This announcement solicits applications for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) program.

 The overarching purpose of the PCTE program is to strengthen the primary care workforce by supporting enhanced training for future primary care.

 In FY 2015, applicants

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for the PCTE program must focus on training for transforming health care systems, particularly enhancing the clinical training experience of trainees.

 Some of the characteristics identified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to be closely associated with transformed health care delivery systems include:
·         Providers across the care continuum participate in integrated or virtually integrated delivery models, ·         Care is coordinated across all providers and settings, ·         There is high level of patient engagement and quantifiable results on patient experience, ·         Providers leverage the use of health information technology to improve quality, ·         Providers perform at the top of their license and board certification, ·         Population health measures are integrated into the delivery system, and ·         Data is used to drive health system processes.[1] Collaborative projects that propose training across the training continuum (student, resident, faculty development, and practicing primary care physician or physician assistants) and across primary care disciplines and professions (family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, physician assistants, and other primary care professions) are encouraged and will qualify for a higher funding ceiling amount.

 In addition, consistent with the White House initiative to facilitate career paths for veterans who want to become physician assistants, physician assistant training programs that demonstrate activities that improve recruitment, retention, and education of veteran applicants and students will be encouraged.

Applicants must also propose an evaluation plan focused on proposed assessment of outcomes related to graduate outcomes and patient access, quality of care, and cost effectiveness in the clinical training environment.

 Evaluation plans may include integration of evaluation activities with existing institution efforts, such as quality improvement initiatives.  Examples of outcomes are changes in:
·         Rate of graduates/program completers, at least one-year after program completion, practicing in primary care ·         Rate of graduates/program completers, at least one-year after program completion, practicing in underserved areas ·         Patient service provided by graduates/program completers ·         Quality of care provided by graduates/program completers ·         Patient service provided by trainees and faculty at participating PCTE clinical training sites ·         Quality of care provided by trainees and faculty at participating PCTE clinical training sites ·         Cost of care provided by trainees and faculty at participating PCTE clinical training sites During the funded grant period, grantees will be expected to work with an evaluation technical assistance contractor to be identified by HRSA.

 The evaluation technical assistance contractor will conduct site visits to select grantees and provide assistance in developing and implementing evaluation plans.

[1] CMS State Innovation Models Cooperative Agreement Announcement (May 2014).

Available at:
http://innovation.cms.gov/Files/x/StateInnovationRdTwoFOA.pdf