PCO NOFO FAQs-10.20.23.docx

State Primary Care Office Program - Frequently Asked Question and Answers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) State Primary Care Office Pre-Application Technical Assistance Webinar Thursday, September 28, 2023, from 2:00-4:00pm Applications are due by December 14, 2023, at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.

The Cooperative Agreement performance period for this 5-year project is April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2029.

State Primary Care Office Purpose:

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to facilitate the coordination of activities within a state or territory that assess the need for primary care services and providers, promote the recruitment and retention of health care providers to fulfill identified needs, and develop strategies to address shortages of health care providers. This includes working with other state or territorial agencies, as well as organizations outside of the state whose policies affect health care services.

Eligibility Questions Q1. Is an institution of higher education eligible to apply?

A1. Yes, state controlled (public) institutions of higher education, and non-profit, private institutions of higher education that have the capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q2. Would a student-run free clinic be eligible to apply?

A2. This funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Within the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), see page 7 for Eligibility Requirements and page 10 for Program Requirements.

Eligibility Requirements:

· Any state or territory.

· State or territory agency; or,

· Other statewide or territory-wide public or nonprofit entity that operates solely within a state or U.S. territory, including state controlled (public) institutions of higher education, and non-profit, private institutions of higher education.

· Applicants must provide state/territory-wide coverage of primary health care issues and represent or have relationships with the broad range of primary health care delivery systems and programs in the state.

Q3. Is a maternal substance use clinic, addressing the health needs for underserved pregnant women using opioids, eligible to apply?

A3. This funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q4. Are county district hospitals with primary care clinics eligible to apply?

A4. This funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q5. Is this opportunity only available to state capital offices since there needs to be a shortage / needs assessment for the entire state?

A5. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q6. Are FQHCS and LALs eligible to apply?

A6. This funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q7. Is my entity eligible to apply as a nonprofit health system?

A7. This funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q8. Are nonprofit mental behavioral health counseling centers or pediatric care offices eligible to apply?

A8. This funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q9. We are looking to pilot a pipeline program to address the shortage of nurses in our territory. Are career pathway workforce development proposals eligible projects?

A9. No, the goals of the State Primary Care Offices (State PCOs) program are to coordinate activities within a state or territory that assess the need for primary care services and providers, promote the recruitment and retention of health care providers to help meet identified needs, and help reduce shortages of health care providers. These activities include working with other state or territorial agencies and organizations whose policies affect and are impacted by the availability of health care services. Career pathways projects are outside the scope of the State PCOs program. Please see Program requirements (page 10) in the NOFO.

Q10. What does this funding opportunity pay for, recruiting physicians, hard assets? Could you give some examples?

A10. The funding opportunity does not fund the recruitment of physicians. The funding opportunity supports the execution of program requirements, which include a statewide community health needs assessment, the statewide coordination of shortage designation assessments, and providing technical assistance on available federal and state recruitment and retention programs. Please see Program requirements (page 10) in the NOFO..

Q11. Do small local non-profit hospitals with primary care clinics that mainly serve patients within the county not qualify, since they do not provide statewide services?

A11. Correct, this funding opportunity is not for the delivery of direct patient care services. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply.

Q12. Is this a workforce grant in which recipients are tasked with finding out where the gaps in health care providers are, how to address them and track the data to explain to Congress why we need support for primary care providers and other providers across the country?

A12. This funding opportunity supports states and territories in their effort to identify shortages of healthcare providers throughout the state as well as to facilitate the use of federal and state program resources designed to expand health care access to areas with the highest needs.

Q13. Does the organizational capacity disqualify a startup, one employee, nonprofit organization?

A13. Any entity that meets eligibility criteria and has capacity to carry out the state-wide program requirements may apply. Organizational capacity will be reviewed and scored based on the criteria set forth on pages 15-16 and 26 of the NOFO.

Q14. Do Applicants need to demonstrate how they will provide support in a variety of ways to the state Primary Care Office?

A14. Your organization must demonstrate it has the capacity and expertise to conduct the three main program requirements:

1. Statewide Community Health Needs Assessment

2. Technical Assistance and Collaboration

3. Shortage Designation Coordination

A list of program requirements can be found on page 10 of the NOFO.

Q15. Will funding cover hiring staff for startup health care clinics?

