Health Care Provider Incentive Program Overview
Background
In 2017, the Oregon Legislature approved
House Bill 3261, establishing the Healthcare Provider Incentive Fund within the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to support access to care for underserved communities throughout Oregon. The Fund created the Health Care Provider Incentive Program (HCPIP), which offers various incentives to both students and providers who commit to serving patients in underserved areas of the state, including the following:
- Loan Repayment
- Oregon Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program
- Oregon Partnership State Loan Repayment Program
- Oregon Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program
- Primary Care Loan Forgiveness
- Rural Medical Practitioners Insurance Subsidy Program
- Scholarships focused on workforce development
- Scholars for a Healthy Oregon Initiative
- Health Care Workforce Scholarship /li>
- Health Care Workforce Pathways Scholarship
- Health Care Interpreter Retention Scholarship
- Behavioral Health Retention Scholarship
This program is overseen by OHA and is being administered in partnership with the
Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH).
Oregon Administrative Rule 409-036, effective January 2, 2018, establishes guidelines for implementation and participation in the Program.
Updates and Announcements
Rule Revisions to Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 409-036
The Health Care Provider Incentive Program is engaged in rulemaking for
Oregon Administrative Rule 409-036 and held three Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) meetings in 2025 and 2026. The public comment period is expected to occur in Spring 2026.
Loan Repayment Programs
The Health Care Provider Incentive Program, in partnership with ORH, offers several loan repayment options designed to strengthen recruitment and retention of high-quality providers in Oregon’s rural and underserved communities. These programs provide tax-free funds to qualified health care professionals working in approved disciplines at eligible sites, in exchange for a committed service obligation. Providers must serve all patients, regardless of insurance type or ability to pay.
Apply Today!
Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Please use the links below for details on application deadlines.
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Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (HCPIP) was established by Oregon Legislature, to support underserved communities by helping them recruit and retain high-quality health care providers.
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Oregon Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program (BHLRP) was created to help rural and underserved communities recruit and retain high-quality behavioral health providers.
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Oregon Partnership State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP): This opportunity was funded through a federal matching grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which provided additional support for loan repayment. The grant ended on August 31, 2025, and we are currently awaiting confirmation on whether additional funds will be awarded.
Stay tuned form more information coming in 2026!
Primary Care Loan Forgiveness
Primary Care Loan Forgiveness is an incentive that provides financial support to students enrolled in approved rural training tracks by offering loan forgiveness during their education in exchange for a future service commitment in a rural or frontier area of Oregon. Participants receive funds while in school and must secure a contract with an approved practice site within 90 days of graduation or residency completion. The service obligation requires practicing at an approved site for one year for each year of funding received.
Apply today!
Rural Medical Practitioners Insurance Subsidy
The Rural Medical Practitioners Insurance Subsidy Program aims to strengthen and stabilize Oregon’s rural and frontier health care workforce by providing partial payments directly to authorized medical professional liability insurance carriers. This support helps reduce the financial burden on health care providers in rural areas who would otherwise be responsible for the full cost of malpractice insurance.
The subsidy coverage a percentage of a provider's malpractice insurance based on their area of practice as follows:
- 80% Obstetrics
- 60% Family or general practice that includes obstetrical services
- 40% Anesthesiology, family practice or general practice without obstetrics, general surgery, geriatrics, internal medicine, pediatrics, or pulmonary medicine
- 15% All other specialties
Enroll today!
For more information about provider eligibility, reimbursement and participating insurance carriers can be found on the
Office of Rural Health's Insurance Subsidy webpage.
Scholarships
Scholars for a Healthy Oregon Initiative (SHOI)
The Scholars for a Healthy Oregon Initiative (SHOI) covers full tuition and applicable fees for a limited number of eligible students entering specific clinical degree programs at OHSU. Recipients commit to practicing in rural or medically underserved communities in Oregon for a minimum of one year longer than the total years of funding provided.
Apply today!
Health Care Workforce Scholarship
Health Care Workforce Scholarship, formerly known as Scholars for a Healthy Oregon Initiative-Like (SHOI-Like) Scholarship, provides funding for health professional training programs at institutions of higher education. Training programs that receive funding will develop an application and distribution process for awarded students in partnership with OHA staff. The following educational institutions have been awarded for the 2023-25 biennium:
- Central Oregon Community College
- Eastern Oregon University
- Rogue Community College
- Southern Oregon University
- Umpqua Community College
- Merritt Health and Wellness, LLC
- Nurse Re-Entry Program (Health and Education Consultants)
- Chemeketa Community College
Health Care Workforce Pathways Scholarship
Health Care Workforce Pathways Scholarship provides funding for Oregon's secondary education, Career and Technical Education (CTE), training programs, and other health-related workforce programs for students between 8th -12th grade. Training programs that receive funding will develop an application and distribution process for awarded students in partnership with OHA staff. The following educational institutions have been awarded for the 2023-25 biennium:
- Jefferson County School District
- Lane County Educational Service District (ESD)
- Oregon Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
- Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center (NEOAHEC)
- Willamette Career Academy
- Sky Lakes Medical Center Foundation
Health Care Interpreter Retention Scholarship
The Health Care Interpreter Retention Scholarship support the expansion of Oregon's health care workforce throughout Oregon by funding continuing education training of Health Care Interpreters to renew certification and remain in the field. The following OHA registered interpreter training programs have been awarded for the 2023-25 biennium:
- AMN Healthcare Language Services, Inc.
- Linguava Interpreters Inc.
- Linguistics Global Associates Inc.
- Medical Interpreting Training School
- Oregon Health Care Interpreter Association
- Svetlana’s Training, LLC
- The Cross-Cultural Health Care Program
- The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization
- UIO Language Logistics, LLC
Behavioral Health Retention Scholarship
The Behavioral Health Care Retention Scholarship supports the retention of behavioral health workforce by funding Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) for registration and advanced exam costs.
For more information on upcoming scholarship opportunities, please visit
OregonBuys and search key word “workforce.”
Health Care Provider Incentive Fund Evaluation
House Bill 3261 (2017) requires OHPB, through OHA and its partners, to collect and analyze data on participants in Oregon’s various financial incentive programs to understand the effectiveness of these investments. OHA submits a report with this information to the Oregon Legislature every two years.
Access reports here.
Contact Us
For questions or additional information, please contact:
Oregon Health Authority
Oregon Office of Rural Health