[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50892-50893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19768]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request: Indian Health 
Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files

AGENCY: Indian Health Service.

ACTION:  Request for Public Comment: 60-day Proposed Information 
Collection: Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and 
Privileges Files.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program 
helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired 
format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. 
Currently, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is providing a 60-day 
advance opportunity for public comment on a proposed extension of 
current information collection activity to be submitted to the Office 
of Management and Budget for review.
    Proposed Collection: Title: 09-17-0009, ``Indian Health Service 
Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files''. Type of Information 
Collection Request: Extension, without revision, of currently approved 
information collection, 09-17-0009, ``Indian Health Service Medical 
Staff Credentials and Privileges Files.'' 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, psychologists, 
optometrists, podiatrists, audiologists; 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 medical staff bylaws. There are three types 
of IHS medical staff applicants: (1) Health care providers 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 Centers for Medicare 
and Medicaid Services, formerly the Health Care Financing 
Administration and by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of 
Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) require health care facilities to 
review, evaluate and verify the credentials, training and experience of 
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

[[Page 50893]]

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 IHS health care facilities. Affected Public: individuals, 
businesses or other for-profit, not-for-profit institutions and Staff, 
local or Tribal Government. Type of Respondents: health care providers 
requesting medical staff privileges at IHS health facilities. The table 
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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Estimated     Responses
          Data collection instruction              No. of          per       Annual No.           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..............................     1,800                1      1,800      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 (mins)                                             1.0
                                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Total...................................     3,709      ............  ............  ................................................    2,221.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ 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 and 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 Hadahkwen, Sr., M.P.H., 
IHS Reports Clearance Officer, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 450, 
Rockville, MD 20852-1601, call non-toll free (301) 443-5938; send via 
facsimile to (301) 443-2316, 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 
within 60 days of the date of this publication.

    Dated: July 31, 2002.
Duane L. Jeanotte,
Acting Deputy Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 02-19768 Filed 8-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-16-M