[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 250 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77079-77080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31399]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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.
    HRSA especially requests comments on: (1) The necessity and utility 
of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of 
the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden, (3) 
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected, and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology to minimize the information 
collection burden.

Information Collection Request Title: Medicare Rural Hospital 
Flexibility Grant Program Performance Measure Determination (OMB No. 
0915-xxxx) - New

    Abstract: The purpose of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility 
Program (Flex), authorized by Section 4201 of the Balanced Budget Act 
of 1997 (BBA), Public Law 105-33, and reauthorized by Section 121 of 
the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, 
Public Law 110-275, is to support improvements in the quality of health 
care provided in communities served by Critical Access Hospitals 
(CAHs); to support efforts to improve the financial and operational 
performance of the CAHs; and to support communities in developing 
collaborative regional and local delivery systems. Additionally the 
Flex program assists in the conversion of qualified small rural 
hospitals to CAH status. The provision and delivery of quality health 
care to rural America is a priority of the Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS). The Flex program provides funding for states to 
support technical assistance activities in hospitals related to: 
improving health care quality, patient safety, hospital financial and 
operational efficiency, and care coordination; and ensuring adequate 
training and support within rural Emergency Medical Services systems. 
Measures and goals identified in the Flex program take into 
consideration existing measures and priorities HHS has set for 
hospitals to avoid both conflict and duplication of efforts.
    For this program, performance measures were drafted to provide data 
useful to the Flex program and to enable HRSA to provide aggregate 
program data required by Congress under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 (Public Law 103-62). These measures cover 
principal topic areas of interest to the Office of Rural Health Policy, 
including: (a) Quality reporting; (b) quality improvement 
interventions; (c) financial and operational improvement initiatives; 
and (d) multi-hospital

[[Page 77080]]

patient safety initiatives. Several measures will be used for this 
program and will inform the office's progress toward meeting the goals 
set in GPRA.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the 
information requested. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions, to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information, to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and 
review the collection of information, and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this Information Collection Request are summarized in the table below.
    The annual estimate of burden is as follows:

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                                                                                         Number of                       Average burden
                             Form Name                                  Number of      responses per   Total responses    per response     Total burden
                                                                       respondents       respondent                        (in hours)         hours
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Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program..................              45                1               45                6              270
    Total..........................................................              45                1               45                6              270
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ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Reports Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.
    Deadline: Comments on this Information Collection Request must be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: December 20, 2012.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2012-31399 Filed 12-28-12; 8:45 am]
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