Teaching health center (THC) graduate medical education (GME) payment program

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professionals awarded the Osteopathic Medical Education Consortium Of Oklahoma, Inc. (OMECO) $267,116 on March 1, 2026, under the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program (CFDA 93.530) to expand its family medicine residency training program.

OMECO, the ACGME sponsoring institution, operates the OMECO Family Medicine Residency Program using the Eastgate Clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the ambulatory training site. The program trains residents in a patient-centered medical home model providing 24-hour physician call coverage, extended ambulatory hours, population care management, systematic screening with brief intervention and referral to treatment, and electronic patient communication. The clinic serves Tulsa County, designated as a low-income health professional shortage area, with a patient population that is 51 percent racial and ethnic minorities and includes one of the country's ten largest Hmong populations at over 2,500 people. More than 24 percent of adults in the clinic's service area report no usual source of care.

The program has operated since 2012 and this award funds its expansion. Performance occurs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a period of performance extending through June 30, 2029. The Teaching Health Center GME program objective is to expand primary care medical and dental residency training in community-based ambulatory care settings.

Abstract

1. Name of GME training program: OMECO family medicine residency program 2. Discipline of the residency program: family medicine 3. Type of application: expansion 4. Eligible entity type: GME consortium, eastgate clinic, operates as part of GME consortium 5. First year training residents: 2012 6. Organizational website: https://medicine.okstate.EDU/academics/family-medicine/residency/ 7. The osteopathic medical education consortium of oklahoma, INC. (OMECO) has successfully operated a thcgme funded family medicine residency program since 2012. The program utilizes the eastgate clinic in tulsa, oklahoma as the ambulatory clinic site for continuity of care training. OMECO, the acgme sponsoring institution will have academic and financial responsibility for the proposed program expansion. Currently, this innovative family medicine residency program utilizes a patient-centered medical home model of care. The medical home provides enhanced services such as 24-hour physician call coverage, extended ambulatory care hours, population care management, systematic screening with brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT), and electronic communication with patients (e.g., email and text). An electronic medical record is utilized and works concurrently with the electronic prescribing system. Tulsa county is classified as low-income population hpsa with 36% of the residents in the eastgate clinic ZIP code classified as low income. The eastgate clinic serves a population that is largely racial/ethnic minorities (51%). The clinic serves one of the top ten largest hmong populations in the country at just over 2,500 people. Further, more than 24% of the adults in this ZIP code report having no usual source of care. The mission of the OMECO family medicine residency (OFMR) is to train fully competent and compassionate family physicians to enhance the overall quality of life of rural and underserved populations. The program's philosophy is that family medicine is the cornerstone of medical practice. The OFMR program provides exposure to a wide variety of medical conditions and is built upon core knowledge and skills derived from traditional medical principles and surgical models. This approach is designed to consistently deliver quality care that is patient-centered and serves to optimally train primary care physicians in how healthcare can be delivered in any setting, including underserved areas. The OFMR provides comprehensive and holistic service, cultural sensitivity, and continuity of care of the highest quality. The program provides an environment for each resident to learn in the hospital, ambulatory and community settings. 8. We are requesting funding for 25 residents under this program or 100 total residents over the project period, july 1, 2025, to june 30, 2029. 9. For AY 2025-2026 we are requesting funding for 25 (8-9-8) residents. 10. Residents within the applicant residency training program will not perform rotations at a hospital rotation site that has not provided resident training in any prior academic year.