DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE BILL NO. 98

AS AMENDED BY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE HEALTH CARE COMMISSION HEALTH CARE PROVIDER LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend § 9903, Title 16 of the Delaware Code by making insertions as shown by underline and deletions as shown by strikethrough as follows:

§ 9903. Duties and authority of the Commission.

(j) The Commission shall be responsible for the administration of a Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (HCPLRP). The HCPLRP must be administered consistent with all of the following guidelines:

(1) Subject to the appropriation of sufficient funds, the Commission may award education loan repayment grants to qualifying clinicians of up to $50,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years.

(2) Eligible sites may apply to the Commission on behalf of their affiliated, qualifying clinicians for education loan repayment grants from the HCPLRP. Sites eligible to apply for education loan repayment grants on behalf of their qualifying clinicians include all of the following sites located in underserved areas or areas of need:

a. Hospital primary care practices.

b. Private practices.

c. Federally-qualified health centers.

d. Community outpatient facilities.

e. Community mental health facilities.

f. Free medical clinics.

g. School-based health centers.

(3) Health care provider loan repayment grants may only be awarded by the Commission to sites that accept Medicare and Medicaid participants, and may not include concierge practices. To be eligible for a health care provider loan repayment grant, private practice sites and eligible practitioners must participate in the Voluntary Initiative Program administered by the Department of Health and Social Services’ Health Care Connection. Health care provider loan repayment grants to hospital sites must be subject to a dollar-for-dollar match by the applicant hospital.

(4) The award of health care provider loan repayment grants must be limited to the recruitment and retention of new primary care and dental providers in ambulatory and outpatient settings. For purposes of this paragraph, a new primary care and dental provider means any of the following providers who have completed graduate education within 6 months 2 years of the application for a health care provider loan repayment grant being submitted:

a. Physicians practicing family medicine (including osteopathic general practice), internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/ gynecology, geriatrics, and psychiatry.

b. Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, Licensed Psychologists, Licensed Professional Counselors of Mental Health, Masters of Psychology , Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and physicians physician assistants practicing adult medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry/mental health, geriatrics, and women’s health.

c. Dental clinicians possessing a DDS or DMD and practicing general, pediatric, or public health dentistry.

(5) The Commission may grant priority consideration to applications submitted on behalf of primary care and dental clinicians that are DIMER or DIDER -participating students or participants in Delaware-based residency programs and may annually spend up to $150,000 on marketing and infrastructure to attract clinicians to apply to the HCPLRP.

(6) The Commission shall issue an annual report detailing the number of clinicians applying for and awarded health care provider loan repayment grants, including information regarding the number of applicants and grant recipients by practice area and site location.