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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce shortage designations

Designating Health Professional Shortage Areas and Medically Underserved Populations/Medically Underserved Areas: A Primer on Basic Issues to Resolve
Includes discussion for interested parties considering issues related to the designation of Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Describes key issues on how the designations establish eligibility for programs important to rural healthcare delivery.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Persistent Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Health Care Access in Rural America
Examines the persistence of primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation among rural counties, and the role of low population, low socioeconomic status, and limited access to healthcare services in perpetuating shortages.
Author(s): Mark P. Doescher, Meredith A. Fordyce, Susan M. Skillman, J. Elizabeth Jackson, Roger A. Rosenblatt
Date: 09/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The 2008 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Includes a 20 year retrospective on rural health and human services.
Date: 04/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Problems Remain With Primary Care Shortage Area Designation System
Reviews the number and location of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and federal programs that use HPSA designations to allocate resources or provide benefits. Discusses available research on HPSA designation criteria and methodology. Addresses the impact of a 2002 provision that automatically designates Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and certain Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) as facility HPSAs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2006
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Evaluation of Alternative Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Definitions in Washington State
Technical brief describing the differences in Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation status of the 124 Health Service Areas (HSAs) in Washington State that result when the current designation system is used and provider counts versus provider full-time equivalencies (FTEs) are used.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, L. Gary Hart
Date: 08/2006
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Who is Caring for the Underserved? A Comparison of Primary Care Physicians and Nonphysician Clinicians in California and Washington
Compares the geographic distribution and patient populations of physician and nonphysician primary care clinicians. Includes the proportion of clinicians within each discipline practicing in rural areas, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and areas with vulnerable populations.
Author(s): Kevin Grumbach, L. Gary Hart, Elizabeth Mertz, Janet Coffman, Lorella Palazzo
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 1(2), 97-104
Date: 07/2003
Type: Document
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Seasonal Population Fluctuations in Rural and Frontier Areas: Phase One: The View from State Offices of Rural Health
Describes the impact that seasonal population changes have on the provision of health services in rural and frontier areas.
Date: 06/2003
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Frontier Communities
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Addressing Mental Health Workforce Needs in Underserved Rural Areas: Accomplishments and Challenges
Reviews efforts to address mental health workforce needs in underserved rural areas. Includes a history of federal efforts to address rural mental health workforce needs. Discusses Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (MHPSA) designations.
Author(s): Donna C. Bird, Patricia Dempsey, David Hartley
Date: 10/2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Health Care Shortage Areas: Designations Not a Useful Tool for Directing Resources to the Underserved
Discusses the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Area (MUA) designations and how well these designations help target federal resources to benefit those who are underserved.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/1995
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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State of Georgia Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P)
Map showing the Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) in Georgia by county.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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