The director of health, by rule, shall establish priorities among health resource shortage areas for use in recruiting primary care physicians to sites within particular areas under the physician loan repayment program. In establishing priorities, the director shall consider the ratio of primary care physicians to the population in the health resource shortage area, the distance to primary care physicians outside the area, health status indicators of the target population in the area, presence of health care provider sites in the area with vacancies for primary care physicians, availability of an eligible candidate interested in being recruited to a particular site within an area, the need for a particular primary care specialty within an area, and the distribution of health care provider sites in urban and rural regions. The director shall give greatest priority to health resource shortage areas having a high ratio of population to primary care physicians.

The director, by rule, shall establish priorities for use in determining eligibility among applicants for participation in the physician loan repayment program. The priorities may include consideration of an applicant's background and career goals, the primary care specialty of the applicant, the length of time the applicant is willing to provide primary care services in a health care resource shortage area, and the amount of the educational expenses for which reimbursement is being sought through the program.

Effective Date: 11-24-1995.