[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59191-59192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25843]


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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) publishes periodic summaries of proposed projects 
being developed for submission to the Office of Management and Budget 
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 the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

Proposed Project: National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse 
Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners: 
Regulations and Forms (OMB No. 0915-0126)--Revision

    The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) was established through 
Title IV of Pub. L. 99-660, the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 
1986, as amended. Final regulations governing the NPDB are codified at 
45 CFR part 60. Responsibility for NPDB implementation and operation 
resides in the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and 
Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
(DHHS). The NPDB began operation on September 1, 1990.
    The intent of Title IV of Pub. L. 99-660 is to improve the quality 
of health care by encouraging hospitals, State licensing boards, 
professional societies, and other entities providing health care 
services, to identify and discipline those who engage in unprofessional 
behavior; and to restrict the ability of incompetent physicians, 
dentists, and other health care practitioners to move from State to 
State without disclosure of the practitioner's previous damaging or 
incompetent performance.
    The NPDB acts primarily as a flagging system; its principal purpose 
is to facilitate comprehensive review of practitioners' professional 
credentials and background. Information on medical malpractice 
payments, adverse licensure actions, adverse clinical privileging 
actions, adverse professional society actions, and Medicare/Medicaid 
exclusions is collected from, and disseminated to, eligible entities. 
It is intended that NPDB information should be considered with other 
relevant information in evaluating a practitioner's credentials.

[[Page 59192]]

    This request is for a revision of reporting and querying forms 
previously approved on April 30, 2002. The reporting forms and the 
request for information forms (query forms) must be accessed, 
completed, and submitted to the NPDB electronically through the NPDB 
Web site at http://www.npdb-hipdb.com. All reporting and querying is 
performed through this secure Web site. Due to overlap in requirements 
for the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB), some of 
the NPDB's burden has been subsumed under the HIPDB.
    Estimates of burden are as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      No. of       Frequency of      Hours per     Total burden
               Regulation citation                  respondents      responses       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.6(a) Errors & Omissions......................             303               5         15 min.          \1\385
60.6(b) Revisions to Actions....................             115             1.1         30 min.              64
60.7(b) Medical Malpractice Payment Report......             485              39         45 min.          14,236
60.8(b) Adverse Action Reports--State Boards....            \2\0               0               0               0
60.9(a)3 Adverse Action Clinical Privileges &                686             1.5         45 min.             785
 Professional Society...........................
Requests for Hearings by Entities...............               1               1        480 min.               8
60.10(a)(1) Queries by Hospital-Practitioner               6,000            37.3          5 min.          18,615
 Applications...................................
60.10(a)(2) Queries by Hospitals-Two Yr. Cycle..           6,000             149          5 min.          74,461
60.11(a)(1) Disclosure to Hospitals.............            \3\0               0               0               0
60.11(a)(2) Disclosure to Practitioners (Self               \4\0               0               0               0
 Query).........................................
60.11(a)(3) Disclosure to Licensure Boards......              80             225          5 min.           1,499
60.11(a)(4) Queries by Non-Hospital Health Care            4,938             437          5 min.         179,673
 Entities.......................................
60.11(a)(5) Queries by Plaintiffs' Attorneys....               5               5         30 min.             3.0
60.11(a)(6) Queries by Non-Hospital Health Care             \5\0               0               0               0
 Entities-Peer Review...........................
60.11(a)(7) Requests by Researchers for                      100               1         30 min.              50
 Aggregated Data................................
60.14(b) Practitioner Places a Report in                     666               1          5 min.              55
 Disputed Status................................
60.14(b) Practitioner Statement.................           2,563               1         45 min.           1,922
60.14(b) Practitioner Requests for Secretarial               117               1        480 min.             936
 Review.........................................
60.3 Entity Registration-Initial................             500               1         60 min.             500
60.3 Entity Registration-Update.................             643               1          5 min.              54
60.11(a) Authorized Agent Designation-Initial...             500               1         15 min.             125
60.11(a) Authorized Agent-Update................              86               1          5 min.               7
60.12(c) Account Discrepancy Report.............             300               1         15 min.              75
60.12(c) Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization             363               1         15 min.              91
60.3 Entity Reactivation........................             100               1         60 min.             100
                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............        293,644
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\1\ Estimates in this column that fall below or above a full hour are rounded to the nearest hour.
\2\ Included in estimate for reporting adverse licensure actions to the HIPDB in 45 CFR part 61.
\3\ Included in estimates for 60.10(a)(1).
\4\ Included in estimate for self queries to the HIPDB in 45 CFR part 61.
\5\ Included in estimate for hospital queries under 60.11(a)(4).

    Send comments to Susan Queen, Ph.D., HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 16C-17, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852, (301) 443-1129. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: October 3, 2003.
Jane M. Harrison,
Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. 03-25843 Filed 10-10-03; 8:45 am]
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