In 2010, the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program was established as a component of the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). This program established a mechanism to fund primary care residency programs through Federally Qualified Healthcare Center and Rural Health Centers. THCGME programs focus on ambulatory primary care training for residents who spend more of their time in the clinic setting providing services for underserved communities.
Residents still complete the required inpatient rotations at affiliated hospitals, but there is a primary focus on ambulatory care that is patient centered and community-based. Completion of a THCGME program prepares a resident for private practice or continued service to Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with options for Physician Education Loan Repayment Program (PELRP).
The TIGMER Community-Based Family Medicine Residency Program is made possible through the Texas State GME Expansion Grant Program, a major grant from The Center for Health Care Services and support from CommuniCare and the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Rotation Sites
The Community-Based Family Medicine Program has the unique opportunity of having rotations in 3 of the major hospital systems in San Antonio, in addition to a number of prominent, local outpatient clinics serving the population of the river city.
