Access to healthcare is a big problem in many parts of the United States, especially in rural and underserved communities. These places often do not have enough family doctors. This causes problems for people who need care, like long wait times and less preventive help. Family doctors are important because they give ongoing care. But, there are not enough of them in these areas.
Programs that train family doctors in these places help fix this problem. They teach doctors where they are needed most. Studies show that doctors who train in these communities are more likely to stay and work there after training. This helps improve healthcare where it is most needed.
The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program is a key government effort to improve healthcare in underserved areas. It is run by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Every year, THCGME trains more than 1,000 residents in community clinics, rural health centers, and tribal clinics.
Unlike hospital programs, THCGME places residents directly in the communities they will serve. This hands-on training helps doctors learn about the unique social and economic challenges in these areas. In 2023-2024, the program supported 81 residency programs and has helped create a workforce of over 2,000 primary care doctors and dentists since 2010.
In one year, the program treated over 792,000 patients through more than 1.2 million visits. It plays a big role in increasing access to care, especially in rural places where 21% of training sites are found. Also, 62% of the training happens in underserved communities.
Health problems do not affect everyone equally. Minority and low-income groups often face bigger challenges. For example, in Milwaukee, many victims of gun violence are Black men aged 18 to 29. Community health centers and partnerships with health networks provide care and train doctors to help these communities.
Family doctors trained in underserved areas help reduce these differences by offering care that fits the cultures and needs of their patients. They help with chronic diseases, mental health, and prevention. Expanding training in these areas makes it more likely doctors will stay and provide steady care.
Groups like the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) support family medicine education and professional growth. They hold conferences and webinars and share resources to help teachers and leaders in family medicine.
The STFM AI Assistant helps educators with family medicine questions. Though STFM does not run training programs in underserved areas, it aids family medicine education. This helps prepare doctors to serve different communities, including those with fewer resources.
Technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, is becoming more important in helping healthcare in underserved areas. These places often have fewer staff, which makes it hard to take care of patients and handle paperwork.
Layer Health, a health tech company, raised $21 million to improve medical chart reviews with AI. Their system, used partly at Froedtert & MCW in Milwaukee, cut the time needed for quality data work by over 65%. This lets healthcare workers spend more time with patients instead of paperwork.
AI tools cut down these tasks, so family doctors and clinic staff can use their time better. In places with limited staff, this helps keep care available and good quality.
Another way AI helps is through digital-first primary care. Froedtert & MCW uses AI agents to talk to patients at the start of their care. These AI agents collect information and guide patients before doctors get involved. This lowers the call center workload and makes patient flow easier. This is helpful in busy clinics serving many people.
Groups like Inception Health promote “clinical technology stacks.” These use AI and automation for tasks like scheduling, triage, follow-ups, and education. Smart tools improve how clinics run.
Practice administrators, clinic owners, and IT managers are important in adding AI and automation to clinics, especially in community and rural places. Tools like Simbo AI help with phone answering and scheduling.
Simbo AI automates phone services for medical offices. Their AI can handle appointments, patient questions, referrals, and simple triage calls. This lowers staff work and makes patients happier because calls are answered fast, 24/7, a big help in clinics with limited hours.
Automating front-desk work lets clinics offer round-the-clock service without adding more staff. This is very important in places with few doctors and workers.
Using AI tools in community residency training helps clinics give better care. Automated scheduling, electronic health records, and AI notes make it easier for residents and doctors to manage paperwork.
Also, AI’s help in data work, like Layer Health’s success at Froedtert & MCW, supports better tracking of clinical results and research. This data helps improve training, care practices, and community health plans for underserved groups.
Training family doctors in underserved places combined with using AI and automation fixes shortages of staff and running problems. This approach increases access to primary care, helps manage patients better, and improves outcomes.
Examples like Froedtert & MCW show how working with communities, education, and technology can lead to awards for quality care and good workplaces. These successes help keep skilled healthcare workers in underserved areas.
Medical practice leaders and clinic owners in underserved areas should team up with residency programs like THCGME, support family medicine training, and invest in AI to reduce paperwork. IT managers need to find the right technology to help clinics and patients.
By growing family doctor training in underserved communities and using AI and automation, healthcare providers can improve access and care quality across the country. These approaches solve both staff shortages and operational issues at once, helping reach national goals for better primary care and fewer health gaps.
This practical way to deliver healthcare and training aims to reach people who need it most. It also helps healthcare workers by giving them tools and resources to provide steady and patient-focused care. For medical practices in underserved areas, these efforts are key to better health results and stronger community health.
Layer Health raised $21 million to enhance medical chart review using AI, significantly reducing time spent on quality data abstraction by over 65%. This efficiency allows clinic staff to focus on higher-value tasks, thus improving operational productivity and patient care delivery.
AI technologies like those implemented by Layer Health streamline processes such as medical chart reviews, which reduces administrative burdens and allows healthcare providers to spend more time on direct patient care and complex clinical tasks.
Froedtert & MCW partners with community health organizations, like Sixteenth Street, to improve healthcare access, address health disparities, and support innovative programs. Their initiatives aim to foster a more equitable healthcare environment.
The Medical College of Wisconsin, in collaboration with local health services, established the THC to enhance the training of family physicians, targeting neighborhoods with critical healthcare shortages and promoting better health outcomes in the community.
Inception Health’s digital-first model uses AI agents for initial patient interactions, guiding them before they meet clinicians. This approach can reduce call center workloads and streamline patient management, enhancing overall efficiency.
The Cedarburg Froedtert Clinic, which opened in March 2025, provides internal medicine, pediatric care, and diagnostic lab services, expanding local healthcare access for the community.
The data highlights significant racial disparities in gun violence victims. Initiatives, such as the THC, aim to train more healthcare professionals who can serve affected neighborhoods, thereby improving healthcare access and outcomes.
By automating quality data abstraction, AI reduces the administrative workload on healthcare staff, allowing them to allocate more time to patient care and clinical responsibilities, thereby enhancing overall patient experience.
Experts at Froedtert & MCW consider bariatric surgery to remain the gold standard for severe obesity treatment, emphasizing the integration of new weight loss medications into comprehensive weight management programs.
Programs like CPR training in partnership with local barbershops and the expansion of community clinics aim to empower residents to engage in health-promoting activities and improve access to essential health services.
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