[Federal Register: March 10, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 47)]
[Notices]
[Page 12742-12744]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10mr08-70]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Statement of Organization, Functions and Delegations of Authority
This notice amends Part R of the Statement of Organization,
Functions and Delegations of Authority of the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) (60 FR 56605-56606 as amended November 6, 1995; and as last
amended at 73 FR 4877, dated January 28, 2008.)
This notice reflects organizational changes in the Health Resources
and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions (RP).
Specifically, this notice updates the mission statement of the Bureau
of Health Professions (RP) and updates the functional statements of the
Bureau of Health Professions.
Chapter RP, Office of the Administrator
Section RP, 00 Mission
Delete in its entirety and replace with the following:
Increase the population's access to health care by providing
national leadership in the development, distribution and retention of a
diverse, culturally competent health workforce that can adapt to the
population's changing health care needs and provide the highest quality
of care for all.
Section RP-10, Organization
Delete in its entirety and replace with the following:
The Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) is headed by an Associate
Administrator, who reports directly to the Administrator, Health
Resources and Services Administration. The Bureau of Health Professions
includes the following components:
(1) Office of the Associate Administrator (RP);
(2) Office of Shortage Designation (RP2);
(3) Office of Workforce Policy and Performance Management (RP3);
(4) Division of Nursing (RPB);
(5) Division of Medicine and Dentistry (RPC);
(6) Division of Student Loans and Scholarships (RPD);
(7) Division of Diversity and Interdisciplinary Education (RPF);
and
(8) Division of Practitioner Data Banks (RPG).
Section RP-20, Functions
Delete the functional statement for the Bureau of Health
Professions (RP) in its entirety and replace it with the following:
Bureau of Health Professions (RP)
Provides national leadership in coordinating, evaluating, and
supporting the development and utilization of the Nation's health
personnel. Specifically: (1) Directs the national health professions
education, student assistance, and development programs and activities;
(2) provides policy guidance and staff direction to the Bureau; (3)
maintains liaison with other Federal and non-Federal organizations and
agencies with health personnel development interest and
responsibilities; (4) provides guidance and direction for technical
assistance activities in the international aspects of health personnel
development; (5) provides guidance and assistance to the Regional
Health Administrators or regional staff as appropriate; (6) directs and
coordinates Bureau programs in support of Equal Employment Opportunity;
(7) coordinates and provides guidance on the Freedom of Information Act
and Privacy Act activities; (8) plans, directs, coordinates, and
evaluates Bureau-wide administrative management activities; and (9)
serves as the Bureau's focal point for correspondence control.
Office of Shortage Designation (RP2)
Provides national leadership and management of the designation of
health professional shortage areas and medically-underserved
populations. Specifically: (1) Maintains and enhances the Agency's
critical role in the Nation's efforts to address equitable distribution
of health professionals and access to health care for underserved
populations; (2) encourages and fosters an ongoing, positive working
relationship with other Federal, State and private sector partners
regarding health professional shortage areas and medically-underserved
populations; (3) approves designation requests and finalizes
designation policies and procedures for both current and proposed
designation criteria; (4) negotiates and approves State designation
agreements (e.g., use of databases, population estimates, Statewide
Rational Service Areas); and (5) oversees grants to State primary care
offices.
Office of Workforce Policy and Performance Management (RP3)
Serves as the Bureau focal point for program planning, evaluation,
coordination, and analysis, including analysis and operations review of
Information Management systems; health professions data analysis and
research; and for health professions quality assurance efforts.
Maintains liaison with governmental, professional, voluntary, and other
public and private organizations, institutions, and groups for the
purpose of providing information exchange. Specifically the office is
responsible for the following activities: (1) Stimulates, guides, and
coordinates program planning, reporting, and evaluation activities of
the Divisions and staff offices; (2) provides staff services to the
Associate Administrator for program and strategic planning and its
relation to the budgetary and regulatory processes; (3) develops issue
papers and Congressional reports relating to Bureau programs; (4)
coordinates the development and implementation of the Bureau's
evaluation program; (5) coordinates Bureau performance measurement and
reporting; (6) sponsors and conducts research, special studies, and
forecasting models on important issues that affect the national, State
and local health workforce including studies relevant to current and
future policies of the Bureau and their impact on the supply and demand
for health professionals and the health industry at large; (7) provides
technical assistance to States, educational institutions, professional
associations and other Federal agencies relative to health personnel
analytical information and analysis; and (8) develops and coordinates
the Bureau data collection and modeling in conjunction with other
entities involved in data collection and
[[Page 12743]]
analysis, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ), the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Administration on
Aging (AOA).
