1. The Medical Education Council of Nevada is hereby established within the University of Nevada School of Medicine to ensure that Nevada has an adequate, well-trained health care workforce to meet the needs of the residents of this State. The Medical Education Council of Nevada shall:

(a) Determine the workforce needs for the provision of health care services in this State;

(b) Determine the number and types of positions of employment for which money appropriated to the Medical Education Council of Nevada may be used, including, without limitation, positions for practitioners, other providers of health care and other personnel to staff health care facilities and programs;

(c) Investigate and make recommendations to the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the Legislature on the status and needs of practitioners, other providers of health care and other personnel of health care facilities or programs;

(d) Determine a method for reimbursing institutions that sponsor practitioners, other providers of health care or other personnel of health care facilities or programs;

(e) To the extent authorized by federal law, prepare and submit a formal application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the United States Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of receiving and dispersing federal money for graduate medical education expenses;

(f) Distribute a portion of any money it receives for graduate medical education expenses in a manner that:

(1) Prepares postgraduate medical and dental residents, as defined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, to provide inpatient, outpatient and hospital services in various communities and in geographically diverse settings;

(2) Encourages the coordination of interdisciplinary clinical training by practitioners and other providers of health care to such postgraduate medical and dental residents; and

(3) Promotes funding for accredited clinical training programs provided by practitioners or other providers of health care to such postgraduate medical and dental residents;

(g) Apply for grants, gifts and donations from public and private sources, including the Federal Government, to carry out the objectives of the Medical Education Council of Nevada;

(h) Initiate a cooperative agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services to promote the intergovernmental transfer of money for the purposes of receiving and dispersing money to carry out the objectives of the Medical Education Council of Nevada; and

(i) Distribute additional financial resources to training programs for practitioners, other providers of health care or other personnel of health care facilities or programs in the State.

2. Any gift, donation, bequest, grant or other source of money received by the Medical Education Council of Nevada may be used to carry out the provisions of this section.

3. As used in this section, “practitioner” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 439A.0195.

(Added to NRS by 2003, 20th Special Session, 278)