Bill Text: IA SF458 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the establishment of a psychiatric practitioner loan repayment program. (Formerly SF 285.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-03-16 - Read first time, referred to Human Resources. H.J. 682. [SF458 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2017-SF458-Introduced.html
Senate File 458 - Introduced SENATE FILE BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO SF 285) A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the establishment of a psychiatric 2 practitioner loan repayment program. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 2234SV (3) 87 pf/nh PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 135.191 Psychiatric practitioner 1 2 loan repayment program. 1 3 1. For the purposes of this section: 1 4 a. "Psychiatric practitioner" means a psychiatrist licensed 1 5 pursuant to chapter 148, a psychiatric advanced registered 1 6 nurse practitioner as defined in section 125.2 or 229.1, or a 1 7 physician assistant with a certificate of added qualifications 1 8 in mental health or psychiatry or practicing under the 1 9 supervision of a psychiatrist. 1 10 b. "Qualified provider" means a community mental health 1 11 center designated in accordance with chapter 230A, a provider 1 12 designated to serve as the community mental health center by 1 13 the county in which the provider is located, or a health care 1 14 provider that is a nonprofit organization which is exempt from 1 15 federal income taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the 1 16 Internal Revenue Code serving patients of whom at least forty 1 17 percent are Medicaid program recipients that is located in an 1 18 area that is not a federally designated health professional 1 19 shortage area. 1 20 2. The department shall establish a psychiatric 1 21 practitioner loan repayment program to provide loan repayment 1 22 to psychiatric practitioners who comply with the requirements 1 23 of the program and are employed by qualified providers. 1 24 3. An applicant for loan repayment under this section shall, 1 25 in accordance with the rules of the department, do all of the 1 26 following: 1 27 a. Complete and file an application, including any 1 28 information required by the department. The applicant shall 1 29 be responsible for the prompt submission of any information 1 30 required by the department. 1 31 b. Complete and return, on a form approved by the 1 32 department, an affidavit of practice verifying that the 1 33 applicant is a psychiatric practitioner employed by a qualified 1 34 provider. 1 35 4. A program agreement shall provide that in order to 2 1 receive loan repayment under this section, the individual shall 2 2 agree to engage in practice as a psychiatric practitioner with 2 3 a qualified provider for a period of at least four consecutive 2 4 years. 2 5 5. a. A psychiatric practitioner who meets the requirements 2 6 of this section is eligible for loan repayments for not more 2 7 than four consecutive years. 2 8 b. The annual amount of loan repayment awarded to a 2 9 psychiatric practitioner under this section shall be based on 2 10 the amount of the psychiatric practitioner's outstanding loans 2 11 and shall not exceed twenty=five thousand dollars for each 2 12 completed full=time work year which commences upon employment 2 13 with a qualified provider. For psychiatric practitioners who 2 14 work less than full=time, the loan repayment shall not exceed 2 15 an amount that is prorated according to the number of hours 2 16 worked. 2 17 c. A psychiatric practitioner receiving loan repayment 2 18 under this section shall file an initial application with the 2 19 department and shall submit information annually as required by 2 20 the department on the basis of which the applicant's continued 2 21 eligibility for the loan repayment program will be evaluated 2 22 and determined. 2 23 6. Moneys appropriated for the program shall be deposited 2 24 in the health care workforce shortage fund created in section 2 25 135.175, and notwithstanding section 135.175, subsection 6, 2 26 paragraph "c", are appropriated to the department specifically 2 27 to be used for the purposes of the program. 2 28 7. The department shall submit in a report to the general 2 29 assembly by January 1, annually, the number of psychiatric 2 30 practitioners who received loan repayments pursuant to this 2 31 section, the amount paid to each psychiatric practitioner under 2 32 this section, and any other information the department deems 2 33 appropriate. 2 34 8. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 2 35 to administer this section. 