Division of Nursing (RPB)
Serves as the principal focus for nursing education and practice.
Specifically: (1) Provides national leadership and professional nursing
expertise in the areas of policy development, budget, planning,
coordination, evaluation and utilization of nursing personnel
resources; (2) serves, on behalf of the Secretary, as the Chair of the
National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice; (3) supports
and conducts programs which address the development, supply,
utilization, and quality of nursing personnel; (4) promotes the
involvement of States and communities in developing and administering
nursing programs and assists States and communities in improving
nursing services and educational programs; (5) encourages coordination
of nursing-related issues within and across Departmental entities; (6)
facilitates coordination of nursing-related issues with other
governmental agencies and consults with them on national or
international nursing workforce planning and development issues; (7)
maintains liaison with external health professional groups, the
academic community, consumers, and State and community groups with a
common interest in the Nation's capacity to deliver nursing services;
(8) advances and promotes the development of effective models of
nursing practice and education; (9) stimulates initiatives in the area
of international nursing information exchange and nursing workforce
planning and development; and (10) provides overall direction and
management to the Division for both human and financial resources.
Division of Medicine and Dentistry (RPC)
Serves as the principal focus with regard to education, practice,
and research of health personnel, with special emphasis on allopathic
and osteopathic physicians, podiatrists, dentists, physician assistants
and clinical psychologists. Specifically: (1) Provides professional
expertise in the direction and leadership required by the Bureau for
planning, coordinating, evaluating, and supporting development and
utilization of the Nation's health personnel for these professions; (2)
supports and conducts programs with respect to the need for and the
development, use, credentialing, and distribution of such personnel;
(3) engages with other Bureau programs in cooperative efforts of
research, development, and demonstration on the interrelationships
between the members of the health care team, their tasks, education
requirements, training modalities, credentialing and practice; (4)
conducts and supports studies and evaluations of physician, dentist,
physician assistant, podiatrist and clinical psychologist personnel
requirements, distribution and availability, and cooperates with other
components of the Bureau and Agency in such studies; (5) analyzes and
interprets physician, dental, physician assistant, podiatrist and
clinical psychologist programmatic data collected from a variety of
sources; (6) conducts, supports, or obtains analytical studies to
determine the present and future supply and requirements of physicians,
dentists, physician assistants, podiatrists and clinical psychologists
by specialty and geographic location, including the linkages between
their training and practice characteristics; (7) conducts and supports
studies to determine potential national goals for the training and
distribution of physicians in graduate medical education programs and
develops alternative strategies to accomplish these goals; (8) supports
and conducts programs with respect to activities associated with the
international migration, domestic training, and utilization of foreign
medical graduates and U.S. citizens studying abroad; (9) maintains
liaison with relevant health professional groups and others, including
consumers, having common interest in the Nation's capacity to deliver
health services; (10) provides consultation and technical assistance to
public and private organizations, agencies, and institutions, including
Regional Offices, other agencies of the Federal Government, and
international agencies and foreign governments on all aspects of the
Division's functions; (11) provides administrative and staff support
for the Advisory Committee on Training and Primary Care Medicine and
Dentistry and for the Council on Graduate Medical Education; (12)
represents the Bureau, Agency and Federal Government, as designated, on
national committees and/or the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education (ACGME) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education (ACCME); (13) administers support programs for the
development, improvement, and the operation of general, pediatric, and
public health dental educational programs; (14) designs, administers
and supports activities relating to dentists; (15) provides technical
assistance and consultation to grantee institutions and other
governmental and private organizations on the operation of these
educational programs; (16) promotes the dissemination and application
of findings arising from programs supported; (17) develops
congressional and other mandated or special program-specific reports
and publications on dental educational processes, programs and
approaches; and (18) promotes, plans, and develops collaborative
educational activities in clinical psychology.
