This regulation applies to the assignment of National Health Service Corps personnel under section 333 et seq. of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254f) to provide health services in or to health manpower shortage areas as designated under section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e).

As used in this subpart:

Act means the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

Assigned National Health Service Corps personnel or Corps personnel means health personnel of the Regular and Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and civilian personnel as designated by the Secretary including, but not limited to, physicians, dentists, nurses, and other health professions personnel who are assigned under section 333 of the Act and this regulation.

Health manpower shortage area means the geographic area, the population group, the public or nonprofit private medical facility or any other public facility which has been determined by the Secretary to have a shortage of health manpower under section 332 of the Act and its implementing regulation (42 CFR part 5).

National Health Service Corps site means the entity to which personnel have been assigned under section 333 of the Act and this regulation to provide health services in or to health manpower shortage area.

Nonprofit private entity means as entity which may not lawfully hold or use any part of its net earnings to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and which does not hold or use its net earnings for that purpose.

Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services and any other officer or employee of that Department to whom the authority involved has been delegated.

Any public or nonprofit private entity which is located in a health manpower shortage area, or has a demonstrated interest in the shortage area, may apply for the assignment of National Health Service Corps personnel.

(a) An application for the assignment of National Health Service Corps personnel must be submitted to the Secretary by an eligibe applicant in the form and at the time prescribed by the Secretary. 1 The application must be signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant and to assume on behalf of the applicant the obligations imposed by law, the Act, this regulation, and any additional conditions of assignment imposed under these authorities.

(b) In addition to other pertinent information required by the Secretary, an application for the assignment of Corps personnel must include—

(1) A description of the applicant's overall organizational structure;

(2) A justification of the request for the assignment of personnel based upon the needs of the health manpower shortage area;

(3) A description of the applicant's financial plan for operating the National Health Service Corps site including a proposed budget, sources of non-Federal support obtained, and the proposed expenditures for obtaining adequate support staff, equipment and supplies;

(4) A list of the proposed fees and discounted fees to be charged for the provision of health services; and

(5) If an entity wishes to request an interest free loan (not to exceed $50,000) under section 335(c) of the Act to assist the applicant in establishing the practice of the assigned National Health Service Corps personnel, a detailed justification of the amount requested must be included.

(c) An application for assignment must include evidence that the applicant has provided a copy of the completed application for review to (1) each health systems agency designated under section 1515 of the Act for the health service area which includes all or part of the health manpower shortage area for which as assignment of National Health Service Corps personnel is sought or (2) if no health systems agency has been designated for such a health service area, to each State health planning and development agency designated under section 1521 of the Act for each State which includes all or part of the health manpower shortage area for which an assignment of National Health Service Corps personnel is sought.

(d) If an application for assignment is filed by an applicant which had previously been assigned National Health Service Corps personnel under an agreement entered into under section 329 of the Act as in effect before October 1, 1977, or under section 334 of the Act, the applicant must provide the information the Secretary considers necessary to make the determinations required by section 333(a)(1)(D) of the Act.

(a) In approving or disapproving an application for assignment of Corps personnel, the Secretary will consider, among other pertinent factors:

(1) The applicant's ability and plans to meet the operational requirements in § 23.8.

(2) The administrative and managerial capability of the applicant.

(3) The soundness of the applicant's financial plan for operating the National Health Service Corps site.

(4) The extent to which community resources will be used in operating the National Health Service Corps site.

(5) Comments received from any designated health systems agency or any designated State health planning and development agency to which an application was submitted for review under § 23.4(c).

(6) Comments received from health professional societies serving the health manpower shortage area.

(b) Special consideration for the assignment of Corps personnel will be given to the entity which is located in a health manpower shortage area over an entity which is not located in a health manpower shortage area but has a demonstrated interest in it.

(a) The Secretary may, upon approving an application for the assignment of personnel and after entering into an agreement with an applicant under § 23.7, assign National Health Service Corps personnel to provide health services in or to a health manpower shortage area.

