[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 234 (Thursday, December 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73200-73201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29038]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

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 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an Information 
Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks 
comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any 
other aspect of the ICR.

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

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn 
Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of

[[Page 73201]]

the data collection plans and draft instruments, email 
[email protected] or call the HRSA Information Collection Clearance 
Officer at (301) 443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the information request collection title 
for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: Rural Health Network Development 
Planning Performance Improvement and Measurement System Database

OMB No. 0915-xxxx--[NEW]

    Abstract: The purpose of the Rural Health Network Development 
Planning (Network Planning) program, authorized by Section 330A(f) of 
the Public Health Service Act, 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 assist in the development of an integrated healthcare 
network, if the network participants do not have a history of 
collaborative efforts.
    The Network Planning program helps to promote the planning and 
development of healthcare networks in order to: (i) Achieve 
efficiencies; (ii) expand access to, coordinate, and improve the 
quality of essential health care services; and (iii) strengthen the 
rural health care system as a whole. This program brings together key 
parts of a rural health care delivery system, particularly those 
entities that may not have collaborated in the past under a formal 
relationship, to work together to establish and improve local capacity 
and coordination of care. This grant program supports one year of 
planning with the primary goal of helping networks create a foundation 
for their infrastructure and focusing member efforts to address 
important regional or local community health needs.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: For this program, 
performance measures were drafted to provide data to the program and to 
enable HRSA to provide aggregate program data. These measures cover the 
principal topic areas of interest to the Office of Rural Health Policy, 
including (a) network infrastructure; (b) network collaboration; (c) 
sustainability; and (d) network assessment. Several measures will be 
used for this program.
    Likely Respondents: The respondents would be Network Planning grant 
recipients.
    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.

                                     Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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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                   21               1              21               1              21
 Measurement System (PIMS)
 Database.......................
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    Total.......................              21               1              21               1              21
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    HRSA specifically 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.

    Dated: November 22, 2013.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-29038 Filed 12-4-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P