SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Access to 
Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PRIMARY CARE ACCREDITED CONTINUING MED-
ICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
Subpart 1 of part D of title III of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 330O. PRIMARY CARE ACCREDITED CONTINUING 
MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, shall establish a program to award not 
more than 100 grants to Federally-qualified health centers 
or rural health clinics, or organizations affiliated with such 
clinics, for the purpose of ensuring access to accredited 
continuing medical education by board-certified specialist 
physicians, including family and internal medicine physi-
cians, with teaching or high-volume patient experience, 
and other licensed medical providers who have clinical ex-
perience and are certified in accordance with regulations 
issued by the Secretary, to primary care physicians and 
medical providers employed by Federally-qualified health 
centers or rural health clinics, to increase the primary care 
providers’ knowledge and capacity to practice within their 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:49 Apr 05, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7383.IH
H7383
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
full scope and increase access to care for patients in rural 
and underserved areas. 
‘‘(b) SCOPE OF TRAINING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Accredited continuing med-
ical education programs offered under this section— 
‘‘(A) shall be designed to be flexible to 
meet the needs of the patients and providers 
served and offer a variety of schedules, with a 
minimum of 1-day training per month, per spe-
cialty area; 
‘‘(B) shall involve clinical practice for at 
least 50 percent of the training (based on a 3- 
month average), involving direct care for pa-
tients with a scheduled visit with the primary 
care provider, and who could benefit from a 
concurrent visit with both the primary care pro-
vider and a specialist; 
‘‘(C) shall not impose additional cost-shar-
ing with respect to the concurrent visits de-
scribed in subparagraph (B); and 
‘‘(D) may involve specialists and faculty 
who participate in the program via telemedicine, 
as the program determines appropriate. 
‘‘(2) TRAINING.—Accredited continuing medical 
education programs offered under this section may 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:49 Apr 05, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7383.IH
H7383
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
provide training to primary and behavioral care phy-
sicians and health care providers on— 
‘‘(A) endocrinology (including diabetes 
care); 
‘‘(B) palliative care and pain management; 
‘‘(C) dermatology; 
‘‘(D) obstetrics and gynecology; 
‘‘(E) pediatric primary care and pediatric 
subspecialties; 
‘‘(F) gastroenterology; 
‘‘(G) mental and behavioral health, and 
substance use treatment; 
‘‘(H) preventive care and nutrition; 
‘‘(I) geriatric medicine; 
‘‘(J) infectious disease; 
‘‘(K) cardiology; 
‘‘(L) rural health and training to improve 
outcomes for populations experiencing health 
disparities; 
‘‘(M) wound care; 
‘‘(N) disease management for patients with 
multiple comorbidities; 
‘‘(O) health information technology; and 
‘‘(P) other topics, as the Secretary deter-
mines appropriate. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:49 Apr 05, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7383.IH
H7383
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(3) PARTICIPATING CENTERS OR CLINICS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a 
grant under this section a Federally-qualified 
health center or rural health clinic, or an orga-
nization affiliated with any such health clinic 
acting on behalf of multiple such clinics, shall— 
‘‘(i) submit an application to the Sec-
retary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require; 
‘‘(ii) ensure that training under the 
program under the grant is provided to the 
physicians and primary care providers em-
ployed by such center or clinic, as well as 
peer-to-peer training; 
‘‘(iii) include in the application a 
needs assessment describing how participa-
tion in the program under the grant will 
meet both patient needs and skills training 
needs for their primary care providers; and 
‘‘(iv) include in the application a de-
scription of the expected patient target for 
how many patients would be directly 
served by activities under the grant and an 
assurance that data and reports will be 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:49 Apr 05, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7383.IH
H7383
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
provided annually on the number of pa-
tients served and the accrediting entity 
used for purposes of subsection (c)(2)(B). 
‘‘(B) USE OF GRANT.—A Federally-quali-
fied health center, rural health clinic, or affili-
ated organization receiving a grant under this 
section may use grant funds for— 
‘‘(i) compensation for medical pro-
viders participating in teaching at program 
sessions; 
‘‘(ii) part-time administration support 
for the program; 
‘‘(iii) compensation for the center for 
the nonclinical training time of the center’s 
primary care or behavioral health care pro-
viders; 
‘‘(iv) technology and equipment need-
ed to facilitate clinical visits for the pro-
gram; 
‘‘(v) transportation costs for medical 
providers participating in teaching under 
the program to travel to center sites if 
such sites are located more than 35 miles 
from their primary residences and their 
participation is in-person; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:49 Apr 05, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7383.IH
H7383
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS