Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA)

Automatic HPSA Designations

The following facilities that provide care regardless of ability to pay, receive automatic facility HPSA designation:

• Federally Qualified Health Centers
• Federally Qualified Health Center Look A-likes
• Rural Health Clinics
  • Must offer a sliding-fee-schedule, and
  • Submit an eligibility form to HRSA for designation
• IHS/Tribal Facilities - Outpatient health programs or facilities operated by a Tribe or tribal organization under the Indian Self-Determination Act or by an urban Indian organization receiving funds under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act are considered Federally Qualified Health Centers and automatically designated HPSAs.
• Native American Tribal Populations - Native American Tribes as defined in section 4(d) of PL 94-437 are automatically designated as population HPSAs

Automatic HPSA designations do not expire but should be updated periodically to ensure that the score is accurate and current. Please contact, Tracy Lenartz for information on updating an automatic HPSA score.

Note: If your facility is automatically designated as a HPSA and is located in an area that is also a designated HPSA, you can use the higher of the scores for National Health Service Corp and AZ State Loan Repayment applications.