[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 129 (Thursday, July 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39711-39712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16332]


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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

[[Page 39712]]

or other forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Health Center Controlled Networks (OMB No. 0915-
xxxx)--[New]

    One goal of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
is to ensure that all Health Center program grantees effectively 
implement health information technology (HIT) systems that enable all 
providers to become meaningful users of HIT, including Electronic 
Health Records (EHRs), and use those systems to increase access to 
care, improve quality of care, and reduce the costs of care delivered. 
The Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN) program serves as a major 
component of HRSA's HIT initiative to support these goals. The HCCN 
model focuses on the integration of certain functions and the sharing 
of skills, resources, and data to improve health center operations and 
care provision, and generating efficiencies and economies of scale. 
Through this grant, HCCNs will provide support for the adoption, 
implementation, and meaningful use of Health Information Technology 
(HIT) to improve the quality of care provided by existing Health Center 
Program grantees (i.e., Section 330 funded health centers) by engaging 
in the following program components:
     Adoption and Implementation: Assist participating health 
centers with effectively adopting and implementing certified EHR 
technology.
     Meaningful Use: Support participating health centers in 
meeting Meaningful Use requirements and accessing incentive payments 
under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records Incentive 
Programs.
     Quality Improvement: Advance participating health centers' 
QI initiatives to improve clinical and operational quality, including 
Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition.
    HRSA plans to collect and evaluate network outcome measures. HRSA 
plans to require that HCCNs report such measures to HRSA in annual work 
plan updates as part of their annual, non-competing continuation 
progress reports through an electronic reporting system. The work plan 
updates will include information on grantees' plans and progress on the 
following:
     Adoption and Implementation of HIT (including EHR);
     Attainment of Meaningful Use Requirements; and
     Quality improvement measures (e.g., Healthy People 2020 
clinical quality measures, PCMH recognition status, etc.).
    The annual, non-competing continuation progress reports will 
describe each grantee's progress in achieving key activity goals such 
as quality improvement, data access and exchange, efficiency and 
effectiveness of network services, and the ability to track and monitor 
patient outcomes, as well as emerging needs, challenges and barriers 
encountered customer satisfaction, and plans to meet goals for the next 
year. Grantees will submit their work plan updates and annual, non-
competing continuation progress report each fiscal year of the grant; 
the submission and subsequent HRSA approval of each report triggers the 
budget period renewal and release of each subsequent year of funding. 
The estimated total number of burden hours is 750.
    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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Work Plan Update................              30               1              30               5             150
Annual Progress Report/Interim                30               1              30              20             600
 Evaluation Progress Report.....
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    Total.......................              60  ..............  ..............  ..............             750
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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: June 28, 2012.
Reva Harris,
Acting Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2012-16332 Filed 7-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P