[Federal Register: June 26, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 122)]
[Notices]
[Page 36348-36350]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jn06-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Recruitment of Sites for Assignment of Corps Personnel
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS.
ACTION: General notice.
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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
announces that the listing of entities, and their Health Professional
Shortage Area (HPSA) scores, that will receive priority for the
assignment of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) personnel (Corps
Personnel, Corps members) for the period July 1, 2006 through June 30,
2007 is posted on the NHSC Web site at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/resources/fedreg-hpol/.
This list specifies which entities are eligible
to receive assignment of Corps members who are participating in the
NHSC Scholarship Program, the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, and Corps
members who have become Corps members other than pursuant to
contractual obligations under the Scholarship or Loan Repayment
Programs. Please note that not all vacancies associated with sites on
this list will be for Corps members, but could be for individuals
serving an obligation to the NHSC through the Private Practice Option.
Eligible HPSAs and Entities
To be eligible to receive assignment of Corps personnel, entities
must: (1) Have a current HPSA designation by the
[[Page 36349]]
Shortage Designation Branch in the Office of Workforce Evaluation and
Quality Assurance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and
Services Administration; (2) enter into an agreement with the State
agency that administers Medicaid, accept payment under Medicare and the
State Children's Health Insurance Program, see all patients regardless
of their ability to pay, and use and post a discounted fee plan; and
(3) be determined by the Secretary to have (a) a need and demand for
health manpower in the area; (b) appropriately and efficiently used
Corps members assigned to the entity; (c) general community support for
the assignment of Corps members; (d) made unsuccessful efforts to
recruit; and (e) a reasonable prospect for sound fiscal management by
the entity with respect to Corps members assigned there. Priority in
approving applications for assignment of Corps members goes to sites
that (1) provide primary, mental, and/or oral health services to a HPSA
of greatest shortage; (2) are part of a system of care that provides a
continuum of services, including comprehensive primary health care and
appropriate referrals or arrangements for secondary and tertiary care;
(3) have a documented record of sound fiscal management; and (4) will
experience a negative impact on its capacity to provide primary health
services if a Corps members is not assigned to the entity.
Entities that receive assignment of Corps personnel must assure
that (1) the position will permit the full scope of practice and that
the clinician meets the credentialing requirements of the State and
site; and (2) the Corps member assigned to the entity is engaged in
full-time clinical practice at the approved service location for a
minimum of 40 hours per week with at least 32 hours per week in the
ambulatory care setting. Obstetricians/gynecologists, certified nurse
midwives (CNMs), and family practitioners who practice obstetrics on a
regular basis, are required to engage in a minimum of 21 hours per week
of outpatient clinical practice. The remaining hours, making up the
minimum 40-hour per week total, include delivery and other clinical
hospital-based duties. For all Corps personnel, time spent on-call does
not count toward the 40 hours per week. In addition, sites receiving
assignment of Corps personnel are expected to (1) report to the NHSC
all absences in excess of the authorized number of days (up to 35 work
days or 280 hours per contract year); (2) report to the NHSC any change
in the status of an NHSC clinician at the site; (3) provide the time
and leave records, schedules, and any related personnel documents for
NHSC assignees (including documentation, if applicable, of the
reason(s) for the termination of an NHSC clinician's employment at the
site prior to his or her obligated service end date); and (4) submit a
Uniform Data System (UDS) report. This system allows the site to assess
the age, sex, race/ethnicity of, and provider encounter records for,
its user population. The UDS reports are site specific. Providers
fulfilling NHSC commitments are assigned to a specific site or, in some
cases, more than one site. The scope of activity to be reported in UDS
includes all activity at the site(s) to which the Corps member is
assigned.
Evaluation and Selection Process
In approving applications for the assignment of Corps members, the
Secretary shall give priority to any such application that is made
regarding the provision of primary health services to a HPSA with the
greatest shortage. For the program year July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007,
HPSAs of greatest shortage for determination of priority for assignment
of Corps personnel will be defined as follows: (1) Primary care HPSAs
with scores of 14 and above are authorized for the assignment of Corps
members who are primary care physicians, family nurse practitioners
(NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) participating in the Scholarship
Program; (2) primary care HPSAs with scores of 12 and above are
authorized for the assignment of Corps members who are CNMs
participating in the Scholarship Program; (3) mental health HPSAs with
scores of 19 and above are authorized for the assignment of Corps
members who are psychiatrists participating in the Scholarship Program;
(4) dental HPSAs with scores of 19 and above are authorized for the
assignment of Corps members who are dentists participating in the
Scholarship Program; and (5) HPSAs (appropriate to each discipline)
with scores of 17 and above are authorized for priority assignment of
Corps members who are participating in the Loan Repayment Program.
