Practice Directorate Staff
In an early March 2001 letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson, Practice Directorate Executive Director Russ Newman, PhD, JD, and Education Directorate Executive Director Cynthia Belar, PhD, expressed APA's strong support for a newly-proposed federal rule that pertains to psychology internship training. When finalized, the rule would provide payment for qualified internship program costs through the Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding program. DHHS estimates that in the first five years after the rule becomes final, hospitals and other Medicare facilities would receive up to $200 million for psychology internship training.
The proposed rule's publication in January of this year was a major milestone in professional psychology's quest for internship and postdoctoral training funding. APA's advocacy began in earnest when Congress urged, in conference report language accompanying the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, that DHHS reimburse psychologist training programs. The association has since used a combination of legislative and regulatory strategies to work toward achieving this goal.
With the proposed rule finally issued, the Practice Directorate is pressing HCFA not to delay in making the rule final. Government relations staff continues to explore possibilities for including psychologists' postdoctoral training as well in GME.
A summary of the proposed payment rule, including qualifications for training program funding, appears online at www.apa.org/practice/gmerulesum.html.
