[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41249-41251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19628]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Statement of Organization, Functions and Delegations of Authority

    This notice amends Part R of the Statement of Organization 
Functions and Delegations of Authority of the Department of Health and 
Human Services (DHHS), Health Resources and Services Administration 
(HRSA) as last amended at (60 FR 56605, November 6, 1995 and most 
recently amended at 66 FR 35981, July 10, 2001).
    This notice is to amend the functional statements for the Bureau of 
Health Professions and the Bureau of Primary Health Care. Specifically, 
this notice will move the functions of the Division of National Health 
Service Corps (RC5), the Division of Scholarships and Loan Repayment 
(RC6) and the Division of Shortage Designation (RC8) in the Bureau of 
Primary Health Care and place them in the Bureau of Health Professions. 
A statement outlining HRSA's reorganization aims is set forth at the 
end of this notice.

Section RP Function

A. Revise the functional statement for the Bureau of Health Professions 
(RP) as follows:

Bureau of Health Professions (RP)
    Provides national leadership in coordinating, evaluating, and 
supporting the development and utilization of the Nation's health 
personnel. Specifically: (1) Assesses the Nation's health personnel 
supply and requirements and forecasts supply and requirements for 
future time periods under a variety of health resources utilization 
assumptions; (2) collects and analyzes data and disseminates 
information on the characteristics and capacities of the Nation's 
health personnel production systems; (3) proposes new or modifications 
to existing Departmental legislation, policies, and programs related to 
health personnel development and utilization; (4) develops, tests and 
demonstrates new and improved approaches to the development and 
utilization of health personnel within various patterns of health care 
delivery and financing systems; (5) provides financial support to 
institutions and individuals for health professions education programs; 
(6) administers Federal programs for targeted health personnel 
development and utilization; (7) provides leadership for promoting 
equity and diversity in access to health services and health careers 
for under-represented minority groups; (8) provides technical 
assistance, consultation, and special financial assistance to national, 
State, and local agencies, organizations, and institutions for the 
development, production, utilization, and evaluation of health 
personnel; (9) provides linkage between Bureau headquarters and HRSA 
Field Office activities related to health professions education and 
utilization by providing training, technical assistance, and 
consultation to Field Office staff; (10) coordinates with the programs 
of other agencies within the Department, and in other Federal 
Departments and agencies concerned with health personnel development 
and health care services; (11) provides liaison and coordinates with 
non-Federal organizations and agencies concerned with health personnel 
development and utilization; (12) in coordination with the Office of 
the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, serves 
as a focus for technical assistance activities in the international 
aspects of health personnel development, including the conduct of 
special international projects relevant to domestic health personnel 
problems; (13) administers the National Vaccine Injury Compensation 
Program; (14) administers the National Practitioner Data Bank Program; 
(15) administers the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank 
Program; (16) administers the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Program; 
(17) administers the Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education 
(CHGME) Payment Program; (18) administers the National Health Service 
Corps Program which assures accessibility of health care in under-
served areas; (19) plans the activities of the National Health Service 
Corps Advisory Council; (20) administers the Public Health Service 
Scholarship Training Program and the National Health Service Corps 
Scholarship Loan Repayment Program; and (21) administers the 
designation of health professional shortage areas and medically under-
served populations.

B. Revise the functional statements for the Bureau of Primary Health 
Care (RC) as follows:

Bureau of Primary Health Care (RC)
    Provides national leadership in developing, coordinating, 
evaluating, and assuring access to comprehensive preventive and primary 
health care services and improving the health status of the Nation's 
under-served and vulnerable populations. Specifically: (1) Assesses the 
Nation's health care needs of under-served populations; (2) assists 
communities in providing quality health care services, demonstrating 
new and improved approaches for providing access to health care and 
improved health care delivery, and creating new access through 
community development, expansion and partnerships; (3) administers the 
Consolidated Health Center Program; (4) develops comprehensive 
integrated systems of care for under-served communities and 
populations; (5) decreases health disparities through the targeting of 
resources to those populations at increased risk of negative health 
outcomes; (6) promotes the integration of primary care services with 
mental health, counseling and dental health services; (7) develops 
innovative strategies for serving special populations and difficult to 
serve sub-populations; (8) provides leadership for promoting equity, 
diversity, and cultural competency in access to health care services 
for under-served populations; (9) coordinates with other Federal 
agencies and various other organizations involved in health care access 
and utilization, integrated systems of care, and improvement of health 
status for under-served populations; (10) supports national, State, 
local, community, voluntary, public and private entities to help 
primary health care and health-related organizations meet the needs of 
vulnerable, under-served, and special populations; (11) provides policy 
leadership, programmatic direction and consultation for HRSA Field 
Office staff on activities related to community-based primary health 
care; (12) administers the Black Lung Clinics Program and the Native 
Hawaiian Health Systems Program; (13) provides leadership and direction 
for the National Hansen's Disease Program; (14) administers a national 
health care program in support of the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service; and (15) administers the Section 340B Drug Pricing Program.

