HPSA Dictionary

HRSA - U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Shortage Designation: HPSAs, MUAs & MUPs

HPSA Dictionary

Annual Review	Statute requires that HPSAs be reviewed annually. This is implemented by requiring updates of HPSAs more than three years old. For example, those HPSAs designated or last updated in 2001 were scheduled for review in 2005. Update requests are sent to State Primary Care Offices, Governors’ Offices and other organizations in the State. Those HPSAs for which no data is received are proposed for withdrawal (see “N” Status below).
FTE	Number of full-time equivalent non-Federal primary medical care/dental/mental health providers serving the area, population group, or facility.
Metro/NonMetro	County level Metropolitan Area Classifications are determined by Office of Management and Budget. More information is available at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Status	Undetermined - not designated; updated population or FTE count entered on date indicated Designated - new or continued designation Rejected - review of application shows it does not meet the criteria for designation Proposed Withdrawal - HPSA proposed for withdrawal based on review of application No New Data - HPSA proposed for withdrawal due to lack of new data being submitted as part of annual review Withdrawn - HPSA withdrawn at time of Federal Register Notice (FRN) publication. No New Data and Proposed Withdrawals convert to Withdrawn when the next FRN is published. Also a HPSA that has been replaced by a new one, such as a Population Group HPSA replacing a geographic one.
Type	Geographic Single County - whole county designated as HPSA Geographic Service Area - portions of a county, or portions of multiple counties, designated as a geographic HPSA Population Groups - a population within an area that is designated as a HPSA State Mental Hospitals - State run mental health inpatient facilities Correctional Institutions - Federal and State prisons and youth detention facilities Comprehensive Health Centers - entities receiving Section 330 funds to operate comprehensive health centers FQHC Look-a-Like - Federally Qualified Health Centers certified as meeting 330 requirements but not receiving grant funds Rural Health Clinic - certified as Rural Health Clinics by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services American Indian - Tribal Health and Urban Indian programs serving Federally Recognized tribes Alaska Native - sites run by and/or serving the Alaska Native populations IHS - Indian Health Service sites serving Federally Recognized tribes Other - public or private non-profit medical facilities demonstrated to serve a designated area or population group
Score	HPSA Scores are developed for use by the National Health Service Corps in determining priorities for assignment of clinicians. Scores range from 1 to 25 for primary care and mental health, 1 to 26 for dental. The higher the score, the greater the priority.
# Short	The number of FTE providers needed to remove the designation [also known as the de-designation threshold].

Related Links

State Primary Care Offices for designation application help and State shortage information

Exchange Visitor Program for physicians with J-1 visas working in HPSAs

National Health Service Corps scholarships & loan repayment in return for service at NHSC-approved sites in greatest-need HPSAs

Medicare PSA/HPSA Physician Bonus