OAR 409-035-0040: Application Review Process

(1) The Authority shall review completed health care facility applications that meet all requirements of 409-035-0020. Potential physician participants must meet all requirements set forth in 409-035-0030. (2) The following factors shall be considered in determining whether to recommend a request for waiver of the foreign country residency requirement: (a) The type of medicine to be practiced. (b) Applications from community health centers with HPSA scores below 7 and from mental health facilities shall receive priority. (c) Geographic distribution of physicians. To the extent possible, the Authority shall attempt equitable distribution of waiver requests for eligible areas of the state. The number of physicians already working under waivers or recommended for waivers in a particular geographic area shall be taken into consideration. (d) Distribution of physicians among employers. The Authority may limit the number of slots to six per employer (as defined by EIN) in a program year. (e) Facility patient profile. The health care facility's percentage of patient visits which are covered by the Oregon Health Plan, Medicare, or are low income, uninsured. (3) The Authority shall return incomplete applications, including application fees to the health care facility applying for the waiver. The Authority shall process completed resubmitted applications, including fees, as of the new date of receipt. (4) The Authority shall review each completed application and notify the health care facility of the results within 15 business days of receiving the application. (5) The Authority shall forward the recommended waiver requests to the United States Department of State. The United States Department of State shall forward waiver requests recommended for approval to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which shall determine whether to grant or deny the waiver. (6) The Authority may reallocate positions based on a review of current access needs in the state. The Authority may also recommend or decline to recommend a waiver request.