[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1214-1216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00031]


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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: National Practitioner Data Bank 
for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care 
Practitioners--45 CFR Part 60 Regulations and Forms OMB No. 0915-0126--
Revision

    Abstract: This is a request for a revision of OMB approval of the 
information collections contained in regulations found at 45 CFR Part 
60 governing the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and the forms 
to be used in registering with, reporting information to, and 
requesting information from the NPDB. Section 6403 of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act) Public 
Law 111-148 requires the transfer of all data in the Healthcare 
Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) to the NPDB. Data collection 
will not change; however, the merger will consolidate forms from OMB 
No. 0915-0239 for HIPDB under OMB No. 0915-0126 for NPDB. 
Responsibility for NPDB implementation and operation resides in the 
Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 
Operation of the HIPDB was delegated by the HHS Office of the Inspector 
General to HRSA. This rule

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eliminates duplicative data reporting and access requirements between 
the HIPDB [established through the Health Insurance Portability and 
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) under Section 1128(b)(5) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7e)] and the NPDB [established 
through the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 under Title IV 
(42 U.S.C. 11101 et seq.) and expanded by Section 1921 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r-2)]. Information previously collected and 
disclosed through the HIPDB will be collected and disclosed through the 
NPDB. Section 6403 of the Affordable Care Act consolidates the 
collection and disclosure of information from both data banks under 
Title 45 part 60 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will subsequently remove 
Title 45 part 61, which implemented the HIPDB.
    The intent of NPDB is to improve the quality of health care by 
encouraging hospitals, state licensing boards, professional societies, 
and other entities providing health care services, to identify and 
discipline those who engage in unprofessional behavior; and to restrict 
the ability of incompetent health care practitioners, providers, or 
suppliers to move from state to state without disclosure of previous 
damaging or incompetent performance. It also serves as a fraud and 
abuse clearinghouse for the reporting and disclosing of certain final 
adverse actions (excluding settlements in which no findings of 
liability have been made) taken against health care practitioners, 
providers, or suppliers by health plans, federal agencies, and state 
agencies.
    The NPDB acts primarily as a flagging system; its principal purpose 
is to facilitate comprehensive review of practitioners' professional 
credentials and background. Information is collected from, and 
disseminated to, eligible entities (entities that are entitled to query 
and/or report to the NPDB under the three aforementioned statutory 
authorities) on the following: (1) Medical malpractice payments, (2) 
licensure actions taken by Boards of Medical Examiners, (3) state 
licensure and certification actions, (4) federal licensure and 
certification actions, (5) negative actions or findings taken by peer 
review organizations or private accreditation entities, (6) adverse 
actions taken against clinical privileges, (7) federal or state 
criminal convictions related to the delivery of a health care item or 
service, (8) civil judgments related to the delivery of a health care 
item or service, (9) exclusions from participation in federal or state 
health care programs, and (10) other adjudicated actions or decisions. 
It is intended that NPDB information should be considered with other 
relevant information in evaluating credentials of health care 
practitioners, providers, and suppliers.
    The reporting forms and the request for information forms (query 
forms) are accessed, completed, and submitted to the NPDB 
electronically through the NPDB Web site at http://www.npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov/. All reporting and querying is performed through this 
secure Web site.
    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       per response    Total burden
                                    respondents     respondent       responses      (in hours)         hours
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Entity Registration (initial)...             856               1             856               1             856
Entity Registration (renewal)...          12,748               1          12,748               1          12,748
Individual Subject Query........       4,460,926               1       4,460,926             0.1         446,093
Individual Self Query...........          64,187               1          64,187             0.4          25,675
Title IV Clinical Privileges                 862               1             862            0.75             647
 Action.........................
Professional Society Membership               67               1              67            0.75              50
 Action.........................
State Licensure Action..........          62,178               1          62,178            0.75          46,634
DEA/Federal Licensure Action....             497               1             497            0.75             373
Exclusion/Debarment.............          16,243               1          16,243            0.75          12,182
Government and Administrative              2,592               1           2,592            0.75           1,944
 Action.........................
Health Plan Action..............             515               1             515            0.75             386
Civil Judgment..................              10               1              10            0.75               8
Criminal Conviction.............           1,253               1           1,253            0.75             940
Medical Malpractice Payment.....          13,326               1          13,326            0.75           9,995
Private Accreditation Entity and              10               1              10            0.75               8
 Peer Review Organization.......
Authorized Agent Designation                2055               1            2055            0.25             514
 Form (Add & Edit)..............
Account Discrepancy Report......              20               1              20            0.25               5
Report Review Request Form......              83               1              83             .25              21
Electronic Transfer Funds                    276               1             276            0.25              69
 Authorization..................
Subject Statement and Dispute                100               1             100               1             100
 Initiation Form (Individual &
 Organization)..................
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    TOTAL.......................       4,641,704  ..............       4,641,704  ..............         561,395
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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.


[[Page 1216]]


    Dated: December 21, 2012.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-00031 Filed 1-7-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P