[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1495-1496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-223]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Criteria for Determining Priorities Among Correctional Facility 
Health Professional Shortage Areas

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

[[Page 1496]]


ACTION: General notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of section 333A(b)(1) of 
the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the Health Care 
Safety Net Amendments of 2002, 42 U.S.C. 254f-1(b)(1), the Secretary of 
HHS shall establish the criteria which she will use to make 
determinations under section 333A(a)(1)(A) of the health professional 
shortage areas (HPSAs) with the greatest shortages. This notice sets 
forth revised criteria for determining correctional facility HPSA 
scores.

DATES: Effective January 10, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CAPT Phil Budashewitz, Director, 
Office of Policy and Program Development, Bureau of Clinician 
Recruitment and Service, Health Resources and Services Administration, 
5600 Fishers Lane, Parklawn Building, Room 8A-55, Rockville, Maryland 
20857, ((301) 594-4130).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 332 of the PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 254e, 
provides that the Secretary shall designate HPSAs based on criteria 
established by regulation. HPSAs are defined in Section 332 to include 
(1) urban and rural geographic areas with shortages of health 
professionals, (2) population groups with such shortages, and (3) 
facilities with such shortages. The required regulations setting forth 
the criteria for designating HPSAs are codified at 42 C.F.R. Part 5.
    Section 333A(a)(1)(A) of the PHS Act requires that the Secretary 
give priority in the assignment of National Health Service Corps 
personnel to entities serving HPSAs with the greatest health 
professional shortage. Section 333A(b) of the PHS Act requires that the 
Secretary establish criteria specifying the manner in which she 
determines HPSAs of greatest shortage and publish the criteria, and any 
revisions to the criteria, in the Federal Register. The criteria 
established by the Secretary create a method for scoring HPSAs based on 
relative shortage.

Correctional Facility HPSA Scores

    Correctional facility HPSA scores are currently extrapolated from 
the degree-of-shortage (DOS) groups determined in the primary care, 
mental health, and dental HPSA designation process. See 42 CFR part 5, 
Appendices A, B and C. The determination of DOS groups for these 
facilities is based primarily on internee/inpatient-to-provider ratios, 
which is similar to the population-to-provider ratio used for other 
types of HPSAs. This notice revises the criteria for scoring primary 
care, mental health and dental correctional facility HPSAs. The 
Secretary will utilize a combination of the correctional facility's DOS 
group and an indicator of the supply of providers in the geographic 
area where the facility is located, as measured by the designation of a 
geographic HPSA and its relative geographic HPSA score.
    The table below defines the points correctional facilities will 
receive based on their DOS group:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Degree-of-Shortage Group 1.................  12 points.
Degree-of-Shortage Group 2.................  6 points.
Degree-of-Shortage Group 3.................  3 points.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The table below defines the points correctional facilities will 
receive based on their location in a geographic HPSA and the geographic 
HPSA's score:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geographic HPSA score between 20-25 (20-26   12 points.
 in the case of dental or mental health
 HPSAs).
Geographic HPSA score between 14-19........  9 points.
Geographic HPSA score between 8-13.........  6 points.
Geographic HPSA score between 1-7..........  3 points.
Not located in a geographic HPSA...........  0 points.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Points for the DOS and the geographic HPSA score will be equally 
weighted. The maximum HPSA score for a correctional facility is 24.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The criteria used to make determinations under section 
333A(a)(1)(A) of the HPSAs with the greatest shortages described in 
this announcement will not involve data collection activities that fall 
under the purview of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. If the 
methods for determining HPSAs with the greatest shortages fall under 
the purview of the Paperwork Reduction Act, HRSA will seek OMB 
clearance for proposed data collection activities.

    Dated: January 4, 2012.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-223 Filed 1-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P