[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 211 (Thursday, October 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66406-66407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27678]


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

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, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) publishes 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 and draft instruments, 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: HRSA Grantee Telecommunications and Telehealth 
Inventory and Database--New

    The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) mission 
is to improve and expand access to quality health care for all. Through 
its grant program, HRSA provides funds to ensure the availability of 
quality health care to low income, uninsured, isolated, vulnerable and 
special needs populations.
    Within HRSA, the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) 
increases access to quality health care services for the underserved by 
promoting the use of advanced telecommunications and information 
technologies by health care providers across America. HRSA is a leading 
national supporter and developer of telehealth, which is the use of 
electronic information and telecommunications technologies for a wide 
variety of health-related activities. These include long-distance 
clinical care, patient and professional education, and health 
administration.
    HRSA provides grant funding to over 8000 recipients to improve 
healthcare delivery in the United States. Those offices and programs 
increasingly depend on the emerging technologies and telecommunications 
systems to deliver healthcare, yet no data is available on grant 
recipients' access to or utilization of those technologies. The 
proposed inventory will serve as a model for collecting this type of 
information across a disparate group of projects nationally and if 
successful will be ultimately integrated into HRSA's overall data 
system.
    All grantees will be asked to address access to telehealth 
technologies at their respective institutions. Telehealth activities 
include the practice of telemedicine, delivery of distance education, 
health informatics, healthcare staff supervision from remote sites, and 
the provision of consumer health information using telecommunications 
technologies. Additionally, grantees will be asked to provide 
information on their network members or satellite site. For those 
grantees practicing telemedicine, the survey will include a section on 
diagnostic tools and clinical capabilities.
    The survey will be delivered via the world wide web; hard copy will 
be made available for those grantees with no Internet access. 
Substantive questions may be systematically included in the grantees' 
progress reporting.
    Estimated burden hours:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Number of
         Type of survey              Number of    responses  per   Total Number      Hours per     Total burden
                                    respondents     respondent     of responses      response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web-based.......................           7,965               1           7,965             .17           1,355
Hard-copy.......................             885               1             885             .20             177
                                 -----------------

[[Page 66407]]

 
    Total.......................           8,850  ..............           8,850  ..............           1,532
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Send comments to Susan G. Queen, Ph. D., HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 11A-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this 
Notice.

    Dated: October 25, 2002.
Jane M. Harrison,
Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. 02-27678 Filed 10-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P