S257 - Appropriations Act of 2017. (SL 2017-57)

Overview: S.L. 2017-57, Sec. 11J.2 (SB 257, Sec. 11J.2) requires the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services (JLOCHHS) and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (JLEOC) to each appoint a subcommittee to jointly examine the use of State funds to support medical education and medical residency programs. The subcommittees must examine at least the following:

• The health care needs of the State's residents and the State's goals in meeting those health care needs through the support and funding of medical education and medical residency programs located within the State.
• The short-term and long-term benefits to the State for allocating State funds to medical education and medical residency programs located within the State.
• Recommended changes and improvements to the State's current policies with respect to allocating State funds and providing other support to medical education programs and medical residency programs located within the State.
• Development of an evaluation protocol to be used by the State in determining the particular medical education programs and medical residency programs to support with State funds and the amount of State funds to allocate to these programs.

The subcommittees may seek input from other states, stakeholders, and national experts as it deems necessary, and by February 1, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services and The University of North Carolina must provide the subcommittees the following information on medical education programs and medical residency programs located in North Carolina:

• The identity, location, and number of positions available in medical education programs and medical residency programs, by geographic area.
• The specific amount of State funds or the nature of any other support provided by the State to medical education programs and medical residency programs, by program.
• The number of graduates of medical education programs and medical residency programs currently practicing in North Carolina, by specialty areas in which North Carolina is experiencing a shortage.
• The number of program graduates who practiced in North Carolina for at least five years after graduation.
• Any other information requested by the subcommittees.

The subcommittees must jointly develop a proposal for a statewide plan to support medical education programs and medical residency programs within North Carolina in a manner that maximizes the State's financial and other support of these programs and addresses the short-term and long-term health care needs of the State's residents. Each subcommittee must submit a report to its respective oversight committee on or before March 15, 2018, at which time the subcommittee will terminate.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This section became effective June 28, 2017.