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Programmatic Recommendations
1.) The Committee recommends that
the statutory authorization of the Advisory
Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based
Linkages be reauthorized.
2.) The Secretary and Congress should
amend Section 755(b)(3) to read, “Carrying
out demonstration projects in which chiropractors
and physicians collaborate to identify
and provide effective treatment for spinal
and lower-back conditions or planning
and implementing interdisciplinary projects
for chiropractic students in programs
collaborating with other health professions
and at least one allied health profession.”
3.) The Committee supports
its previous recommendation to move podiatry
to Section 747. The Committee requests
an additional $1 million to support program
development for podiatric students and
residents to participate in interdisciplinary
education models as part of their education
track.
4.) The Committee supports its previous
recommendation in the Second Report that
states, “Create a new Section 757 (through
removal of Section 755(b)(1)(j)) to support
behavioral mental health for graduate
psychology education (Section 757a), geriatric
psychology education (Section 757b), and
graduate social work education (757c).”
The Committee also requests an increase
in appropriations to $7.7 million.
Recommendations
for Allied Health
5.) The Secretary and Congress should
appropriate funding, no less than the
previous level of $35 million, under Title
VII, Section 755 specifically for allied
health programs to support interdisciplinary,
community-based education and training
projects. With this additional funding,
HRSA should consider funding traineeships
as authorized under Section 755(b)(1)(i).
6.) Congress should expand the legislative
authorities in Title VII, Section 755(b)(1)
to include:
- Innovative projects designed to
meet specifically defined and well justified
local and regional allied health training
needs (L);
- Faculty development demonstration
grants to address severe faculty shortages
in allied health profession programs
including interdisciplinary, community-based
faculty fellowships in allied health
(M);
- Projects that establish partnerships
with existing HRSA workforce centers
to collect, analyze, and report data
on the allied health workforce, access,
and diversity and provide reports on
workforce issues to Congress (N);
- Projects that provide incentives
for partnerships with local higher education
institutions such as 2-year community
colleges, tribal colleges, historically
Black colleges and universities (HBCUs),
and Asian/Pacific Islander and/or Hispanic-serving
institutions (O);
- Projects that provide rapid transition
training programs in allied health fields
to individuals who have certificates
and/or associate, and baccalaureate
degrees in health-related sciences (B);
and
- Projects that expand or establish
demonstration centers to emphasize best
practices and innovative models to link
allied health clinical practice, education,
and research (H).
7.) Congress should enact the Allied
Health Reinvestment Act (AHRA) with the
inclusion of Title VII, Section 755 with
revisions proposed by this Committee in
this report.
Recommendations for Interdisciplinary
Education and Training
8) The Committee recommends that the
following definition for interdisciplinary
educational development and training be
used by BHPr for all Title VII Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Training Grant Programs.
“Interdisciplinary educational development
and training is defined as the collaborative
process by which an interdisciplinary
team of health care professionals—faculty,
clinical preceptors, community health
care providers—collaborate, plan, and
coordinate an interdisciplinary program
of education and training. The collaborative
process requires the preparation and functioning
of interdisciplinary teams who share knowledge
and decision making with the purpose of
creating solutions to health care problems
that transcend conventional discipline-specific
methods and work together in service of
patient-centered and/or community-centered
health care needs.”
9) BHPr should require through the
grant guidance application process that
applicants describe the interdisciplinary
learning objectives, identify the interdisciplinary
competencies, describe how these will
be evaluated and measured in all Title
VII Interdisciplinary, Community-Based
Training Grant Programs, and discuss plans
for institutionalizing these interdisciplinary
education and training projects.
10) BHPr should develop common interdisciplinary
performance and outcome measures to evaluate
the effectiveness of interdisciplinary
education and training programs funded
by Title VII, Part D.
11) BHPr should support interdisciplinary
education in all programs through its
guidance, technical assistance, and creation
of opportunities for mentorship, networking,
and dissemination of best practice models.
12) Based on the growing body of evidence,
including multiple Institute of Medicine
(IOM) reports, that interdisciplinary
care results in increased patient satisfaction
and improved health outcomes, the Committee
recognizes the importance of interdisciplinary
education and training and recommends
that BHPr facilitate a joint meeting of
appropriate advisory committees or advisory
committee representatives to discuss interdisciplinary
education and training.
13) The Committee recommends that
HRSA convene a consensus conference on
interdisciplinary professional education
and training or make interdisciplinary
professional education and training a
significant topic of the next BHPr all
grantee meeting.
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