[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 45 (Thursday, March 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14804-14805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05303]


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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: Rural Health Information 
Technology Network Development Performance Improvement and Measurement 
System Database (OMB No. 0915-0354)--[Revision]

    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(f)) 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 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 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, 
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 the Office of Rural Health Policy's 
progress toward meeting the goals set.
    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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Performance Improvement and                   41               1              41            6.33          259.53
 Measurement System (PIMS)
 Database.......................
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    Total.......................              41               1              41            6.33          259.53
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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.

[[Page 14805]]

    Deadline: Comments on this Information Collection Request must be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: February 28, 2013.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-05303 Filed 3-6-13; 8:45 am]
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