[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 8201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02910]


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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 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: Small Health Care Provider 
Quality Improvement Program OMB No. 0915-XXXX--NEW
    Abstract: This program is authorized by Title III, Public Health 
Service Act, Section 330A(g) (42 U.S.C. 254c(g)), as amended by Section 
201, Public Law 107-251, and Section 4, Public Law 110-355. This 
authority directs the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) to support 
grants that expand access to, coordinate, contain the cost of, and 
improve the quality of essential health care services, including 
preventive and emergency services, through the development of health 
care networks in rural and frontier areas and regions. Across these 
various programs, the authority allows HRSA to provide funds to rural 
and frontier communities to support the direct delivery of health care 
and related services, to expand existing services, or to enhance health 
service delivery through education, promotion, and prevention programs.
    The purpose of the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement 
Grant (Rural Quality) Program is to provide support to rural primary 
care providers for implementation of quality improvement activities. 
The goal of the program is to promote the development of an evidence-
based culture and delivery of coordinated care in the primary care 
setting. Additional objectives of the program include: improved health 
outcomes for patients; enhanced chronic disease management; and better 
engagement of patients and their caregivers. Organizations 
participating in the program are required to utilize an evidence-based 
quality improvement model, perform tests of change focused on 
improvement, and use health information technology (HIT) to collect and 
report data. HIT may include an electronic patient registry (EPR) or an 
electronic health record (EHR), and is a critical component for 
improving quality and patient outcomes. With HIT it is possible to 
generate timely and meaningful data, which helps providers track and 
plan care.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: ORHP collects this 
information to quantify the impact of grant funding on access to health 
care, quality of services, and improvement of health outcomes. ORHP 
uses the data for program improvement and grantees use the data for 
performance tracking.
    Likely Respondents: The respondents will be grantees of the Small 
Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program.
    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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                                                                                      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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Small Health Care Provider                    30               1              30              12             360
 Quality Improvement Grant
 Performance Improvement
 Measurement System (PIMS)
 Measures Form..................
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    Total.......................              30               1              30              12             360
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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: January 31, 2014.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2014-02910 Filed 2-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P