Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant Increase in the Rate'' for Implementation of the General Statutory Funding Preference, Final Funding Priority and Special Consideration for Grants for Predoctoral Training in Family Medicine

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant

Increase in the Rate'' for Implementation of the General Statutory

Funding Preference, Final Funding Priority and Special Consideration

for Grants for Predoctoral Training in Family Medicine

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces

the final minimum percentages for ``high rate'' and ``significant

increase in the rate'' for implementation of the General Statutory

Funding Preference and final funding priority and special consideration

for fiscal year (FY) 1994 for Grants for Predoctoral Training in Family

Medicine authorized under the authority of section 747(a), title VII of

the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended by the Health

Professions Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Public Law 102-408,

dated October 13, 1992.

Purpose

Section 747(a) of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the

award of grants to assist in meeting the cost of planning, developing

and operating or participating in approved predoctoral training

programs in the field of family medicine. Grants may include support

for the program only or support for both the program and the trainees.

General Statutory Funding Preference

As provided in section 791(a) of the PHS Act, preference will be

given to any qualified applicant that--

(A) has a high rate for placing graduates in practice settings

having the principal focus of serving residents of medically

underserved communities; or

(B) during the 2-year period preceding the fiscal year for which an

award is sought, has achieved a significant increase in the rate of

placing graduates in such settings. This preference will only be

applied to applications that rank above the 20th percentile of

applications that have been recommended for approval by the peer review

group.

A proposed notice was published in the Federal Register on October

5, 1993 at 58 FR 51836 for public comment. No comments were received

during the 30-day comment period. Therefore, the final minimum

percentages for ``high rate'' and ``significant increase in the rate'',

final funding priority and special consideration for this program will

be retained as follows:

Final Minimum Percentages for ``High Rate'' and ``Significant Increase

in the Rate'' for Implementation of the General Statutory Funding

Preference

``High rate'' is defined as a minimum of 20 percent of graduates of

the medical school in academic year 1988-89 or 1989-90.

``Significant increase in the rate'' means that the rate of placing

academic year 1989-90 graduates in the specified settings is at least

50 percent higher than the rate of placing academic year 1988-89

graduates in such settings and that not less than 15 percent of

academic year 1989-90 graduates are working in these areas. Academic

years 1988-89 and 1989-90 are used because they are the two most recent

years that medical school graduates would have entered practice

following the completion of residency training.

Final Funding Priority

In addition, a funding priority will be given to applicants based

on their level of accomplishment in relation to the outcome or process

measures cited below:

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

Outcome measures Points Process measures

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

--25% of students who 100 .............................

graduated in 1991, 1992 and

1993 entered family practice

residencies.

--20% of students who 75 .............................

graduated in 1991, 1992 and

1993 entered family practice

residencies.

--15% of students who 50 --Required 3rd year Family

graduated in 1991, 1992 and Medicine clerkship* (of at

1993 entered family practice least 4 weeks).

residencies.

--12% of students who 35 --Required primary care

graduated in 1991, 1992 and preceptorship/mentorship

1993 entered family practice program* in preclinical

residencies. years.

20 --Full departmental status at

time of application.

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

*Curricular elements must be in place at the time of application or the

applicant must provide satisfactory evidence (including commitments

from institutional officials) that the clerkship or preceptorship will

be operational by the beginning of the third year of the grant.

Applicants may only receive priority points in one of the above seven

categories.

Final Special Consideration

Special consideration will be given to the degree to which

applicants demonstrate that prior year funding has increased the

percentage of graduates who select Graduate Training in Family

Practice.

Additional Information

If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact:

Mrs. Betty Ball, Primary Care Medical Education Branch, Division of

Medicine, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services

Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 9A-20, Parklawn Building,

Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 443-3614, FAX: (301) 443-

8890.

This program is listed at 93.896 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance. It is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order

12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs, (as implemented

through 45 CFR part 100).

This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting

Requirements.

Dated: June 13, 1994.

Ciro V. Sumaya, M.D., M.P.H.T.M.,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 94-14712 Filed 6-16-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160-15-P