Office of Primary Care and Rural Health

Rhode Island Health Professional Loan
Repayment Program (RI HPLRP)

What is the Goal of the RI HPLRP
Who is Eligible for Loan Repayment?
What is a Health Professional Shortage Area?
What is the Amount of Loan Repayment?
What Conditions Apply to Loan Repayment?
How Can a Health Professional Apply to the Program?

What is the Goal of the RI HPLRP

The goal of the Rhode Island Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (RI HPLRP) is to improve the quality and accessibility of primary health care services available to low-income, medically underserved residents of Rhode Island. The program offers repayment of educational loans to health professionals who make a two-year commitment to work in approved public or non-profit agencies that serve vulnerable populations in health professional shortage areas.

Who is Eligible for Loan Repayment?

Eligible health professionals include physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, physician assistants, and registered dental hygienists who work for non-profit organizations located in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). Interns and residents are not eligible for loan repayment.

What is a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)?

A health professional shortage area (HPSA) is a rational area for the delivery of health services. A rational service area can include a group of census tracts, an urban or rural community, a county, a population group, or a public/non-profit health care facilty with a documented shortage of health professionals. HPSA designation is determined by the federal government based on quantitative information submitted by the state.

What is the Amount of Loan Repayment?

The yearly amount is determined by the Board of the RI HPLRP based on the program budget for the year, but cannot exceed the federal cap of $35,000 per year. In prior years, physicians and dentists were approved for up to $35,000, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives were approved for up to $8,500, and registered dental hygienists were approved for up to $7,000 annually.

What Conditions Apply to Loan Repayment?

The health professional must be fully licensed in Rhode Island and ready to provide direct patient care on a full-time basis. Recipients must sign a two-year contract with a public or non-profit entity approved as a loan repayment site and located in a federally designated HPSA. On completion of the initial two-year contract (subject to verfication of an outstanding loan balance and the availability of funding) recipients may be eligible for a retention contract of up to two years. In addition, health professionals participating in the loan repayment program are required to:

• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Have no outstanding obligations for health professional service to a federal, state, or local entity.
• Not be in breach of a health professional service contract to a federal, state, or local entity.
• Not have a judgement lien against their property for a debt to the United States government.
• Work in an agency or practice which has a sliding fee scale or provides free care to patients unable to pay the usual , customary fees.
• Be willing to provide care to individuals enrolled in assistance programs administered by the state Medicaid agency (Medicaid, RIte Care).
• Agree not to discriminate against individuals seeking care on the basis of their ability to pay for health care services.
• Agree to accept assignment under Medicare and Medicaid for all services for which payment may be made.

How Can a Health Professional Apply to the Program?

Interested health professionals who are eligible to apply should contact the Office of Primary Care, Rhode Island Department of Health at (401) 222-1171 to obtain information on public/non-profit sites that have been approved to participate in the RI HPLRP.

For information on the federal loan repayment program, go to: NHSC Loan Repayment