[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 4 (Monday, January 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 953-954]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00033]


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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: Bureau of Health Professions 
(BHPr) Performance Data Collection (OMB No. 0915-0061)--Revision

    Abstract: Over 40 BHPr programs award grants to health professions 
schools and training programs across the United States to develop, 
expand, and enhance training, and to strengthen the distribution of the 
health workforce. Many of these programs are governed by the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.), specifically Titles III, 
VII, and VIII. Performance information is collected in the HRSA 
Performance Report for Grants and Cooperative Agreements (PRGCA). Data 
collection activities at application, progress, and annual performance 
satisfy statutory and programmatic requirements for performance 
measurement and evaluation (including specific Title III, VII, and VIII 
requirements), as well as Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 
requirements. The Affordable Care Act impacted a broad range of health 
workforce programs administered by BHPr. It reauthorized many of these 
programs and, in some cases, expanded eligibility, modified program 
activities, and/or established new requirements. The Affordable Care 
Act also created new health professions programs. Therefore, it was 
necessary to reexamine BHPr's existing performance measures to ensure 
that they address these changes, meet evolving program management 
needs, and respond to emerging workforce concerns.
    The purpose of the proposed revised data collection is to enhance 
analysis and reporting of grantee training activities and education, 
identify intended practice locations, and report outcomes of funded 
initiatives. Data collected from these grant programs will also provide 
a description of the program activities of more than 1,600 reporting 
grantees to better inform policymakers on the barriers, opportunities, 
and outcomes involved in health care workforce development. The 
proposed measures focus on five key outcomes: (1) Increasing the 
workforce supply of diverse well-educated practitioners, (2) 
influencing the distribution of practitioners to practice in 
underserved and rural areas, (3) enhancing the quality of education, 
(4) diversifying the pipeline for new health professionals, and (5) 
supporting educational infrastructure to increase the capacity to train 
more health professionals.
    Revisions to the current reporting will require the collection of 
baseline data at the grant application and award stages and will 
include improved performance reporting at three levels of measurement: 
individual-level, program-specific, and program cluster-level.
    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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                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of       Number of         Total        burden per     Total burden
            Form name               respondents    responses per     responses     response  (in       hours
                                                    respondent                        hours)
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Application.....................           2,500               1           2,500               8          20,000
Program Aggregate Data                       500               1             500              10           5,000
 Collection *...................
Individual-level Data Collection             800               1             800               5           4,000
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    Total.......................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............          29,000
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* Program aggregate data collection will only be required for programs that do not provide direct financial
  support to students.


[[Page 954]]


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 26, 2012.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-00033 Filed 1-4-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P