[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 9949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3919]


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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, Pub. L. 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 
(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, email [email protected] or 
call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer at (301) 443-1984.
    Comments are invited on: (a) The proposed collection of information 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency; (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: Rural Health Information Technology Network 
Development (OMB No. 0915-xxxx) - [New]

    The purpose of the Rural Health Information Technology Network 
Development (RHITND) Program, authorized under the Public Health 
Service Act, Section 330A(f) (42 U.S.C. 254c) as amended by Section 
201, Public Law 107-251 of the Health Care Safety Net Amendments of 
2002, is to improve health care and support the adoption of Health 
Information Technology (HIT) in rural America by providing targeted HIT 
support to rural health networks. HIT plays a significant role in the 
advancement of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) 
priority policies to improve health care delivery. Some of these 
priorities include: improving health care quality, safety, and 
efficiency, reducing disparities, engaging both patients and families 
in managing their health, enhancing care coordination, improving 
population and public health, and ensuring adequate privacy and 
security of health information.
    The intent of RHITND is to support the adoption and use of 
electronic health records (EHR) in coordination with the ongoing HHS 
activities related to the Health Information Technology for Economic 
and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act (Pub. L. 111-5). This legislation 
provides HHS with the authority to establish programs to improve health 
care quality, safety, and efficiency through the promotion of health 
information technology, including EHR.
    For this 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 (Pub. L. 103-62). These measures cover the principal 
topic areas of interest to the Office of Rural Health Policy (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 this program. 
These measures will speak to ORHP's progress toward meeting the goals 
set.
    The annual estimate of burden is as follows:

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                                     Number of    Responses  per       Total         Hours per     Total burden
           Instrument               respondents      respondent      responses       response          hours
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Rural Health Information                      41               1              41            4.12          168.92
 Technology Network Development
 Program........................
    Total.......................              41               1              41            4.12          168.92
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    Email comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA Reports 
Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.

    Dated: February 14, 2012.
Reva Harris,
Acting Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2012-3919 Filed 2-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P