Practice Sites Serving Medically Underserved Populations (Practice-MUPs)
The Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Chapter 13, Subchapter C, §13.33, explains the rules and criteria for designating practices that serve medically underserved populations as Practice-MUPs (also known as Site-MUPs).
The Texas Occupations Code, Title 3, Chapter 157, Subchapter A, §157.051(11), defines the types of “practice serving a medically underserved population.” Only practices that meet Texas Occupations Code, §157.051(11)(F) criteria may receive the Practice-MUP designation.
Practices that qualify under definitions (A) through (E) and (G), are not eligible for a Practice-MUP designation.
Criteria for Designating Practice-MUPS
- Category A: The practice is located in an area with an insufficient number of (too few) primary care physicians that serve patients eligible for federal, state or locally funded health care programs.
- Criterion A-1: The practice's service area has more than 3,000 people for each primary care physician.
Criterion A-2: The area immediately surrounding the practice has more than 3,000 people for each primary care physician.
Criterion A-2 may apply when a practice serves patients from a large area, such as a city or county. The entire practice's service area may have less than 3,000 people for each primary care physician, but the immediate area around the practice may have more than 3,000 people for each primary care physician.
- Category B: The practice serves a high percentage of patients who are eligible for federal, state or locally funded health care programs.
- Criterion B-1: More than 50% of the practice's patients are from eligible client populations.
- Criterion B-2: The percentage of the practice's patients from eligible client populations is at least twice the percentage of eligible client populations in the practice's service area.
Applicants for Practice-MUP designation must choose one eligibility criterion that best describes their practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my practice site excluded from Practice-MUP designation?
The following practice sites do not need a Practice-MUP designation.
- A practice in a health professional shortage area (HPSA).
- A clinic designated as a rural health clinic under 42 U.S.C. Section 1395(x)(aa).
- A public health clinic or a family planning clinic under contract with the Health and Human Services Commission or the Department of State Health Services.
- A clinic designated as a federally qualified health center under 42 U.S.C. Section 1396d(l)(2)(B).
- A county, state, or federal correctional facility.
- A practice at which a physician was delegating prescriptive authority to an advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant on or before March 1, 2013, based on the practice qualifying as a site serving a medically underserved population.
What are eligible client populations?
Residents in the service area meeting the eligibility criteria for participation in any of the following programs:
- (A) federally funded health care programs, including, but not limited to: AIDS (health care delivery programs); community and migrant health centers (Public Health Service Act, §§329 and 330 grantees); family planning; homeless (including Public Health Service Act, §340 grantees); Medicaid; or Medicare;
- (B) state funded health care programs, including, but not limited to: AIDS (health care delivery programs); children with special health care needs (CSHCN); Medicaid; state primary health care; or student health centers (state funded colleges and universities); or
- (C) locally funded health care programs, including, but not limited to: locally supported nonprofit health care programs; programs funded by city or county governmental entities; or programs funded by hospital districts.
What information do I need to apply for a Practice-MUP designation?
- Contact information of the practice site
- Name of the practice, address, hours of operation
- Phone, Fax number, Email address
- Name of Director or Administrator
- Site information
- Office Hours
- Practice Start Date: date the practice started providing services.
- Utilization data
- The unduplicated count of patients served by the practice.
- The total number of patient encounters (visits).
- The time period for which statistics are being reported.
- Staffing data
- Number of direct patient care providers on the practice payroll.
- Identification of the geographic area served by the practice
- For example, a map of the area where the majority of the practice’s patients reside.
- For practices that draw patients from a broad geographic area, such as an entire city or county, the map of the geographic area surrounding the practice.
- Description and proportion of eligible client populations served by the practice
- For example, those enrolled in:
- Federally funded health care programs
- State funded health care programs
- Locally funded health care programs
- Any other eligible programs.
- For example, those enrolled in:
- Description of the types of services offered by the practice
- For applicants under Category A:
- Total population of the practice’s service area. Include data source and year.
- Total number and FTE of primary care physicians in the practice’s service area. Include data source and year.
How do I apply for a Practice-MUP designation?
Email HPRC@dshs.texas.gov to receive a PDF copy of the Practice-MUP application form.
How do I know if my practice already has a Practice-MUP designation?
HPRC maintains a list of designated Practice-MUPs. Contact us at HPRC@dshs.texas.gov for more information.
Sites located in a Health Profession Shortage Area (HPSA) or Medically Underserved Area (MUA) don’t need a Practice-MUP designation. How do I know if my practice is in a HPSA or MUA?
Use the Health Resources and Services Administration search tool: https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area
*External links are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These sites may also not be accessible to people with disabilities.