Final Program Requirements and Review Criteria for Cooperative Agreements for Centers for Medical Education Research for Fiscal Year 1994

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Final Program Requirements and Review Criteria for Cooperative

Agreements for Centers for Medical Education Research for Fiscal Year

1994

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces

the final program requirements and review criteria for fiscal year (FY)

1994 Cooperative Agreements for Centers for Medical Education Research.

These cooperative agreements are funded under the authority of section

781, title VII of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the

Health Professions Education Extension Amendments of 1992, Pub. L. 102-

408, dated October 13, 1992.

Section 781 authorizes research on certain health professions

issues. For this cooperative agreement program, research focuses on the

medical education aspects of this legislation and ``medical education''

is defined as education provided to individuals working toward the M.D.

or D.O. degree, or as post-graduate M.D./D.O. education in an

accredited residency or fellowship program.

Purpose

The purpose of the Cooperative Agreements for Centers for Medical

Education Research is to support research in medical education,

especially regarding existing or proposed federal policies and programs

and regarding the impact of Federal initiatives aimed at improving the

training of health professionals and at meeting national workforce

goals.

Section 781 of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the

Secretary to award cooperative agreements for the purpose of:

(a) conducting research on the extent to which the debt incurred by

medical students for attendance at educational institutions has had a

detrimental effect on the decisions made by the students on entering

primary care specialties;

(b) conducting research on the effects that federally-funded

educational programs or policies for minority or disadvantaged

individuals have on:

(A) the number of such individuals attending health professions

schools;

(B) the number of such individuals completing the programs of

education involved; and

(C) the decisions made by such individuals on which of the health

professions specialties to enter;

(c) conducting research on the effectiveness of the States in

protecting the public health through:

(1) identifying health care providers with respect to whom

investigations of professional qualifications are warranted;

(2) conducting such investigations; and

(3) taking disciplinary actions against health care providers

determined through such investigations to have engaged in conduct

inconsistent with protecting the public health;

(d) conducting research:

(A) to determine the extent to which Federal programs and related

financial incentives influence the percentage of medical school

graduates selecting a primary care career;

(B) to determine the extent to which Federal programs and related

financial incentives adequately support the training of mid-level

primary care providers relative to other health professions education

receiving Federal assistance;

(C) to assess the impact that direct and indirect payments for

graduate medical education (including the appropriateness of payments

for independent, ambulatory training sites) have on increasing the

percentage of physicians graduating from medical school who enter

primary care careers;

(D) to assess the impact of medical school admissions policies on

specialty selection and recommend ways admission policies can better

facilitate and promote the selection of primary care as a medical

career;

(E) to assess the impact of Federal funding for biomedical research

on the design of medical school curriculum and the availability of

primary care educational opportunities;

(F) to assess the impact of medical school curriculum, including

the availability of clinical training in ambulatory care settings, on

the percentage of physicians selecting primary care residencies and

selecting primary care as a medical career; and

(G) to assess the extent to which current physician payment

policies under resource based relative value scale are sufficient to

encourage physicians graduating from medical school to enter and remain

in primary care careers.

In conducting research relative to effect of programs for minority

and disadvantaged individuals, the applicant will make findings

specific to the following categories of health professions schools:

(A) Health professions schools of historically black colleges and

universities.

(B) Other health professions schools attended by a substantial number

of minority individuals.

(C) Health professions schools generally.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include public and non-profit private entities.

This program was announced in the Federal Register at 59 FR 32444,

dated June 23, 1994. The program requirements and review criteria were

proposed for public comment. No comments were received during the 30

day comment period. Therefore, the program requirements and review

criteria remain as proposed.

Final Program Requirements

The award recipient shall participate in the cost of the program as

follows: For each year funds are awarded under this program, the

matching contribution shall be at least one-third of the amount of the

Federal award for that year. Up to 50% of the recipient's matching

contribution may be in the form of in-kind donations of faculty time,

staff time, use of computers or other shared resources.

In addition, each applicant shall evidence that training related to

medical education research is occurring or is planned by the

organization.

Final Review Criteria

The review of applications will take into consideration the

following criteria:

(1) The qualifications and achievements of the proposed center's

principal investigator and senior researchers, including level of

productivity and quality of research in medical education;

(2) Demonstration of an understanding of the particular subject

areas of medical education research that are relevant to Federal

policies and evidence of ability to manage research in such areas;

(3) The appropriateness of the time commitments of the principal

investigator and senior researchers;

(4) The strength of the applicant's plan to actively promote

dissemination of research findings to all health professionals involved

in education and training--including those whom are primarily

practitioners, and to relevant policy makers;

(5) The appropriateness of the proposed budget;

(6) The planned level of commitment to the center from the

applicant institution, as evidenced by specific plans for the type of

financial support that will be offered, and for support of the

organizational structure of the center. Evidence of a prior

institutional commitment to generalizable research in medical education

will also be sought;

(7) The past success and future potential of the proposed center's

researchers in receiving funding from other sources; and

(8) The likely effectiveness of the organizational and management

arrangements to operate the proposed center.

Additional Information:

If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact:

Dr. Brian Goldstein, Office of Health Professions Analysis and

Research, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services

Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 8-47, 5600 Fishers Lane,

Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 443-6936, FAX: (301) 443-

0463.

This program, Cooperative Agreements for Centers for Medical

Education Research, is listed at 93.222 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: September 13, 1994.

James A. Walsh,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 94-23094 Filed 9-16-94; 8:45 am]

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