Division of Student Loans and Scholarships (RPD)
Serves as the focal point for overseeing loan and scholarship
programs supporting health professionals. Specifically: (1) Directs and
administers the Health Professions and Nursing Student Loan and
Scholarship Programs, the Federal Assistance to Disadvantaged Health
Professions Scholarship Program, the Health Educational Assistance Loan
Program, the Primary Care Loan Program, and the Nurse Faculty Loan
Program; (2) monitors and assesses educational and financial
institutions with respect to capabilities and management of Federal
support for students and of tracking of obligatory service
requirements; (3) develops and conducts training activities for staff
of educational and financial institutions; (4) maintains liaison with
and provides assistance to program-related public and private
professional organizations and institutions; (5) maintains liaison with
the Office of the General Counsel, and the Office of the Inspector
General, DHHS, components of the Department of Education and the
Department of Defense, and State agencies concerning student
assistance; (6) coordinates financial aspects of programs with
educational institutions; and (7) develops program data needs, formats,
and reporting requirements, including collection, collation, analysis
and dissemination of data.
Division of Diversity and Interdisciplinary Education (RPF)
Serves as the principal focal point for interdisciplinary health
professions issues and programs, including geriatric training, and for
activities to increase the diversity of the health professional
workforce. Specifically: (1) Provides leadership and direction for the
[[Page 12744]]
development and implementation of Bureau objectives as they relate to
diverse and disadvantaged populations; (2) develops and recommends
health resources and health career opportunities for diverse and
disadvantaged populations; (3) initiates, stimulates, supports,
coordinates, and evaluates Bureau programs for improving the
availability and accessibility of health careers for diverse and
disadvantaged populations; (4) conducts special studies and collects
baseline data to identify specific factors contributing to the health
and health-related problems of diverse and disadvantaged populations,
and to develop strategies for improving health services and career
opportunities for diverse and disadvantaged populations; (5) conducts
extramural programs, including the use of grants and contracts,
specifically designed to promote equity in access to health careers;
(6) promotes, designs, supports and administers activities relating to
the planning and development of nationally integrated health
professions education programs; (7) promotes, plans and develops
collaborative, interdisciplinary activities in the specialty areas of
behavioral/mental health, rural health, geriatrics and the associated
health professions, and other new and developing health disciplines;
(8) promotes quality improvement in health professions education
through collaboration and partnerships with national and international
institutes and centers for quality improvement; (9) promotes and
supports academic-community partnerships whose goal is the development
of interdisciplinary, community-based programs designed to improve
access to health care through improving the quality of health
professions education and training; (10) serves as the Federal focus
for the development and improvement of education for professional
public health, preventive medicine, environmental health, and health
administration practice, including undergraduate, graduate, and
continuing professional development; and (11) provides administrative
and staff support for the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Linkages.
Division of Practitioner Data Banks (RPG)
Coordinates with the Department and other Federal entities, State
licensing boards, and national, State and local professional
organizations to promote quality assurance efforts and deter fraud and
abuse by administering the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) as
authorized under Title IV of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of
1986 and Section 5 of the Medicare and Medicaid Patient and Program
Protection Act of 1987, and administering the Healthcare Integrity and
Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) for the Office of Inspector General.
Specifically: (1) Maintains active consultative relations with
professional organizations, societies, and Federal agencies involved in
the NPDB and HIPDB; (2) develops, proposes and monitors efforts for (a)
credentials assessment, granting of privileges, and monitoring and
evaluating programs for physicians, dentists, and other health care
professionals including quality assurance, (b) professional review of
specified medical events in the health care system including quality
assurance, and (c) risk management and utilization reviews; (3)
encourages and supports evaluation and demonstration projects and
research concerning quality assurance, medical liability and
malpractice; (4) conducts and supports research based on NPDB and HIPDB
information; (5) works with the Secretary's office to provide technical
assistance to States undertaking malpractice reform; and (6) maintains
liaison with the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of
Inspector General, HHS concerning practitioner licensing and data bank
issues.
Section RC-30, Delegations of Authority
All delegations of authority and re-delegations of authority made
to HRSA officials that were in effect immediately prior to this
reorganization, and that are consistent with this reorganization, shall
continue in effect pending further re-delegation.
This reorganization is effective upon the date of signature.
Dated: February 19, 2008.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E8-4601 Filed 3-7-08; 8:45 am]
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