Title VII Health Professions Education and Training: Issues in Reauthorization (CRS Report for Congress)
Premium Purchase PDF for $24.95 (36 pages)
add to cart or
subscribe for unlimited access
Pro Premium subscribers have free access to our full library of CRS reports.
Subscribe today, or
request a demo to learn more.
| Release Date |
Revised Feb. 7, 2008 |
| Report Number |
RL32546 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Bernice Reyes-Akinbileje, Domestic Social Policy Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
-
Premium Dec. 21, 2005 (38 pages, $24.95)
add
|
Summary:
In 1963, responding to projections of an impending physician shortage, Congress passed the Health Professions Educational Assistance Act (P.L. 88-129). This act was the first comprehensive legislation to address the supply of health care providers. Relevant programs, authorized in Title VII of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), have evolved in subsequent reauthorizations, to provide grants to institutions for primary care curriculum and faculty development, scholarships and loans to individuals training in certain health professions, and other programs. Title VII programs are administered by the Bureau of Health Professions at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These programs are intended to counter market forces that encourage specialization, and instead aim to alleviate particular provider supply shortages, improve the placement of providers in underserved areas, and improve the racial and ethnic diversity of providers.
The most recent reauthorization of HRSA Title VII programs was in the Health Education Partnerships Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-392), which added authority for geriatrician training, and health workforce analysis, among others. Though authority for these programs expired at the end of FY2002, Congress has continued to fund most of them each year since then.
The effectiveness of Title VII health professions programs has long been a subject of debate. Evaluating program effectiveness is complicated by differing perspectives on the ultimate program goals, by continuous evolution of the programs, and by the influence of other federal and private sector programs on provider supply and demand. The unresolved debate about Title VII program effectiveness has resulted in recommendations from the Administration to eliminate many of these programs, recommendations which have persisted for many years.
This report will examine the legislative, programmatic and funding histories of Title VII health professions programs, and discuss issues including workforce analysis and evaluating program effectiveness. In addition, a number of social or market trends likely to affect the health professions, such as the aging population, will be discussed. This report will be updated as events warrant.
