[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 20, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9342-9343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3064]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

    Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration 
(HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under 
review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in compliance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). To 
request a copy

[[Page 9343]]

of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, call the HRSA 
Reports Clearance Office at (301) 443-1129.
    The following request has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995:

Proposed Project: Data Collection Tool for Rural Health Community-Based 
Grant Programs: (New)

    The mission of the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) is to 
sustain and improve access to quality care services for rural 
communities. In its authorizing language (SEC. 711 of the Social 
Security Act. [42 U.S.C. 912]), Congress charged ORHP to ``administer 
grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide technical 
assistance and other activities as necessary to support activities 
related to improving health care in rural areas.''
    In 1991, the Health Service Outreach Grants were first 
appropriated, under the authority of Section 301 of the Public Health 
Service (PHS) Act. In 1996, the Health Centers Consolidation Act of 
1996 added the Section 330A Rural Health Outreach Grant Program to the 
PHS Act. In 2002, this was amended and authorized again in the PHS Act, 
Section 330A, as the Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health 
Network Development, and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement 
Grant Programs. Five rural health grant programs are currently 
operating under this authority: (1) The Rural Health Care Services 
Outreach Grant Program (Outreach), (2) the Rural Health Network 
Development Program (Network Development), (3) the Small Health Care 
Provider Quality Improvement Grant Program (Quality), (4) the Delta 
States Rural Development Network Grant Program (Delta), and (5) the 
Network Development Planning Grant Program (Network Planning). These 
grants are to provide expanded delivery of health care services in 
rural areas, for the planning and implementation of integrated health 
care networks in rural areas, and for the planning and implementation 
of small health care provider quality improvement activities.
    In general, the grants may be used to expand access to, coordinate, 
and improve the quality of essential health care services, and enhance 
the delivery of health care, in rural areas.
    For these programs, program performance measures were drafted to 
provide data useful to the program and to enable HRSA to provide 
aggregate program data required by Congress under the Government 
Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. These measures cover the 
principle topic areas of interest to ORHP, including: (a) Access to 
care; (b) the underinsured and uninsured; (c) workforce recruitment and 
retention; (d) sustainability; (e) health information technology; (f) 
network development; and (g) health-related clinical measures. Several 
measures will be used for all five programs. All measures will speak to 
the Office's progress toward meeting the goals set forth in its 
strategic plan.
    The annual burden estimate for this proposed collection is as 
follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Number of     Frequency of        Total        Hours per      Total hour
           Grant program              respondents      responses       responses       response        burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rural Health Outreach Grant                    121               1             121           1.25         151.25
 Program..........................
Rural Health Network Development..              33               2              66           4            264
Delta States Rural Development                  12               1              12           1.25          15
 Network Grant Program............
Small Health Care Provider Quality              15               1              15           1             15
 Improvement Grant Program........
Network Development Planning Grant              10               1              10           4             40
 Program..........................
                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.........................             191  ..............             234  .............         525.25
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of this notice to 
the desk officer for HRSA, either by e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974. Please direct all 
correspondence to the ``attention of the desk officer for HRSA.''

    Dated: February 12, 2008.
Alexandra Huttinger,
Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. E8-3064 Filed 2-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P