Evaluating Need for Assistance Criteria and Weighting of Overall Criteria in the Requirements of Funding New Start and Grant Applications for Health Centers

Funder:	Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)
Research center:	North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center Phone: 919.966.5541
Lead researcher:	Thomas C. Ricketts, PhD , 919.966.5541, tom_ricketts@unc.edu
Project funded:	September 2005
Project completed:	December 2006
Topics:	Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) Health policy

Providers of services who wish to become part of, or continue to receive funding through, the health centers program must apply through the Bureau of Primary Health Care (the Bureau) as part of a stringent application process. A key component of the application is the completion of a Need for Assistance (NFA) worksheet that represents the first phase of a multi-tiered screening and award process. This project extends and enhances work done previously for the Bureau by developing a new approach and a new process for determining Need for Assistance (NFA) for Health Center applicants to the Bureau. Data submitted by applicants for assistance through the Bureau were examined, and then the effects of optional weighting and scaling of the data for the development of scores that allow for ranking and comparison of applications were tested. The project developed an updated method for calculating the NFA scores. This was then incorporated into the Bureau’s procedures and published as a P.I.N. in 2005.

The project will answer two key questions: Does the modified methodology for the NFA proposed by the Sheps Center under prior contract work accurately reflect and improve the assessment of relative need of different applicants? Are the review criteria properly selected and weighted appropriately to help assure that the Health Center program accurately and effectively targets the neediest areas? Statistical evaluation of the NFA data from the entire FY 2004 New Start and Expansion applications (1st Round) will be conducted. These data will be supplemented by data sets developed to support the development and testing of revised HPSA-MUA, data collected in support of the Data Warehouse project within HRSA, as well as shared data provided by the Primary Care Service Area Project and in house data sets maintained by the Sheps Center. Findings will be presented in a final report to be submitted to the Project Officer.

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