[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42581-42582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16779]


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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. Chapter 35). To request 
a copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, e-mail 
[email protected] or call the HRSA Reports Clearance Office on (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: Free Clinic FTCA Deeming Application (OMB No. 0915-
0293) Revision

    Congress legislated FTCA medical malpractice protection for free 
clinic volunteer health professionals through Section 194 of the Health 
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) amending Section 
224 of the Public Health Service Act. Individuals eligible to 
participate in this program are health care practitioners volunteering 
at free clinics who meet specific eligibility requirements. If an 
individual meets all the requirements of this program, they can be 
``deemed'' to be a Federal employee. This deemed status is specifically 
to provide immunity from medical malpractice lawsuits as a result of 
the performance of medical, dental, or related activities within the 
scope of the volunteer's work at the free clinic.
    The sponsoring free clinic entity must submit an application to the 
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This application 
will require information about the sponsoring free clinic's 
credentialing system, risk management practices, and quality assurance 
system in order to ensure the Government is not exposed to undue 
liability resulting from the medical malpractice coverage of non-
qualified health care professionals as well as the number of annual 
FTCA patient visits. Attached to the application will be a listing of 
specific health care providers for whom the sponsoring free clinic is 
requesting deemed status.
    The estimated annual burden is as follows:

[[Page 42582]]



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                                     Number of     Responses per       Total         Hours per     Total burden
              Form                  respondents     respondent       responses       response          hours
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 Free Clinic FTCA Application...             150               1             150              16           2,400
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     Total......................             150  ..............             150  ..............           2,400
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    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: July 16, 2008.
Alexandra Huttinger,
Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
 [FR Doc. E8-16779 Filed 7-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P