As many of you are aware, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is making major changes in the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) application system and process. The current HPSA Application System (ASAPS) has been decommissioned and the new system (SDMS) will not begin accepting applications until December 2014 at the very earliest. HRSA has changed timelines and SDMS process rules many times in the past year and it is very probable that they will continue to change timelines as we get closer to the December start date. The new system uses the National Provider Identifier (NPI) data as the baseline for surveying providers when updating or creating a new HPSA. Because Primary Care Offices (PCOs) are being required to verify our state’s NPI Data during 2015 plus enter the survey data, HRSA is not requiring the submission of any HPSAs in 2014 or 2015. As a result, all HPSAs will remain current until an update occurs, even if the HPSA goes beyond the three-year update requirement. All communities will be notified by the PCO when their HPSA is due. New HPSAs or HPSAs that may have an increase in score will be the priority for 2015. Please contact Kitty Stevens at the Primary Care Office if you have questions or concerns: kitty.stevens@state.co.us or kitty.stevens@mac.com or 303-692-2298 or 720-217-8342.