[[Page 41250]]

C. Delete the Division of National Health Service Corps (RC5) in the 
Bureau of Primary Health Care and place the function in the Bureau of 
Health Professions

D. Delete the Division of Scholarship and Loan Repayment (RC6) in the 
Bureau of Primary Health Care and place the function in the Bureau of 
Health Professions

E. Delete the Division of Shortage Designation (RC8) in the Bureau of 
Primary Health Care and place the function in the Bureau of Health 
Professions

F. Establish the Division of National Health Service Corps (RPH) in the 
Bureau of Health Professions (RP)

Division of National Health Service Corps (RPH)
    Provides (1) strategic planning and overall policy guidance, and 
program oversight to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC); (2) 
initiates national program and policy changes, including regulatory and 
statutory amendments, as necessary, to ensure NHSC consistency with 
evolving national health care policy; (3) supports the NHSC National 
Advisory Council (NAC), which advises the Secretary, DHHS, on national-
health-care policy, particularly as it affects health-manpower issues 
and the NHSC; (4) works with the Office of the Administrator and the 
Office of the Secretary to ensure that the NAC member are nationally 
recognized leaders in national health-care-policy issues, and in their 
respective primary-health-care disciplines; (5) provides national NHSC 
leadership, integration and coordination with HRSA and other 
Departmental programs serving or impacting the Nation's under-served 
communities and populations; (6) works directly with Bureau, Agency, 
intra-Agency, Departmental, and inter-Departmental organizations and 
staffs, as appropriate, on national policies and strategies affecting 
underserved populations and the development and distribution of primary 
care clinical personnel; (7) speaks for NHSC with national, regional, 
State, and local public and private health-care-professional 
associations, universities and other health-professions training 
institutions and other groups whose public policy interests relate to 
primary-health-care manpower and access issues; (8) articulates NHSC 
policy interests and issues to a variety of national forums, including 
universities, foundations, think tanks, and other organizations whose 
interests in primary and other health-care public policy issues have 
potential for affecting the NHSC; (9) provides policy guidance and 
support to HRSA field offices; and (10) coordinates NHSC policy on 
primary and other health care manpower issues, and works with a wide 
variety of national, regional, State and local constituencies in 
ensuring their effective implementation.

G. Establish the Division of Scholarships and Loan Repayments (RPI) in 
the Bureau of Health Professions (RP)

Division of Scholarships and Loan Repayments (RPI)
    Responsible for the administration of the Public Health Service 
Scholarship Training Program and the National Health Service Corps 
(NHSC) Scholarship Program. Specifically: (1) directs and administers 
these programs, including the recruitment, application, selection and 
awarding of scholarship funds and deferment and service monitoring 
systems in close coordination with the NHSC; (2) develops and 
implements program plans and policies and operating and evaluation 
plans and procedures; (3) monitors obligatory service requirements and 
conditions of deferment for compliance; (4) provides guidance and 
technical assistance for field office and educational institutions on 
the NHSC scholarship program; (5) maintains liaison with, and provides 
assistance to, program-related public and private professional 
organizations and institutions; (6) maintains liaison with the Office 
of the General Counsel and the Office of the Inspector General, DHHS; 
(7) coordinates financial aspects of programs with educational 
institutions; (8) develops program data needs, formats and reporting 
requirements including collection, collation, analysis and 
dissemination of data; and (9) participates in the development of 
forward plans, legislative proposals and budgets.

H. Establish the Division of Shortage Designation (RPJ) in the Bureau 
of Health Professions (RP)

Division of Shortage Designation (RPJ)
    The Office of the Director, provides national and Division-wide 
direction, leadership, and perspective in the effective management of 
the designation of health professional shortage areas and medically-
under-served populations. Specifically: (1) Maintains and enhances the 
Agency's critical role in the Nation's efforts to address equitable 
health-professional distribution and access to health care for under-
served populations; (2) encourages and fosters an ongoing, positive 
working relationship with other Federal, State and private sector 
partners; (3) approves designation requests performed by the Training 
and Community Support Branch (TACSB), finalizing designation policies 
and procedures for both current and proposed designation criteria; and 
(4) negotiates and approves State designation agreements (e.g., use of 
databases, population estimates, Statewide Rational Service Areas, 
etc.).