(b) In assigning National Health Service Corps personnel to serve in a health manpower shortage area, the Secretary will seek to assign personnel who have those characteristics which will increase the probability of their remaining to serve in the health manpower shortage area upon completion of the period of assignment. In addition, the Secretary will apply a weighted-value system in which the first factor listed below is assigned the greatest weight and the second, and third factors are assigned lesser weights in descending order:

(1) The need of the health manpower shortage area as determined by criteria established under section 332(b) of the Act.

(2) The willingness of individuals, government agencies, or health entities within the health manpower shortage area to cooperate with the National Health Service Corps in providing effective health services.

(3) The comments of health professional societies serving the health manpower shortage area.

(a) Requirements. To carry out the purposes of section 334 of the Act, each National Health Service Corps site must enter into an agreement with the Secretary under which the site agrees to:

(1) Be responsible for charging for health services provided by assigned National Health Service Corps personnel;

(2) Take reasonable action for the collection of the charges for those health services;

(3) Reimburse the United States the sums required under section 334 of the Act; and

(4) Prepare and submit an annual report. The agreement will set forth the period of assignment (not to exceed 4 years), the number and type of Corps personnel to be assigned to the site, and other requirements which the Secretary determines necessary to carry out the purposes of the Act.

(b) Termination. An agreement entered into under this section may be terminated by either party on 30-days written notice or modified by mutual consent consistent with section 333 of the Act.

Each National Health Service Corps site must:

(a) Operate a health care delivery system within a planned or existing community structure to assure:

(1) The provision of high quality comprehensive health care;

(2) To the extent feasible, full professional health care coverage for the health manpower shortage area;

(3) Continuum of care; and

(4) The availability and accessibility of secondary and tertiary health care (the two more sophisticated levels of health care beyond primary care);

(b) Establish and maintain a patient record system;

(c) Implement a system for maintaining the confidentiality of patient records;

(d) Meet the requirements of applicable fire and safety codes;

(e) Develop, to the extent feasible, linkages with other health care facilities for the provision of services which supplement or complement the services furnished by the assigned Corps personnel;

(f) Operate a quality assurance system which meets the requirements of 42 CFR 51c.303(c) for the establishment and operation of a quality assurance system in a community health center; and

(g) Establish basic data, cost accounting, and management information and reporting systems as prescribed by the Secretary.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, individuals receiving services from assigned National Health Service Corps personnel must be charged on a fee-for-service or other basis at a rate which is computed to permit recovery of the value of the services and is approved by the Secretary.

(b) In determining whether to approve fees to be charged for health services, the Secretary will consider: The costs to the National Health Service Corps of providing the health services; the costs to the health manpower shortage area for providing the services; and the charges for similar services by other practitioners or facilities in or nearby the health manpower shortage area. However, if assigned National Health Service Corps personnel are providing services within the framework of an established health services delivery system, the Secretary may approve the fees charged under that system without regard to the foregoing factors.

(c)(1) No charge or a nominal charge will be made for health services provided by assigned National Health Service Corps personnel to individuals within the health manpower shortage area with annual incomes at or below the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). However, no individual will be denied health services based upon inability to pay for the services. Any individual who has an annual income above the poverty guidelines but whose income does not exceed 200 percent of the poverty guidelines, will receive health services at a nominal charge. However, charges will be made for services to the extent that payment will be made by a third party which is authorized or under legal obligation to pay the charges.

(2) The provisions of this paragraph also apply with respect to services provided by an individual who is fulfilling an NHSC scholarship obligation under section 753 or who received a special grant under section 755.

