Legislation is pending in Congress that aims to entice more medical providers to practice in rural communities.

Recognizing that the high cost of medical education keeps many medical providers, from primary care physicians to nurses, from practicing in smaller communities, the Rural America Health Corps Act would create a loan repayment system.

The legislation would establish the Rural Provider Loan Repayment Demonstration Program in which medical providers who agree to serve full-term for five years in a rural health provider shortage area would be eligible for up to $200,000 in loan repayments.

With bipartisan support, H.R. 1711 is still making its way through committees.

We applaud lawmakers’ efforts to create incentives for primary care physicians to practice in health care deserts. The growing physician shortage is impacting the entire nation, but smaller and more desolate areas are feeling the impact worse, according to the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration.

In addition to financial incentives, there are other mechanisms to address the physician shortage in rural areas. For example, at Physicians Retraining & Reentry, we:

• Create connections with rural clinics in need of primary care physicians
• Are finalizing a new Telehealth module to teach PRR participants best practices in virtual medicine to provide care in rural areas
• Emphasize health care equity in our curriculum

Many PRR participants utilize their new primary care training in rural community clinics.

PRR is proud to play a part in addressing the primary care physician shortage in rural America.