Section RF-30 Delegation of Authority

    All delegations of authority which were in effect immediately prior 
to the effective date hereof have been continued in effect in them or 
their successors pending further re-delegation. I hereby ratify and 
affirm all actions taken by any DHHS official which involved the 
exercise of these authorities prior to the effective date of this 
delegation.
    This reorganization is effective upon the date of signature.

    Dated: July 31, 2001.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Acting Administrator.

HRSA Reorganization Aims at Better Coordination for Health 
Professions Programs, Improved Support for Multi-Year Expansion of 
Community Health Centers

    Overview: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
has announced reorganization of some functions in order to improve its 
ability to deliver quality primary and preventive health care to needy 
Americans, through better coordination of its health professions 
programs, and through increased focus and resources for Community 
Health Centers.

HRSA Mission

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources 
and Services Administration (HRSA) supports a community-based network 
of quality primary and preventive health care services that form the 
foundation of the nation's health care safety net. Currently, millions 
of Americans lack quality health care because they have no insurance or 
cannot afford the care they require. HRSA's mission is to expand the 
nation's capacity to provide access to health care for all Americans.
    To fulfill this mission, HRSA supports some 3,200 Community Health 
Centers and affiliated clinics nationwide and oversees their operation. 
President Bush has proposed to expand this function significantly over 
the next five years. HRSA also helps educate sufficient numbers of 
health care professionals and places them where the need for their 
services is greatest.

[[Page 41251]]

    HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care is responsible for funding and 
oversight of the community health center network, while the Bureau of 
Health Professions is responsible for programs that attract, prepare, 
fund, distribute and retain a diverse health professions workforce in 
medically underserved areas.

Current Structure

    Under HRSA's current structure, the Bureau of Primary Health Care 
has included three divisions that deal with issues, which actually fall 
within the Bureau of Health Professions' normal range of 
responsibilities:
     Division of the National Health Service Corps, which 
recruits health professionals into the National Health Service Corps 
and matches them with communities in Health Professional Shortage 
Areas;
     Division of Scholarships and Loan Repayments, which 
manages the National Health Service Corps' scholarship and loan 
repayments programs; and the
     Division of Shortage Designation, which reviews 
applications received from states for Health Professional Shortage 
Areas and Medically Underserved Areas/Populations and designates 
communities that meet program criteria.

Reorganization

    HRSA's reorganization plan will transfer these three divisions from 
the Bureau of Primary Health Care to the Bureau of Health Professions. 
This will allow HRSA to streamline and rationalize its organization by 
placing within a single bureau the entire spectrum of recruitment, 
training, loan, scholarship and placement programs for health 
professionals.
    At the same time, the reorganization will enable the Bureau of 
Primary Health Care to focus on the proposed rapid expansion of direct 
health care services for Americans without access to care. President 
Bush's proposed increases in Community Health Centers would double the 
number of persons served by the centers.
     The consolidation of HRSA's health professions programs 
within the Bureau of Health Professions will increase the internal 
coordination needed to ensure that the right number of health care 
professionals serve in the right communities. It will allow the bureau 
to offer a ``menu of options'' for health professionals' development 
through both the National Health Service Corps and the Public Health 
Service Act's Title VII and VIII programs.
     The restructuring also will give the Bureau of Health 
Professions responsibility for President Bush's proposed National 
Health Service Corps Presidential Management Reform Initiative. 
Designed to improve the Corps' service to America's neediest 
communities, the reform initiative will examine several issues, 
including the ratio of scholarships to loan repayments and other set-
asides, and will consider amending the Health Professional Shortage 
Area definition to include non-physician providers and J-1 and H-1C 
visa providers practicing in communities. These efforts will enable the 
NHSC to more accurately define shortage areas and target placements to 
areas of greatest need.
     The reorganization will allow the Bureau of Primary Health 
Care to focus its staff and resources on its core responsibility--the 
Community Health Centers program. This increased focus is essential 
because President Bush's proposed Health Centers Presidential 
Initiative intends to increase the number of Community Health Center 
access sites over the next five years by 1,200--from 3,200 to 4,400. 
This planned increase will allow HRSA-funded centers and clinics to 
double the number of people they serve annually to 22 million. Most of 
these people have no health insurance.

[FR Doc. 01-19628 Filed 8-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P