Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC)
- Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) Home
- Application
- Definitions
- History
- Publications
- Health Care Workforce & Education Committee
Related Topics
Email Subscription
MERC Definitions
In this definitions list, any word in a definition that is italicized is a word that is separately defined.
- Accredited clinical training – "Accredited training" means the clinical training provided by a medical education program that is accredited through an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or another national body who reviews the accrediting organizations for multiple disciplines and whose standards for recognizing accrediting organizations are reviewed and approved by the commissioner of health. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69, subd. 1(a).
- Audited – "Audited" means that the financial information reported in the application is based on or derived from audited financial records. In the event of a MERC program audit, the program should be capable of reconciling reported financial data with audited financial records if requested by the Commissioner.
- Average clinical training costs per trainee – "Average clinical training costs per trainee" is determined by dividing the total clinical training costs by the total number of trainees.
- Clinical medical education program – "an eligible teaching 'program' is one that is accredited, enrolls trainees, and is responsible for the trainee's overall education. The education may occur at one or more different sites." Source: MERC Study Recommendations and Progress Report to the Legislature December 1996, 14.
- Clinical training – "Clinical training" means "accredited training for eligible provider types funded in part by patient care revenues and that occurs in either an inpatient or ambulatory patient care training site." Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69, subd. 1(a).
- Clinical training costs – "Clinical training costs" means the patient–care component of health professions education, including clinical rotations and clerkships for eligible trainees. Costs associated with training that occurs in a classroom, laboratory or other non-patient care setting should not be considered clinical training costs.
- Eligible FTEs – "Eligible FTEs" means the full-time equivalent for eligible trainees at each training site.
- Eligible trainees – means the number of trainees, as measured by full-time equivalent counts, that are at training sites located in Minnesota with a currently active medical assistance enrollment status and a National Provider Identification (NPI) number where training occurs in either an inpatient or ambulatory patient care setting and where the training is funded, in part, by patient care revenues. Training that occurs in a nursing facility setting is not eligible for funding under this section. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69, subd. 1(g).
- FTE – "FTE" means full-time equivalent. Full-time is considered a minimum of 2,080 hours, 52 weeks, or 260 days.
- Medical education – "medical education" means the accredited clinical training of an eligible provider type. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69, subd. 1(a).
- Provider type – "Provider type" refers to the providers that are eligible for the MERC Fund under the definition of medical education in the MERC statute. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69 subd. 1(c).
- Sponsoring institution – means a hospital, school or consortium located in Minnesota that sponsors and maintains primary organizational and financial responsibility for an accredited clinical medical education program in Minnesota and which is accountable to the accrediting body. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69 subd. 1(d).
- Teaching institution – "Teaching institution" means "a hospital, medical center, clinic, or other organization that conducts a clinical education program in Minnesota." Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69 subd. 1(e).
- Trainee – "Trainee" means any student or resident "involved in a clinical medical education program" Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69 subd. 1(f).
- Training Site/Facility – means the facility at a given practice address where clinical training occurred. Individual preceptors or departments within a facility should not be listed as the training site. The facility where clinical training occurred should be listed as the "training site" even if the preceptors that provided the training have moved to another facility. Training sites must be located in Minnesota and have a currently active medical assistance enrollment status in the Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) and a National Provider Identification (NPI) number where training occurs in either an inpatient or ambulatory patient care setting and where training is funded, in part, by patient care revenues. Nursing facilities are not eligible.
- Advanced practice nurse – For purposes of the MERC Trust Fund, "advanced practice nurse" refers to the following: clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, or certified nurse midwives. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69, subd. 1(c). Starting with the 2004 MERC application, advanced practice nursing programs, in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria, must be sponsored by the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, the Mayo Clinic, or an institution that a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system or a member of the Minnesota Private College Council. Source: Minn. Stat. §62J.69, subd. 3(b).
- Chiropractic student – an individual training in a doctor of chiropractic education program accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).
- Clinical Social Worker – an individual in a clinical social worker program (LCSW) accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
- Community Health Worker – an individual in an accredited community health worker certificate program.
- Community Paramedic – an individual in an accredited community paramedic certificate program.
- Dental resident – a dentist participating in an accredited post-doctoral dental training program.
- Dental student – an individual in an accredited dental school program.
- Dental Therapist – an individual in a dental therapy education program approved by the Board of Dentistry or accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or another approved national accreditation organization.
- Advanced Dental Therapist – an individual licensed as a dental therapist who is in an approved teaching program which will result in certification by the Board of Dentistry to practice as an advanced dental therapist under section 150A.106.
- Medical resident – an individual at any level of training in an ACGME-accredited medical education program.
- Medical student – an individual in an accredited medical school education program.
- PharmD student – an individual in an accredited pharmacy education program.
- Physician Assistant – an individual in an accredited physician assistant education program.
- Psychologist – an individual in an accredited doctoral psychologist education program.
Last Updated: 03/02/2023