A15. No, the funding opportunity is not intended to provide support for direct patient care services or for establishing an organization, such as a startup clinic.

Q16. Would a Nurse Practitioner/Register Nurse outreach program to provide preventive care to patients that wants to establish care via Telehealth be supported?

A16. No, the funding opportunity is not intended to provide support for direct patient care services or for delivery of telehealth services.

Administrative Questions

Q17. What is the application page minimum?

A17. There is no page minimum however, there is a 60-page application limit which includes:

· Project Narrative including Purpose and Need and Work Plan

· Budget and Budget Justification

· Most Attachments

The total number of pages that count toward the page limit shall be no more than 60 pages when we print them. We will not review any pages that exceed the page limit. Using the pages within the page limit, HRSA will determine eligibility using Section III. Eligibility Information of the NOFO. These items do not count toward the page limit:

· Standard OMB-approved forms available in the NOFO’s workspace application package

· Abstract (standard form (SF) “Project Abstract Summary”)

· Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

· Proof of non-profit status (if it applies)

Q18. Do you have to have a grants.gov account to submit the grant application?

A18. Yes, applicants must have a current SAM, UEI, and grants.gov account.

· The System for Award Management (SAM) is a government-wide registry for entities doing business with the Federal government, and SAM.GOV registration requires annual renewal.

· A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric I.D. number assigned to entities who register to do business with the federal government and who will receive federal funds. UEI numbers are obtained from www.sam.gov.

· Please note: We will not approve deadline extensions for lack of registration. Registration in all systems may take up to 1 month to complete.

Q19. Is the salary limitation a combination of salaries, or is this just a limitation for one employee?

A19. The salary limitation includes the base salary for each employee and is exclusive of fringe benefits or facilities and administrative (indirect) costs. For new and ongoing awards from HHS, the new salary cap is $212,100 effective January 1, 2023. If your base salary is over the base salary limit, then it will be reduced to the salary limitation.

Other Questions Q20. Can you elaborate on the requirement to develop statewide long-term strategies to address identified shortages of healthcare providers?

A20. The program requires you to develop long-term state-wide strategies that provide solutions to workforce shortages based on research and provider data. This includes promoting the use of state and federal recruitment and retention programs and working with relevant stakeholders to target the areas of highest need.

Q21. In reference to Part 4, the long-term plan, can you clarify whether this refers to a plan for how the awardee will implement its strategies to address workforce shortages or is this a charge to create long-term plans both within and outside of grant activities for the State and/or other entities other than PCOs to address shortages?

A21. The latter. The long-term plan should focus on the development of strategies that could be used to enhance existing efforts or to create new efforts that address workforce shortages by the PCO and/or other stakeholders. Some efforts may be within the PCO Program’s scope to implement, and other efforts could require collaboration with relevant stakeholders to facilitate and promote possible solutions.

Q22. Could you share a breakdown of the types of organizations awarded from the last five-year PCO Competitive Grant?

A22. You may find a list of current recipients on the following website, State/Territorial Primary Care Offices. Within the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), see page 7 for eligibility requirements.

Q23. What are some examples of program activities besides conducting community needs assessments?

A23. Your organization should demonstrate it has the capacity, expertise, and ability to conduct the three main program requirements:

1. Statewide Community Health Needs Assessment

2. Technical Assistance and Collaboration

3. Shortage Designation Coordination

A list of program requirements can be found on page 10 of the NOFO.

Q24. Can you speak to the funding calculation?

A24. The amount of funding awarded will be determined according to the following methodology. Each awardee has a base annual funding amount of $150,000 per year plus workload funding amount so that:

Annual Funding Amount = Base Funding + [(Total Workload Funding) x (Workload Units/Total Workload Units)]

• Base Funding is $150,000 x 54 recipients = $8,100,000

• Total Workload Funding is $11,000,000 – $8,100,000 = $2,900,000

• Workload Units include the number of providers in eligible disciplines listed in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System National Provider Identifier Registry in your state/territory as of April 02, 2023.

• Total Workload Units include the total number of all Workload Units for each of the 54 states and territories.

Q25. Is there a salary cap on Indirect Costs under this Notice of Funding Opportunity?

A25. No, you are allowed to use your Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, or the 10% MTDC De Minimis rate when you do not have an existing federally negotiated rate.