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Lawmakers hear 10-year plan to expand Idaho residencies; state asked to continue funding share per resident
Summary
Residency program directors and analysts told JFAC that state investment completes training pipelines, increases immediate clinical capacity and improves long-term physician retention; requests ask the state to continue funding per‑resident shares as programs expand.
Legislative analysts and residency program directors told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that ongoing state support for graduate medical education is producing more Idaho-trained physicians and urged continued funding to sustain recent growth.
Why it matters: the committee heard that residency positions both increase immediate clinical capacity and, over time, raise the number of physicians who remain in Idaho. Kevin Campbell of the Legislative Services Office said 55% of Idaho residency graduates stay in state, a retention rate cited from the American Medical Association (2022). Program directors said training in-state increases the likelihood that new physicians put down roots and continue practicing locally.
Analysts and directors outlined requests and program sizes. The Eastern Idaho Medical Residency (EIMR) in Idaho Falls was described as having about 56 residents; its FY2026 request was $240,000 to fund four additional psychiatry residents. Boise Internal Medicine has 41 residents and asked for $60,000 for one additional residency position. Family Medicine Residency programs statewide encompass multiple sites: Full Circle Health (Boise/Nampa/Caldwell/Twin Falls/Jerome) with roughly 85 residents and fellows; Idaho State University programs in Pocatello, Rexburg and Rupert with about 29 residents and fellows; and Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine in Coeur d’Alene with 23. Family medicine residencies collectively reported about 130 residents and asked for several new positions and fellowships; committee materials show a request of $420,000 ongoing to support six new residents and one fellowship at St. Alphonsus–Nampa, plus other Eastern Idaho additions.
Cost structure and funding model: analysts and program directors described a three‑way funding partnership in Idaho. Residents are employees of sponsoring hospitals or institutions; the program cost per resident cited in the hearing is about $210,000 per year (covering salary, training costs, liability insurance and supervising physician payments). Historically, the program model has been roughly a one‑third, one‑third, one‑third split among the sponsoring institution, health-care partners and state appropriation. Department and program staff said the state share historically equated to about $60,000 per resident in earlier years but that costs have risen and the state share has not tracked one-to-one with total per‑resident costs.
Speakers emphasized immediate benefits of residents in clinical settings. Dr. Matthew Larson, psychiatry program director at Eastern Idaho, said residents provide care “all day every day” under supervision and can substantially increase local capacity even while they train. Program directors described very high application rates for Idaho residency slots: Campbell cited averages like 30 applicants per family medicine position and 95 applicants per psychiatry position.
Retention and outcomes: program directors said retention varies by specialty and program but that Idaho’s residency retention rate is strong relative to other states. Dr. Elke Shaw Tullock (Division Administrator) cited high retention for the department’s physician loan-repayment program—“almost 91% of the providers that receive these loan repayments stay in the state and practice in the state,” she said—while Campbell referenced the AMA retention statistic for residencies overall.
Committee follow-up and fiscal context: directors and analysts asked the committee to sustain the multi‑year expansion that stakeholders described as a 10‑year plan begun in 2018. Several directors said programs are accredited and that additional slots could begin quickly if funding is approved; Eastern Idaho and Pocatello speakers identified psychiatry and child‑psychiatry expansion opportunities contingent on funding. No formal appropriations votes were taken during the hearing; committee members asked staff for cost comparisons, retention tracking, and additional fiscal detail to support decision-making.
Immediate requests for FY2026 include: EIMR — $240,000 for four psychiatry residents; Boise Internal Medicine — $60,000 for one resident; Family Medicine Residency — multiple requests, including $420,000 ongoing for six residents and one fellowship tied to the St. Alphonsus–Nampa expansion and other additions for Eastern Idaho.
