Health Resources and Services Administration June 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) announces the release of the revised user Guidebook. The NPDB is a confidential information clearinghouse created by Congress and intended to facilitate a comprehensive review of the professional credentials of health care practitioners, entities, and suppliers. The Guidebook is the primary policy document explaining the statutes and regulations behind and operation of the NPDB. It serves as an essential reference for NPDB users, offering reporting and querying examples, explanations, definitions, and frequently asked questions. The new Guidebook incorporates legislative and regulatory changes adopted since its last edition, including the NPDB's merger with the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank. In November 2013, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a draft Guidebook to the public for review and comment by NPDB stakeholders and other interested parties. It announced the draft Guidebook's availability in the Federal Register. HRSA received more than 360 separate comments, consisting of analyses of issues raised by the draft Guidebook. The NPDB carefully studied all comments received, and many led to detailed analyses of how NPDB explains its policies to its audiences. The final Guidebook is now available at www.npdb.hrsa.gov and replaces previous Guidebooks.

In accordance with the Awarding Agency Grants Administration Manual (AAGAM) Chapter 2.04.103, the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) has been granted a class deviation from the exceptions to maximum competition requirements contained in the AAGAM Chapter 2.04.104A-5 to provide additional funding without competition to the 37 Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) awarded under announcement HRSA-13-237, extending their December 1, 2014, to November 31, 2015, budget period through July 31, 2016. This action will align the project period end dates of all active HCCN grants and ensure maximum competition for a single HCCN funding opportunity in fiscal year (FY) 2016.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is issuing a limited competition for awards among the 40 current Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program grantees whose project periods end June 30, 2016. No more than $1,000,000 will be made available in federal fiscal year (FY) 2015 in the form of 1-year project period grants. These awards are specifically for interprofessional training of doctoral psychology graduate students and interns to address the psychological needs of military personnel, veterans, and their families in civilian and community-based settings, including those in rural areas. An estimated five grants will be awarded with a ceiling amount of $190,000 per grant for 1 year. These funds will be used to establish, expand, and/or enhance activities that were funded under the FY 2013 GPE Program. Program funds are to be used for stipend support for interns and doctoral students, faculty development, curriculum and instructional design, program content enhancement, program infrastructure development, and the supervision and training support of interns.