[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31562-31563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12340]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Public Comment Request

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration 
(HRSA) has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Comments submitted during the 
first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB will 
accept further comments from the public during the review and approval 
period.

Information Collection Request Title: Rural Health Information 
Technology Network Development Program (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 the 
Health Care Safety Net Amendments of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-251), 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 the Department 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, enacted as part of the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5). The HITECH Act 
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 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's progress toward meeting the goals 
set.
    A 60-day Federal Register Notice regarding this collection request 
was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2013, (Vol. 78, No. 
45; page. 14804). There were no public comments.
    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 ICR are summarized in the table below.

                                    Total Estimated Annualized Burden--Hours
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                                     Number of     Responses per       Total         Hours per     Total burden
           Instrument               respondents     respondent       responses       response          hours
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Rural Health Information                      41               1              41            5.68          232.88
 Technology Network Development
 Program........................
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    Total.......................              41               1              41            5.68          232.88
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ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to the desk officer for HRSA, either by 
email to [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-5806. Please 
direct all correspondence to the ``attention of the desk officer for 
HRSA.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the clearance 
requests submitted to OMB for review, email the HRSA Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at [email protected] or call (301) 443-
1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the information request collection title 
for reference.
    Deadline: Comments on this ICR should be received within 30 days of 
this notice.


[[Page 31563]]


    Dated: May 17, 2013.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-12340 Filed 5-23-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P