Section 144-508-1 - DefinitionsThe following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:
a. Designated Health Manpower Shortage Areas (HMSAs) - are those regions of the state designated by the federal government, pursuant to Section 322 of the Public Health Service Act and 42 Certified Federal Register (CFR) Part 5. as having a shortage of primary medical care manpower.b. Family/General Practice Physician - is a physician with a current Maine license from the Board of Medicine or the Osteopathic board whose practice assumes continuing responsibility for supervising the health and coordinating the care of all members of a family, regardless of age. This practitioner generally provides the basic medical services given when a patient first seeks assistance from the medical care system and provides for care of the simpler and more common illnesses. The provider of these services usually also assumes ongoing responsibility for the patient in both health maintenance and treatment of illness. These services are comprehensive in the sense that the provider takes responsibility for the coordination of the care of the patient's health problems. be they biological, behavioral or social. The appropriate use of consultants and community resources in an important part of an effective family/general medical-practice. Such work demands specific skills including functioning as a medical manager. advocate. educator and counselor for the patient.c. Physician Extender - is a physician assistant or professional nurse practitioner licensed by the State of Maine and who has completed the requirements to be certified as a physician's assistant or professional nurse practitioner.d. Full-Time Equivalent Family/General Practice Physician - is a family/general practice physician who provides patient care an average of forty hours per week. For family/general practice physicians who provide patient care for fewer than forty hours per week. every four hours spent in providing patient care will be counted as 0.1 full-time equivalent. When a family/general practice physician practices in more than one HMSA site, each practice will be prorated based on 40 hours a week. If the total number of office hours by the physician in both areas is greater than or equal to 40, the physician's full-time, equivalency for each area will be calculated as the ratio of the subtotal for office hours in that area to the total office hours in both areas.e. Population to Family/General Practice Physician Ratio - is determined by dividing the population of a HMSA by the number of full-time-equivalent family/general practice physicians who practice within the area. The ratio for each HMSA will be expressed as a number of people per physician (e.g.. 2100:1).10-144 C.M.R. ch. 508, § 1