HPSAs with scores below 17 will be eligible to receive assignment of
Corps personnel participating in the Loan Repayment Program only after
assignments are made of those Corps members matching to those HPSAs
receiving priority for placement of Corps members through the Loan
Repayment Program (i.e., HPSAs scoring 17 or above). Placements made
through the Loan Repayment Program in HPSAs with scores 16 or below
will be made by decreasing HPSA score, and only to the extent that
funding remains available. All sites on the list are eligible sites for
individuals wishing to serve in an underserved area but who are not
contractually obligated under the Scholarship or Loan Repayment
Program. A listing of HPSAs and their scores is posted at http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/
.
Sites qualifying for automatic primary care and dental HPSA
designations have been scored and may be authorized to receive
assignment of Corps members if they meet the criteria outlined above
and their HPSA scores are above the stated cutoffs. If there are any
sites on the list with an unscored HPSA designation, they are
authorized for the assignment of Corps personnel participating in the
Loan Repayment Program only after assignments are made of those Corps
members matching to scored HPSAs and only to the extent that funding
remains available. When these HPSAs receive scores, these sites will
then be authorized to receive assignment of Corps members if they meet
the criteria outlined above and their newly assigned scores are above
the stated cutoffs.
The number of new NHSC placements through the Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Programs allowed at any one site are limited to the
following:
(1) Primary Health Care.
(a) Loan Repayment Program--no more than 2 physicians (MD or DO);
and no more than a combined total of 2 NPs, PAs, or CNMs
(b) Scholarship Program--no more than 2 physicians (MD or DO); and
no more than a combined total of 2 NPs, PAs, or CNMs
(2) Dental.
(a) Loan Repayment Program--no more than 2 dentists and 2 dental
hygienists
(b) Scholarship Program--no more than 1 dentist
(3) Mental Health.
(a) Loan Repayment Program--no more than 2 psychiatrists (MD or
DO); and no more than a combined total of 2 clinical or counseling
psychologists; licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional
counselors, marriage and family therapists, or psychiatric nurse
specialists
(b) Scholarship Program--no more than 1 psychiatrist
Application Requests, Dates and Address
The list of HPSAs and entities that are eligible to receive
priority for the placement of Corps personnel may be updated
periodically. Entities that no longer meet eligibility criteria,
including HPSA score, will be removed from the priority listing.
Entities interested in being added to the high priority list
[[Page 36350]]
must submit an NHSC Recruitment and Retention Assistance Application
to: National Health Service Corps, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 8A-08,
Rockville, MD 20857, fax 301-594-2721. These applications must be
submitted on or before the deadline date of March 30, 2007.
Applications submitted after this deadline date will be considered for
placement on the priority placement list in the following program year.
Any changes to this deadline will be posted on the NHSC Web site at
http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov.
Entities interested in receiving application materials may do so by
calling the HRSA call center at 1-800-221-9393. They may also get
information and download application materials from: http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/applications/rraa.cfm
.
Additional Information
Entities wishing to provide additional data and information in
support of their inclusion on the proposed list of HPSAs and entities
that would receive priority in assignment of Corps members, must do so
in writing no later than July 26, 2006. This information should be
submitted to: Susan Salter, Chief, Site Identification and Application
Branch, Division of National Health Service Corps, 5600 Fishers Lane,
Room 8A-08, Rockville, MD 20857. This information will be considered in
preparing the final list of HPSAs and entities that are receiving
priority for the assignment of Corps personnel.
Paperwork Reduction Act: The Recruitment & Retention Assistance
Application has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget
under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB clearance number is 0915-
0230.
The program is not subject to the provision of Executive Order
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented
through 45 CFR part 100).
Dated: June 16, 2006.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-9974 Filed 6-23-06; 8:45 am]
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