Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 195 - GEORGIA BOARD FOR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE
Chapter 195-20 - GEORGIA PHYSICIAN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
Rule 195-20-.01 - General Definitions

(1) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce" means the organization and its office created under O.C.G.A. § 49-10-1 and authorized to administer the Georgia Physician Loan Repayment Program.

(2) "Georgia Physician Loan Repayment Program (GPLRP)" refers to that program of the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce authorized under O.C.G.A. § 31-34-1 et seq., and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) which awards financial loans to physicians who desire to practice in medically underserved rural communities of Georgia.

(3) "Loan" refers to the service repayable grant awarded by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to physicians who are desirous of becoming practicing physicians in rural, underserved areas of Georgia. Pursuant to matching GPLRP/HRSA federal grants.

(4) "Loan Repayment" refers to repayment of all or a portion of the recipient's outstanding medical education and training loan debt.

(5) "Qualifying debt" is any debt held by a Government (Federal, State or Local) and/or commercial loans from an established lending institution, identifiable as origination from the debt incurred to obtain a medical education, fully disclosed at the time of application, and is currently not in default even if the creditor now considers the defaulted loan to be in good standing.

(6) "Medical Education and Training Loan Debt" refers to loans incurred by the applicant to finance his/her medical education and training that remain unpaid during the contract period.

(7) "Eligible and Qualified Applicant" refers to, as minimum qualifications, a physician with outstanding medical educational and training loan debt, holding a current, unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Georgia and not having any outstanding contractual obligation for health professional service to the Federal Government, a State, or other entity, who desires to serve in a Board-approved, medically underserved rural area of Georgia.

(8) "Graduate Medical Education Training Program" means a graduate medical education program located in the United States which has received accreditation or provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association designed to qualify the graduate for licensure by the Georgia Composite Medical Board.

(9) "Recipient" means any person who receives any amount of funding from the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce/Georgia Physician Loan Repayment Program.

(10) "Service Repayment" means the period of service earned by the physician as approved by the Board, toward repayment of the service cancelable loan in professional medical services rendered by the recipient and as required under the provisions of the loan contract.

(11) "Credit" means that amount of time credited to the recipient for services rendered incompliance with the provisions of the contract. Credit is typically applied one year of funding for each year of service rendered in compliance with the repayment provisions of the contract.

(12) "Rural and Underserved Area" means a the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce approved rural county in Georgia with a population of 50,000 or less according to the United States decennial census of 2010 or any future such census.

(13) "Health Professional Shortage Area," or HPSA, means a geographic area designated by the federal Department of Health and Human Services as requiring additional primary care or mental health physicians to meet health care needs.

(14) "Contract Renewal" means the yearly renewal of the loan repayment contract between the recipient and the Board. The contract period shall be two years and may be renewed for two one-year periods for a total not to exceed four (4) years and a total amount not exceeding 100,000.

(15) "Priority of Specialty" refers to the priority of award consideration given to physician applicants as determined on an annual basis by the Board and recorded in the official minutes.

(16) "Award Amount" refers to the annual amount obligated to a loan repayment recipient. The Board shall determine the award amount. At its annual meeting, the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce may, within its discretion, set the award amount for new loans within the limit of the appropriated funds for the budget year. Said amount shall be set forth in the official minutes of the Board.

(17) "Targeted County" means any of those counties targeted by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce as an area of severe medical need that is also designated by the federal government as a Health Professional Shortage Area.

(18) "Default" means breach of contract by the recipient in failing to begin or failing to complete the contractual service obligation of the Georgia Physician Loan Repayment Program.

(19) "Full Time" refers to 40 hours of work required per week to fulfill service obligations. Full time is considered at least 32 clinical hours providing direct patient care during normal clinic hours at the approved practice site. Remaining eight hours must be spent providing inpatient care to patients and/or in practice-related administrative activities. On-call hours are not considered part of the full time requirement. Full time hours for an OB/GYN or Family Medicine physicians who practice OB are considered at least 21 of the minimum 40 hours work week must be spent providing direct patient care during normal clinic hours at the approved practice site. The remaining hours must be spent providing inpatient care to patients of the approved site, and/or in practice related administrative activities not to exceed 8 hours per week. 40 hours per week for General Surgery is combined clinical/office hours and surgery/inpatient care with no more than 8 hours per week devoted to practice related administrative duties. For all specialties employed under state jurisdiction, the full time equivalent as recognized by the respective state or federal agency is acceptable. No more than 7 weeks (35 workdays) per year can be spent away from the practice for vacation, holidays, continuing professional education, illness or any other reason. Absences greater than 7 weeks in a service year will extend the service commitment.

(20) "Practice" refers to providing direct patient care in Board approved rural and underserved areas located within the State of Georgia, which are also HPSAs designated as by United States Department of Health and Human Service.

(21) "Direct Patient Care" refers to hands on, face-to-face contact with patients for the purpose of diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.

(22) "Non-Profit Private Entity" means an 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 (42 C.F.R. 62.52).

(23) "For-Profit Health Facilities Operated by Non-Profit Organizations" refers to those organizations that accept reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, utilize a sliding fee scale, and see all patients regardless of their ability to pay.