[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 232 (Friday, December 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63754-63756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28955]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 60[dash]Day Proposed Information 
Collection: Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and 
Privileges Files

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Indian Health Service (IHS), as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance 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 IHS is providing a 60-day advance opportunity for public 
comment on a proposed new collection of information to be submitted to 
the Office of Management and Budget for review.
    Proposed Collection: Title: 0917-0009, ``Indian Health Service 
Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files.'' Type of Information 
Collection Request: Extension, without revision, of currently approved 
information collection, 0917-0009, ``Indian Health Service Medical 
Staff Credentials and Privileges Files'' agreement. Form Numbers(s): 
None. Need and Use of Information Collection: This collection of 
information is used to evaluate individual health care providers 
applying for medical staff privileges at IHS health care facilities.

[[Page 63755]]

The Health and Human Services 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, 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) contractors 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), the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of 
Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and other accrediting organizations 
require health care facilities to review, evaluate and verify the 
credentials, training and experience of medical staff applicants prior 
to granting medical staff privileges. In order to meet these standards, 
IHS health care facilities require all medical staff applicants 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 the licensure or 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 INS health care 
facilities is not optional; such records must be established and 
accredited by JCAHO. Prior to the establishment of this JCAHO 
requirement, the degree to which medical staff applications were 
maintained at all health care facilities in the United States that are 
verified for completeness and accuracy varied greatly across the 
Nation.
    The application process has been streamlined and is using 
information technology to make the application electronically available 
on the Internet. Affected Public: Individuals and households. Type of 
Respondents: Individuals.
    The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
Estimated number of respondents, Number of annual number of responses, 
Average burden per response, and Total annual burden hours.

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                                        Estimated
   Data collection instrument(s)        number of     Responses per    Average burden hour per     Total annual
                                       respondents     respondent             response*            burden hours
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Application to Medical Staff.......             570               1   1.00 (60 mins)                         570
Reference Letter...................            1710               1   0.33 (20 mins)                         570
Reappointment Request..............             190               1   1.00 (60 mins)                         190
Ob-Gyn Privileges..................              20               1   1.00 (60 mins)                          20
Internal Medicine..................             325               1   1.00 (60 mins)                         325
Surgery Privileges.................              20               1   1.00 (60 mins)                          20
Psychiatry Privileges..............              13               1   1.00 (60 mins)                          13
Anesthesia Privileges..............              15               1  1.00 (60 mins)                           15
Dental Privileges..................             150               1   0.33 (20 mins)                          50
Optometry Privileges...............              21               1  0.33 (20 mins)                            7
Psychology Privileges..............              30               1   0.17 (10 mins)                           5
Audiology Privileges...............               7               1  0.08 (5 mins)                             1
Podiatry Privileges................               7               1   0.08 (5 mins)                            1
Radiology Privileges...............               8               1   0.33 (20 mins)                           3
Pathology Privileges...............               3               1  0.33 (20 mins)                            1
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    Total..........................           3,088  ..............  ...........................           1,791
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* For ease of understanding, burden hours are provided in actual minutes. There are no capital costs, operating
  costs and/or maintenance costs to respondents.

    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 is 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: For the 
proposed collection or requests to obtain a copy of the data collection 
instrument(s) and instructions to: Ms. Betty Gould, Reports Clearance 
Officer, 801 Thompson Avenue, TMP, Suite 450, Rockville, MD 20852, call 
non-toll free (301) 443-7899, send via facsimile to (301) 443-9879, or 
send your e-mail requests, comments, and return address to: 
[email protected].
    Comment Due Date: Your comments regarding this information 
collection is best assured of having full effect if received within 60 
days of the date of this publication.


[[Page 63756]]


    Dated: November 30, 2009.
Randy Grinnell,
Deputy Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. E9-28955 Filed 12-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-M