[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 118 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33427-33428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16128]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

    In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Public Law 104-13), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed 
project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans, call the HRSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1129.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Grantee Reporting Requirements for the Rural 
Telemedicine Grant Program

    New--The Rural Telemedicine Grant Program is authorized by Section 
330A of the Public Health Service Act as amended by the Health Centers 
Consolidation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-229). The goal of the program 
is to improve access to quality health services for rural residents and 
reduce the isolation of rural practitioners through the use of 
telemedicine technologies. The two objectives of the Rural Telemedicine 
Grant Program are: 1) to demonstrate how telemedicine can be used as a 
tool in developing integrated systems of health care, which would 
improve access to health services for rural individuals across the 
lifespan and reduce the isolation of rural health care practitioners; 
and 2) to evaluate the feasibility, costs, appropriateness and 
acceptability of rural telemedicine services and technologies. Such 
evaluation is needed to determine how best to organize and provide 
telemedicine services in a sustainable manner.
    Grantees will be responsible for submitting the data collection 
instruments listed in the burden table below. Grantees will gather 
information from sources involved with their telemedicine program, 
including patients, providers, health administrators and site 
coordinators. Information gathered on the data collection instruments 
will be entered into a database which will communicate with a central 
server storing all of the data from the grantee sites. Standardized 
data collection across all grantee sites is essential to drawing 
meaningful conclusions about the progress and direction of 
telemedicine.
    The estimated burden is as follows:

[[Page 33428]]



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                                                              Est. number  Instruments  Time burden     Total   
                                                                   of       completed       per       burden per
        Name of instrument             Type of respondent     respondents      per       instrument   instrument
                                                                per year    respondent   (minutes)     (hours)  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patient Demographics.............  Patient..................        4,780            1            3          239
Patient Post Session.............  Patient..................        4,780            1            7          558
Provider Demographics............  All providers (filled out        2,390            1            2           80
                                    once).                                                                      
Consult Initiator Information....  Provider who requested TM        1,195            4            4          319
                                    consult.                                                                    
Consult Initiator Satisfaction...  Provider who requested TM        1,195            4            4          319
                                    consult.                                                                    
Provider Post Session............  Consulting provider......        1,195            4            4          319
Consult Recipient Satisfaction...  Consulting provider......        1,195            4            5          398
Session Information (Consulting    Site coordinator                    20          240            6          480
 Site).                             (consulting site).                                                          
Session Information (Primary Care  Site coordinator (primary          300           16            2          160
 Site).                             care site).                                                                 
Emergency/Triage Encounter         Emergency room staff                15           10            4           10
 (Consulting Site).                 person.                                                                     
Emergency/Triage Encounter         Emergency room staff                15           10            4           10
 (Originating Site).                person.                                                                     
Provider Satisfaction (Periodic).  All providers (filled out        2,390            3            3          359
                                    every 4 months).                                                            
System information...............  Program administrator/             320            2           25          267
                                    technical staff.                                                            
Program Costs....................  Program administrator....          320            1           25          133
                                                             ---------------------------------------------------
      Total......................  .........................        8,160  ...........  ...........         3651
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    Send comments to Patricia Royston, HRSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 14-36, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. 
Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: June 16, 1997.
James J. Corrigan,
Acting Associate Administrator for
Management and Program Support.
[FR Doc. 97-16128 Filed 6-18-97; 8:45 am]
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