76-387. Residency bridging loan agreements; qualifications, terms and conditions; service obligation, postponement and satisfaction; practice service agreement defined; rural health bridging psychiatry fund. (a) There is hereby established the Kansas medical residency bridging program at the university of Kansas school of medicine which shall be developed and implemented in order to provide encouragement, opportunities and incentives for persons in primary care or mental health care residency training programs in general pediatrics, general internal medicine, family medicine, family practice, general psychiatry or child psychiatry that are operated by or affiliated with the university of Kansas school of medicine or other such primary care or mental health care residency training program that is operated in Kansas and approved by the state board of healing arts and a person under subsection (i) to locate their medical practice in rural Kansas communities upon completion of such residency training. The Kansas medical residency bridging program shall be administered by the institute for rural health care of the university of Kansas school of medicine.

(b) Subject to the provisions of appropriation acts, the university of Kansas school of medicine may enter into residency bridging loan agreements, in accordance with the provisions of this section: (A) With any person who has completed the first year of a primary care or mental health care residency training program in general pediatrics, general internal medicine, family medicine, family practice, general psychiatry or child psychiatry that is operated by or affiliated with the university of Kansas school of medicine or other such primary care or mental health care residency training program that is operated in Kansas and approved by the state board of healing arts; and (B) with a person under subsection (i).

(c) Subject to the provisions of appropriation acts, each person entering into a residency bridging loan agreement under this section shall receive a payment of $5,000 each year of primary care or mental health care residency training, or any part of a year of such training, after the date that the residency bridging loan agreement is entered into by the resident and the university of Kansas school of medicine and, upon completion of the primary care or mental health care residency training program, a payment of $6,000.

(d) Each residency bridging loan agreement shall require that the person receiving the loan:

(1) Complete the primary care or mental health care residency training program;

(2) engage in the full-time practice of medicine and surgery in any county in Kansas other than Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee or Wyandotte for three years under a practice commitment agreement;

(3) commence such full-time practice of medicine and surgery within 90 days after completing the primary care or mental health care residency training program; and

(4) upon failure to satisfy the obligation to engage in the full-time practice of medicine and surgery in accordance with the provisions of the residency bridging loan agreement and this section, the person receiving the loan under this section shall repay to the university of Kansas school of medicine, within 90 days of such failure, the amount equal to the amount of money received by such person from the university of Kansas school of medicine, less credits earned, under such agreement plus interest at the annual rate of 15% from the date such money was received.

(e) An obligation to engage in the practice of medicine and surgery in accordance with the provisions of a residency bridging loan agreement and this section shall be postponed during: (1) Any period of temporary medical disability during which the person obligated is unable to practice medicine and surgery because of such medical disability; or (2) any other period of postponement agreed to or determined in accordance with criteria agreed to in the practice commitment agreement.

(f) An obligation to engage in the practice of medicine and surgery in accordance with the provisions of a residency bridging loan agreement and this section shall be satisfied: (1) If the obligation to engage in the practice of medicine and surgery in accordance with such agreement has been completed; (2) if the person obligated dies; or (3) if, because of permanent physical disability, the person obligated is unable to practice medicine and surgery.

(g) The university of Kansas school of medicine may adopt additional provisions, requirements or conditions for participation in the Kansas medical residency bridging program as are practicable and appropriate to accomplish the purposes of the program or as may be required for the implementation or administration of the program and, in any case, as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section or the provisions of appropriation acts.

(h) As used in this section, "practice commitment agreement" means an agreement to commence the full-time practice of medicine and surgery in a city located in any county in Kansas other than Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee or Wyandotte county, that:

(1) Was entered into: (A) By a person in a primary care or mental health care residency training program in general pediatrics, general internal medicine, family medicine, family practice, general psychiatry or child psychiatry, that is operated by or affiliated with the university of Kansas school of medicine or other such primary care or mental health care residency training program that is operated in Kansas and approved by the state board of healing arts; or (B) by a person under subsection (i) with the city where such practice is to commence or another contracting entity other than the university of Kansas school of medicine that is representative of the interests of such city; and

(2) provides benefits to such person that have an aggregate monetary value equal to or greater than the aggregate amount of payments to such person from the university of Kansas school of medicine under a residency bridging loan agreement under this section.

(i) A person who graduated from the university of Kansas school of medicine prior to July 1, 1992, who has completed the first year of a primary care residency training program in family practice which is operated outside the state of Kansas and who has entered into a practice commitment agreement with the north central Kansas health care foundation is eligible to enter into a residency bridging loan agreement under this section.

(j) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no moneys appropriated for the Kansas medical residency bridging program at the university of Kansas school of medicine, except moneys appropriated to the rural health bridging psychiatry fund, shall be expended for residency bridging loan agreements for medical residents training in general psychiatry or child psychiatry.

(k) Subject to appropriations, the university of Kansas school of medicine shall enter into residency bridging loan agreements with three medical residents training in general psychiatry or child psychiatry.

(l) There is hereby established in the state treasury the rural health bridging psychiatry fund. All moneys credited to the rural health bridging psychiatry fund shall be used only for purposes related to residency bridging loan agreements for medical residents training in general psychiatry or child psychiatry pursuant to K.S.A. 76-387, and amendments thereto. All expenditures from the rural health bridging psychiatry fund shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the chancellor of the university of Kansas or the chancellor's designee.

(m) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no moneys shall be transferred from the comprehensive grant program account of the state board of regents to the rural health bridging psychiatry fund or expended for any purposes related to the Kansas medical residency bridging program.

History: L. 1992, ch. 260, § 1; L. 1993, ch. 215, § 1; L. 2017, ch. 12, § 6; Apr. 6.