Section 144-510-IV - RANKING "UNDERSERVED AREAS" FOR OBSTETRICAL AND PRENATAL CAREThose areas which have been designated as underserved areas for obstetrical and prenatal care will be ranked by the following methodology for the purpose of establishing the relative priority of each area's physicians receiving premium assistance.
A. First priority will be given to those physicians who practice at least 50% of their time in a designated HPSA or MUA. Those designated areas will be ranked in priority according to their Medicaid eligible population percentages and the premiums for the physicians from the areas with the highest percentages will be reimbursed as the availability of funds allows An area with a greater Medicaid eligible population percentage will be ranked in priority above an area with a lesser Medicaid eligible population percentage. The most current available data from the Medicaid recipient files will be used. These data will be updated by the Department annually, every March 31st. For any area that loses its HPSA status, its physician's premium assistance will be continued until the next federal publication of HPSAs in Maine.
B. Funds not utilized for the designated HPSA/MUA area physicians will be utilized for the physicians in the Commissioner-designated physician practice sites. Priority of premium assistance distribution in the Commissionerdesignated physician practice sites will be based on the prior year's statistics of that physician's number of Medicaid patients served. Data from the Maims Division of the Department will be utilized to determine numbers of patients served by the physicians.10- 144 C.M.R. ch. 510, § IV