42 U.S.C. § 294n — Health professions workforce information and analysis

(a) Purpose This subsection explains why the section exists. It wants the government to collect information about health care workers and study problems in that workforce, and to use that information to guide future health professions and nursing programs. (b) National Center for Health Care Workforce Analysis (1) Establishment: The Secretary must create the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, called the "National Center" in this section. (2) Purposes: Working with the National Health Care Workforce Commission and with state and regional centers, where practical, the National Center must: develop information about the health care workforce and its problems; carry out certain data-collection activities described in section 295k(a); evaluate this subchapter's programs every year; create and publish performance measures and benchmarks for those programs; and run a public internet registry of every grant given under this subchapter, plus a database that collects long-term evaluation data on those performance measures. (3) Collaboration and data sharing: The National Center must work with federal agencies and with professional or educational groups to link grant data together, and may sign contracts with those groups to do this. (c) State and regional Centers for Health Workforce Analysis (1) In general: The Secretary must give grants or contracts to eligible groups so they can collect, analyze, and report program data to the National Center and the public, and give technical help to local and regional groups doing the same. (2) Eligible entities: To qualify, a group must be a state, a state workforce investment board, a public health or health professions school, an academic health center, or another appropriate public or private nonprofit group, and must apply to the Secretary however the Secretary requires. (d) Increase in grants for longitudinal evaluations (1) In general: The Secretary must increase grant funding for groups doing a "longitudinal evaluation" — a long-term study — of people who got education, training, or money from this subchapter's programs. (2) Capability: That evaluation must be able to study how people actually practice their profession, and to collect and report data on the performance measures described above. (3) Guidelines: The evaluation must follow guidelines issued under three cross-referenced sections of this title. (4) Eligible entities: Only a group that already gets a grant or contract under this subchapter can receive this increase. (e) Authorization of appropriations (1) In general: Congress may spend $5,663,000 each year from 2021 through 2025 on the National Center; $4,500,000 each year from 2010 through 2014 on state and regional centers; and whatever amount is needed from 2010 through 2014 for longitudinal-evaluation grants. (2) Reservation: Each year, the Secretary must set aside at least $600,000 of that money for health professions research and for data collection and analysis under section 295k. (3) Availability of additional funds: Money already appropriated for other programs in this subchapter may also be used for the National Center's work, as long as it relates to the program the money came from.