[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24185-24186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11625]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 60-day Proposed Collection: Indian 
Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges File

SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, to provide a 60-day advance opportunity for 
public comment on proposed information collection projects, the Indian 
Health Service (IHS) is publishing for comment a summary of a proposed 
information collection to be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review.

PROPOSED COLLECTION: Title: 09-17-0009, ``Indian Health Service Medical 
Staff Credentials and Privileges File''. Type of Information Collection 
Request: Revision of currently approved information collection, 09-17-
0009, `'Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges 
File'' which expires July 31, 1998. Form Number: Instructions and 
information collection formats are contained in IHS Circular No. 93-2, 
``Credentials and Privileges Review Process for the Medical Staff.'' 
Need and Use of Information Collection: The IHS operates health care 
facilities that provide health care services to American Indians and 
Alaska Natives. To provide these services, the IHS employs (directly 
and under contract) several categories of health care providers 
including: physicians (M.D. and D.O.), dentists, psychologist, 
optometrists, podiatrists, audiologist; and in some states, physician 
assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse 
practitioners, and certified nurse midwives. IHS policy specifically 
requires physicians and dentists to be members of the health care 
facility medical staff where they practice. Health care providers 
become medical staff members, depending on the local health care 
facility's capabilities and medial staff bylaws. There are three types 
of IHS medical staff applicants: (1) Health care provider applying for 
direct employment with IHS; (2) contract health care providers who will 
not seek to become IHS employees; and, (3) employed IHS health care 
providers who seek to transfer between IHS health care facilities.
    National health care standards developed by the Health Care 
Financing Administration (HCFA) and by the JCAHO require health care 
facilities to review, evaluate and verify the credentials, training and 
experience of

[[Page 24186]]

medical staff applicants prior to granting medical staff privileges. To 
meet these standards, IHS health care facilities require each medical 
staff applicant to provide information concerning their education, 
training, licensure, and work experience and any adverse disciplinary 
actions taken against them. This information is then verified with 
references supplied by the applicant and may include: former employers, 
educational institutions, licensure and certification boards, the 
American Medical Association, the Federation of State Medical Boards, 
the National Practitioner Data Bank, and the applicants themselves.
    In addition to the initial granting of medical staff membership and 
clinical privileges, JCAHO standards require that a review of the 
medical staff be conducted not less than every two years.
    This review evaluates the current competence of the medical staff 
and verifies whether they are maintaining their licensure and the 
certification requirements of their specialty.
    The medical staff credentials and privileges records are maintained 
at the health care facility where the health care provider is a medical 
staff member. The establishment of these records at IHS health care 
facilities is not optional; such records must be established and 
maintained at all health care facilities in the United States that are 
accredited by JCAHO. This information collection activity is used to 
evaluate individual health care providers applying for medical staff 
privileges at Indian Health Service (IHS) health care facilities. 
Affected Public: Individuals, Businesses or other for-profit, Not-for-
profit institutions and State, local or Tribal Government. Type of 
Respondents: health care providers requesting Medical staff privileges 
at IHS health facilities.
    Table 1 below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
Estimated number of respondents, Number of responses per respondent, 
Annual Number of Responses, Average burden hour per response, and Total 
annual burden hour.

                                                                         Table 1                                                                        
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                                                 Estimated                                                                                              
         Data collection instrument              number of     Responses per   Annual number      Average burden hour per response *       Total annual 
                                                respondents     respondent     of responses                                                burden hours 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application to Medical Staff................             600               1             600  0.75 (45 mins)............................           450.0
Reference letter............................            1800               1            1800  0.33 (0 mins).............................           600.0
Reappointment request.......................             644               1             644  1.00 (60 mins)............................           644.0
Medical Privileges..........................             387               1             387  1.00 (60 mins)............................           387.0
Ob-Gyn Privileges...........................              25               1              25  1.00 (60 mins)............................            25.0
Surgical Privileges.........................              23               1              23  1.00 (60 mins)............................            23.0
Psychiatric Privileges......................              18               1              18  1.00 (60 mins)............................            18.0
Anesthesia Privileges.......................              16               1              16  1.00 (60 mins)............................            16.0
Dental Privileges...........................             128               1             128  0.33 (0 mins).............................            42.2
Optometric Privileges.......................              21               1              21  0.33 (0 mins).............................             6.9
Psychology Privileges.......................              23               1              23  0.17 (0 mins).............................             3.9
Audiologic Privileges.......................               6               1               6  0.08 (0 mins).............................             0.5
Podiatric Privileges........................               6               1               6  0.08 (0 mins).............................             0.5
Radiology Privileges........................               9               1               9  0.33 (0 mins).............................             3.0
Pathology Privileges........................               3               1               3  0.33 (0 mins).............................             1.0
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...................................           3,709  ..............  ..............  ..........................................         2,221.0
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* For ease of understanding, burden hours are also provided in actual minutes.                                                                          

    There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs and/or Maintenance 
Costs to report.

Request for Comments

    Your written comments and/or suggestions are invited on one or more 
of the following points: (a) Whether the information collection 
activity is necessary to carry out an agency function; (b) whether the 
agency processes the information collected in a useful and timely 
fashion; (c) the accuracy of public burden estimate (the estimated 
amount of time needed for individual respondents to provide the 
requested information); (d) whether the methodology and assumptions 
used to determine the estimate are logical; (e) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and 
(f) ways to minimize the public burden through the use of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

Send Comments and Requests for Further Information: Send your written 
comments, requests for more information on the proposed collection or 
requests to obtain a copy of the data collection instrument(s) and 
instructions to: Mr. Lance Hodahkwen, Sr., M.P.H., IHS Reports 
Clearance Officer, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 450, Rockville, MD 
20852.1601, call non-toll free (301) 443-1116, send via facsimile to 
(301) 443-1522, or send your E-mail requests, comments, and return 
address to: [email protected].

Comment Due Date: Your comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received on or before 
June 30, 1998.

    Dated: April 21, 1998.
Michael H. Trujillo,
Assistant Surgeon General, Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 98-11625 Filed 4-30-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-16-M