[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 122 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36348-36350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9974]


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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

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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

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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]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P