural or frontier area in Oregon. PCLF participants receive loan forgiveness funds during their education, and must contract with an approved practice site within 90 days of graduation (or completion of residency). Participants are required to practice at an approved site for the life of their obligation, which is one obligation year for every year of funding.

Rural Insurance Subsidy

The purpose of the Rural Insurance Subsidy is to support and stabilize the health care workforce in rural and frontier areas of Oregon by providing partial payments to authorized medical professional liability insurance carriers on behalf of health care providers in rural Oregon who otherwise would have to pay the full cost of malpractice insurance themselves.

Do I qualify?

Please use the link below to find out which state or federal incentives you may be eligible for!

Provider Incentive Eligibility Tool

How to Apply

OHA welcomes applications from sites and clinicians that will help expand and diversify the health care workforce, and access to health services, particularly for communities that have lacked access to care.

For sites seeking eligibility to participate in the Health Care Provider Incentive Program:
https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2022-03/2022%20Site%20Application%20V.2.0.pdf

For clinicians seeking to apply for incentives:
https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-office-of-rural-health/provider-incentive-programs

For questions or additional information, please contact:

Leah Festa, Health Care Provider Incentive and Project Coordinator
Oregon Health Authority
503-812-1933

or

Oregon Office of Rural Health
503-494-4450 or toll free 866-674-4376