Physician res./international

AN ACT Relating to establishing funding for physician residency 1
positions dedicated to international medical graduates in accordance 2
with the waiver granted by the national residency matching program; 3
adding new sections to chapter 18.71 RCW; creating new sections; 4
providing an effective date; providing an expiration date; and 5
declaring an emergency. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:7
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. It is the intent of the legislature to 8
increase the number of residency positions for the purpose of 9
integrating the existing international medical graduate workforce in 10
Washington state. The legislature finds that there is a clear 11
disparity of international medical graduates successfully matching 12
into Washington state residencies. Through the creation of a 13
statutory structure upon which a statewide waiver from the national 14
residency match program can be based, the legislature intends to 15
address health care shortages and health equity through the creation 16
of a grant program for international medical graduates who complete 17
these specified residencies.18
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 18.71 19
RCW to read as follows: 20
S-0356.1
SENATE BILL 5226
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Nobles, Stanford, Hasegawa, Slatter, Valdez, and C.
Wilson
Prefiled 01/10/25. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Health & Long-Term Care.
p. 1 SB 5226
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 1
purpose, a grant program for international medical graduates is 2
established. The purpose of the program is to increase placement of 3
international medical graduates in the Washington state residency 4
system. The commission may disburse grants to residency programs as 5
authorized in this section and RCW 18.71.472 and 18.71.475.6
(2) Authorized specialties that may receive grants include: 7
Family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, 8
obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery. These specialty 9
funding options may be expanded at the discretion of the commission 10
based on available funding, qualified programs, and available 11
residents. 12
(3) The commission may not use the funds allotted for this 13
program for any purpose other than disbursal of grants and 14
administrative costs associated with the program. The funding is not 15
subject to use or diversion by the department of health or any other 16
state entity. 17
(4) All residency programs receiving funding for positions under 18
this section must: 19
(a) Operate under the waiver granted by the national residency 20
matching program; 21
(b) Provide and operate the entire residency program with current 22
and good standing accreditation from the accreditation council for 23
graduate medical education; 24
(c) Result in the residency-trained physician being eligible to 25
be board certified by a board recognized by the American board of 26
medical specialties in the specialty trained; and 27
(d) Provide information to the commission upon request including, 28
but not limited to, program information, accreditation, resident 29
demographic information, and funding usage. 30
(5) The commission may adopt rules to implement this section.31
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 18.71 32
RCW to read as follows: 33
In accordance with section 2 of this act, the commission shall:34
(1) Establish processes and selection criteria for grant award 35
recipients, one of which must be that no less than 75 percent of 36
accepted residency positions be filled with international medical 37
graduates. The commission may consider exceptions to this standard on 38
a case-by-case basis. 39
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(2) Create an advisory committee whose members are appointed by 1
the commission executive director to provide support for establishing 2
selection criteria, award decisions, and consideration of 3
noncompliance issues. The advisory committee may be compensated under 4
the community compensation guidelines. Members of the advisory 5
committee must include, but are not limited to: 6
(a) A member of the commission; 7
(b) A residency program director or designee whose program does 8
not stand to benefit from the funding specified in section 2 of this 9
act; 10
(c) A member of a state ethnic health board; and11
(d) A member of an organization representing the interests of 12
international medical graduates in Washington state;13
(3) Establish and enact controls and recovery procedures to 14
ensure funds awarded are used for the contractually agreed-upon 15
purposes; 16
(4) Accept grants, gifts, donations, or other funding sources for 17
the sole purpose of funding these residency positions; and18
(5) Disburse additional funds provided through legislative action 19
should additional funding be available. 20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 18.71 21
RCW to read as follows: 22
(1) The commission shall report to the legislature in accordance 23
with RCW 43.01.036 by January 1st of each biennium, beginning with 24
January 1, 2027, the following information: 25
(a) Number of residency positions funded and their location 26
within the state; 27
(b) Number of residency physicians completing the residencies and 28
their demographics; and 29
(c) Further recommendations for amount of funding or residency 30
specialty expansion from those previously authorized.31
(2) This section expires July 1, 2032. 32
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. If specific funding for the purposes of 33
this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not 34
provided by June 30, 2025, in the omnibus appropriations act, this 35
act is null and void.36
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NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. This act is necessary for the immediate 1
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of 2
the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes 3
effect July 1, 2025.4
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