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THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT /
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF |
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TO: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee |
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FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
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SUBJECT: |
Designation of Physician Shortage Areas (RPSAs) |
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DATE: |
August 7, 2006 |
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STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goal 3 |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
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Executive Summary
Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)
Should the Board of Regents approve the updates to the list of Regents Physician Shortage Areas as recommended by the Department of Health?
Proposed Handling
This item will come before the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee at its September 2006 meeting where it will be voted on and action taken. It will then come before the full Board at its September 2006 meeting for final action.
Procedural History
The Department of Health annually recommends updates to the list of Regents physician shortage areas. These updates usually occur at the September or October Regents meetings and include modifications to the following: Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSAs) – primary care shortage areas, Facility Physician Shortage Areas, State Facility Shortage Areas, and Mental Health Professions Shortage Areas.
Background Information
In 1987, the Board of Regents approved a system for identifying and designating areas of physician shortage. In September 1995, they made a decision to update the shortage area list once a year. In addition, at their September 1997 meeting, the Board of Regents modified the system by adding a category of Mental Health Professions Shortage Areas, along with the following categories of shortage areas:
· Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSA)
Federal
Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSAs) are used by the Federal government to
identify areas of primary care physician shortages. The Federal government requires that all
HPSA designations be updated every three years using the HPSA criteria. The basic eligibility criterion is the
physician-to-population ratio; in addition, infant mortality, physician
availability in contiguous areas, and other factors are also considered. The NYS Department of Health reviews and
comments on all requests for Federal HPSA designation.
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Counties where less than one-third of the recommended number of specialists in the 15 most common specialties are available.
· Hospital Non-Primary Care Specialty Shortage Areas
Hospitals
designated as RPSAs for non-primary care specialties as approved by the Board of
Regents in 1987. In order to
receive credit toward fulfillment of a service obligation, non-primary care
specialists are required to devote at least 50 percent of their practice to
Medicaid recipients and/or the uninsured.
The most recent data available (now 1993) on percentages of Medicaid and
self-pay days are used to identify hospitals where service-obligated specialists
may fulfill this obligation.
· State Facility Physician Shortage Areas
Facilities
operated by the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the
Office of Mental Health, and the Department of Correctional
Services.
· Facilities Providing Services to Special Populations Shortage Areas
Facilities
designated as serving special populations identified by the Regents as
experiencing special barriers to health care.
· Mental Health Professions Shortage Areas
Mental
Health Professions Shortage Areas are counties identified as having less than
one-third of the recommended number of mental health professionals and specific
areas and facilities designated by the federal government.
The Department of Health is now recommending updates to the list of Regents physician shortage areas approved in October 2005. Attachment I consists of recommended amendments to the various categories of shortage areas.
Recommendation
The Regents should approve the changes in the lists of designated physician shortage areas described in Attachment 1 with an effective date of January 1, 2007.
Timetable for Implementation
The changes to the list of designated physician shortage areas will be effective January 1, 2007.