Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 195-12-.01 - General Definitions
(1) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce"
means the organization and its office created under O.C.G.A. §
20-3-510 and authorized under
O.C.G.A. §
31-34-3 to administer the
Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance program.
(2) "Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance
Program (PRAA)" refers to that program of the Georgia Board of Health Care
Workforce authorized under O.C.G.A. §
31-34-1 through §
31-34-9, which awards financial
loans to physicians who desire to practice in rural communities of
Georgia.
(3) "Loans" refers to the
service repayable grant awarded by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
to applicants who are desirous of becoming practicing physicians in rural areas
of Georgia.
(4) "Loan Repayment"
refers to repayment of all or a portion of recipient's outstanding medical
education and training loan debt.
(5) "Qualifying debt" is any debt held by 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" as
defined under O.C.G.A §
31-34-4 refers to, as minimum
qualifications, a physician with outstanding medical education and training
loan debt, holding a current, unrestricted licensed to practice medicine in the
State of Georgia who desires to serve in a Board-approved, medically
underserved rural area of Georgia.
(8) "Medical School" means an institution of
medical education that has received accreditation or provisional accreditation
by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education of the American Medical
Association (LCME) or Bureau of Professional Education of the American
Osteopathic Association (AOA) for a program in medical education 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 /Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance 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 the amount of time
credited to the recipient for services rendered in compliance 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 of 50,000 population or less according to the United
States decennial census of 2010 or any future such census or at any hospital or
facility operated by or under the jurisdiction of Department of Public Health
or at any facility operated by or under the jurisdiction of the Department of
Corrections or at any facility operated by or under the jurisdiction of the
Department of Juvenile Justice or at any facility operated under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental
Disabilities. Facilities falling under jurisdiction of the mentioned state
agencies must include physician employment by approved agency or, in the case
of contracted employment, the physician must be treating patients of the
approved agency with equal provisions given to that agency's
missions.
(13) "Contract Renewal"
means the yearly renewal of the loan repayment contract between the recipient
and the Board. The contract period shall be renewable on a one-year basis for a
period not exceeding four years and a total amount not exceeding
$100,000.
(14) "Award Amount"
refers to the annual amount obligated to a loan repayment recipient. The award
amount shall be determined by the Board. At its annual meeting, the Board 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.
(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) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce"
means that agency of Georgia State Government created under O.C.G.A. §
49-10-1, that has responsibility
for monitoring the physician workforce needs of Georgia and identifying areas
of need by physician specialty and by geographic area.
(17) "Default" means breach of contract by
the recipient in failing to begin of failing to complete the contractual
service obligation of the Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance
Program.
(18) "Ad Damnum or Double
Damages" refers to the penalty resulting from a loan repayment recipient
defaulting on their contractual obligations. Default requires immediate
repayment of double the total principal amount received less any pro-rated
amount for repaid service as provided in the contract.
(19) "Cancellation of Contract" refers to the
discretionary power of the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to cancel any
contract for cause deemed sufficient by the Board provided such authority is
not exercised unreasonably or arbitrarily.
(20) "Full Time" refers to the minimum number
of hours of work required per week to fulfill services obligation. Full time is
considered at least 32 clinical hours providing direct patient care during
normal clinic hours at the approved practice site. Remaining hours must be
spent provided 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 OBGYN or Family Practice 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.
Notes
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