3 1 Sec. 2. Section 135.175, subsection 6, paragraph b, Code 3 2 2017, is amended to read as follows: 3 3 b. State programs that may receive funding from the fund 3 4 and the accounts in the fund, if specifically designated for 3 5 the purpose of drawing down federal funding or if specifically 3 6 created to address health care workforce shortages in the 3 7 state, are the primary care recruitment and retention endeavor 3 8 (PRIMECARRE), the Iowa affiliate of the national rural 3 9 recruitment and retention network, the primary care office 3 10 shortage designation program, the state office of rural 3 11 health, and the Iowa health workforce center, administered 3 12 through the bureau of health care access of the department of 3 13 public health; the area health education centers programs at 3 14 Des Moines university == osteopathic medical center and the 3 15 university of Iowa; the Iowa collaborative safety net provider 3 16 network established pursuant to section 135.153; any entity 3 17 identified by the federal government entity through which 3 18 federal funding for a specified health care workforce shortage 3 19 initiative is received; the psychiatric practitioner loan 3 20 repayment program created in section 135.191; and a program 3 21 developed in accordance with the strategic plan developed by 3 22 the department of public health in accordance with sections 3 23 135.163 and 135.164. 3 24 EXPLANATION 3 25 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 26 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 27 This bill directs the department of public health 3 28 (department) to establish a psychiatric practitioner loan 3 29 repayment program to be administered by the department to 3 30 provide repayment of loans to psychiatric practitioners who 3 31 comply with the requirements of the program and are employed 3 32 by a qualified provider. 3 33 The bill defines "psychiatric practitioner" as a 3 34 psychiatrist, psychiatric advanced registered nurse 3 35 practitioner, or a physician assistant with a certificate 4 1 of added qualifications in mental health or psychiatry or 4 2 practicing under the supervision of a psychiatrist; and 4 3 "qualified provider" as a community mental health center, a 4 4 provider designated to serve as the community mental health 4 5 center by the county in which the provider is located, or 4 6 a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mental health provider that serves 4 7 patients, of whom at least 40 percent are Medicaid program 4 8 recipients that is located in an area that is not a federally 4 9 designated health professional shortage area. 4 10 The bill requires an applicant to complete and file an 4 11 application, including any information required by the 4 12 department, and complete and return on a form approved by 4 13 the department, an affidavit of practice verifying that the 4 14 applicant is a psychiatric practitioner employed by a qualified 4 15 provider. 4 16 The program agreement is to provide that in order to 4 17 receive loan repayment, the individual shall agree to engage 4 18 in practice as a psychiatric practitioner with a qualified 4 19 provider for a period of at least four consecutive years. 4 20 A psychiatric practitioner is eligible for loan repayments 4 21 for not more than four consecutive years. The annual amount 4 22 of the loan repayment awarded shall be based on the amount of 4 23 the psychiatric practitioner's outstanding loans and shall not 4 24 exceed $25,000 for each completed full=time work year which 4 25 commences upon employment with a qualified provider. For 4 26 psychiatric practitioners who work less than full=time, the 4 27 loan repayment shall not exceed an amount that is prorated 4 28 according to the number of hours worked. 4 29 A psychiatric practitioner receiving loan repayment shall 4 30 file an initial application and shall submit information, 4 31 annually, as required by the department on the basis of which 4 32 the applicant's continued eligibility for the loan repayment 4 33 program will be evaluated and determined. 4 34 The bill provides that moneys appropriated for the program 4 35 shall be deposited in the health care workforce shortage fund 5 1 and are appropriated to the department specifically to be used 5 2 for the purposes of the program. 5 3 The bill requires the department to submit in a report to 5 4 the general assembly by January 1, annually, the number of 5 5 psychiatric practitioners who received loan repayments, the 5 6 amount paid to each psychiatric practitioner, and any other 5 7 information the department deems appropriate. 5 8 The department is required to adopt rules to administer the 5 9 bill. 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