The AHA encouraged the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to withdraw a proposal to change how it designates medically underserved populations and health professional shortage areas, stating issues with the changes and the data used to study the effect of those adjustments.
In a three-page comment letter to HRSA, AHA called for further field testing and analysis to determine the impact of the proposed changes. AHA stated it is not feasible to determine what designation or funding level a health center, clinic, population or area will receive under the HRSA's recommended index of primary care underservice. Second, AHA noted the data was created in 1999, which is outdated. “Finally, the analytical model HRSA developed to assess the potential impact of these proposed changes has not been widely distributed—making it difficult for communities and facilities to adequately assess the impact of the proposed rule,” AHA stated in the letter dated May 23. AHA urged HRSA to analyze their approach before making the policy change.
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