(a) The Secretary may waive in whole or in part the reimbursement requirements of section 334(a)(3) of the Act if he determines that:

(1) The National Health Service Corps site is financially unable to meet the reimbursement requirements or that compliance with those requirements will unreasonably limit the ability of the site to adequately support the provision of services by assigned Corps personnel. In making these determinations, the Secretary will consider—

(i) The costs necessary to adequately support the health services provided by the assigned National Health Service Corps personnel and the income and financial resources available to meet the costs;

(ii) The ability of the applicant to obtain credit from suppliers, lending institutions, private organizations and individuals;

(iii) The need of the health manpower shortage area for health services; and

(iv) The extent to which the National Health Service Corps site utilizes health professions personnel.

(2) A significant percentage of the individuals who are located in the health manpower shortage area and are receiving the health services of the assigned National Health Service Corps personnel are elderly, living in poverty, or have other characteristics which indicate an inability to pay. For purposes of this section, “elderly” means persons 65 years or older and the “CSA Income Poverty Guidelines” will be used as the standard for determining whether individuals are living in poverty. Other characteristics indicating inability to pay include, but are not to be limited to, the ratio of unemployment in the health manpower shortage area and the area's cost-of-living index.

(b) The Secretary may waive in whole or in part the reimbursement requirements of section 334(f)(1) of the Act if he or she determines that the National Health Service Corps site is a small health center (as defined by section 334(f)(5) of the Act) that needs all or part of the amount otherwise payable to—

(1) Expand or improve its provision of health services;

(2) Increase the number of individuals served;

(3) Renovate or modernize facilities for its provision of health services;

(4) Improve the administration of its health service programs; or

(5) Establish a financial reserve to assure its ability to continue providing health services;

(c) Where the Secretary determines that a National Health Service Corps site is eligible for a waiver under paragraph (a) (1) or (2) of this section. the Secretary may waive the application of the reimbursement requirements of section 334(a)(3) of the Act and apply the reimbursement requirements of section 334(f)(1) of the Act. The Secretary may waive in whole or in part the reimbursement requirements of section 334(f)(1) for such a site if he or she determines that the National Health Service Corps site meets the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section. Funds retained by a National Health Service Corps site as a result of such waiver must be used for the purposes set forth in paragraphs (b) (1) through (5) of this section.

(d) Requests for a prospective or retrospective waiver must be made at the time and in the manner and contain the documentation prescribed by the Secretary.

(a) Upon expiration of the assignment of all Corps personnel to a health manpower shortage area, the Secretary may sell equipment and other property of the United States used by the assigned personnel. The equipment may be sold at the fair market value or less than the fair market value to any entity providing health services in or to a health manpower shortage area if the Secretary determines that an entity is unable to pay the fair market value. In determining whether an entity is financially unable to purchase equipment or property at fair market value, the Secretary will consider (1) the present financial resources of the entity available to purchase the equipment or property based upon its current liabilities, and (2) the entity's ability to obtain the funds necessary to purchase the equipment or property. However, the Secretary will not sell the equipment or property for less than fair market value to a profitmaking organization unless the organization gives reasonable assurance that it will use the equipment or property to provide health services in or to the health manpower shortage area.

(b) The Secretary will give priority to sales to an entity providing reasonable assurance that it will use the equipment or property for the purpose of retaining within the health manpower shortage area National Health Service Corps personnel who have completed their assignments.

Assigned National Health Service Corps personnel will at all times remain under the direct supervision and control of the Secretary. Observance of institutional rules and regulations by the assigned personnel is a mere incident of the performance of their Federal functions and does not alter their direct professional and administrative responsibility to the Secretary.

National Health Service Corps sites are advised that in addition to complying with the terms and conditions of this regulation, the following laws and regulations are applicable—

(a) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (43 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) and its implementing regulations, 45 CFR part 80 (prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs on the grounds of race, color, or national origin); and

(b) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) and its implementing regulations, 45 CFR part 84 (prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs on the basis of handicap).

(c) The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.) and its implementing regulations, 45 CFR part 91 (prohibiting nondiscrimination on the basis of age in HHS programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance).