Code of Maine Rules › 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › 144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL › Chapter 504 - RULE TO IMPLEMENT 1985 MAINE MEDICAL COMPACT ACT AND OSTEOPATHIC STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM › Section 144-504-1 - Definitions

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
The following words and phrases shall have the following
				  meanings:
a. Family/General
				Practitioner (for the purposes of determining eligibility for forgiveness) - a
				licensed physician whose practice assumes continuing responsibility for
				supervising the health and coordinating the care of all family members,
				regardless of age. This practitioner generally provides the basic medical
				services given when a patient first seeks assistance from the medical care
				system and provides for care of the simpler and more common illnesses. The
				provider of these services usually also assumes ongoing responsibility for the
				patient in both health maintenance and therapy of illness. These services are
				comprehensive in the sense that the provider takes responsibility for the
				coordination of the care of the patient's health problems, be they biological,
				behavioral or social. The appropriate use of consultants and community
				resources is an important part of an effective family/general medical practice.
				Such work demands specific skills including functioning as a medical manager,
				advocate, educator and counselor for the patient.
b. Pediatric Practitioner (for the purposes
				of determining eligibility for forgiveness) - a licensed physician whose
				practice assumes responsibility for providing continuing medical care dealing
				with the development of infants, children, and adolescents, and with the
				treatment of their diseases, along with counseling and prevention.
c. Primary Care Physicians (for the purpose
				of determining underserved areas) - are active doctors or medicine (MD) and
				doctors of osteopathy (D.O.) who spend at least 60 percent of their active
				practice time engaged in direct patient care in the medical fields of general
				or family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, or obstetrics and
				gynecology. These fields of medicine are defined through use of the American
				Medical Association Specialty and Osteopathic Physician Practice Area
				classification as reported in the Bureau of Health Planning and Development's
				Cooperative Health Manpower Resources Inventories. For this purpose, no
				distinction shall be made between civilian physicians and National Health
				Service Corps physicians and other federal physicians (except those who
				exclusively serve Indiana or an military bases).
d. Underserved Geographic Area - is a Primary
				Care Analysis Area (PCAA), population group specialty area, or service area
				that meets the criteria stated below in Section
				3 of this rule.
e. Full-Time- Equivalent Primary Care
				Physician - in a primary care physician who provides patient care an average of
				forty hours per week. For primary care physicians who provide patient care for
				fewer than forty hours per week, every four hours spent in providing patient
				care will be counted as a 0.1 full-time equivalent.
f. Population to Primary Care Physician Ratio
				- is determined by dividing the population of a Primary Care Analysis Area by
				the number of full-time equivalent primary care physicians who practice within
				the Area. The ratio for each Primary Care Analysis Area will be expressed as a
				number of people per one primary care physician (e.g., 2100:1).
g. Contiguous Area-Primary Care Providers -
				are those primary care physicians who are located in areas that are contiguous
				to the PCAA that is being considered for placement of a contract student.
				Contiguous area primary care providers will be considered overutilized if the
				population to primary care physician ratio exceeds 1500:1 in the contiguous
				area.