[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18240-18241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07673]


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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 
no later than June 8, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 10C-03, 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: Shortage Designation 
Management System OMB No. 0906-xxxx-New.
    Abstract: HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) is committed to 
improving the health of the nation's underserved communities and 
vulnerable populations by developing, implementing, evaluating, and 
refining programs that strengthen the nation's health workforce. The 
Department of Health and Human Services relies on two federal shortage 
designations to identify and dedicate resources to areas and 
populations in greatest need of providers: Health Professional Shortage 
Area (HPSA) designations and Medically Underserved Area/Medically 
Underserved Population (MUA/P) designations. HPSA designations are 
geographic areas, population groups, and facilities that are 
experiencing a shortage of health professionals. MUA/P designations are 
areas, or populations within areas, that are experiencing a shortage of 
health care services. MUAs are designated for the entire population of 
a particular geographic area. MUP designations are limited to 
particular groups of underserved people within an area. These 
designations are currently used in a number of departmental programs 
that provide both federal and state government grant/program benefits 
for communities, health care facilities, and providers. BHW has the 
responsibility for designating and de-designating HPSAs and MUA/Ps on 
behalf of the Secretary.
    HPSA designations are required to be reviewed and updated regularly 
to reflect current data. Individual states--through their Primary Care 
Office (PCO)--have primary responsibility for initiating an application 
for a new or updated HPSA designation, or withdrawing HPSAs that no 
longer meet the designation criteria. HRSA reviews the application and 
makes the final determination on the HPSA designation. Requests come 
from the PCOs who have access to the online application and review 
system, Shortage Designation Management System (SDMS). Requests that 
come from other sources are referred to the PCOs for their review and 
concurrence. In addition, interested parties, including the Governor, 
the State Primary Care Association, and state professional associations 
are notified of each request submitted for their comments and 
recommendations.
    In order to obtain a federal shortage designation for an area, 
population, or facility, PCOs must submit a shortage designation 
application through SDMS for review and approval by BHW. Both the HPSA 
and MUA/P application request local, state, and national data on the 
population that is experiencing a shortage of health professionals and 
the number of health professionals relative

[[Page 18241]]

to the population covered by the proposed designation. The information 
collected on the applications is used to determine which areas, 
populations, and facilities have shortages.
    The lists of designated HPSAs are annually published in the Federal 
Register. In addition, lists of HPSAs are updated on the HRSA Web site, 
 http://www.hrsa.gov/shortage/, so that interested parties can access 
the information.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of 
this information collection is to obtain information to designate HPSAs 
and MUA/Ps. The information obtained from the SDMS Application is used 
to determine which areas, populations, and facilities have critical 
shortages of health professionals. The SDMS HPSA application and SDMS 
MUA/P Application are used for these designation determinations. 
Applicants must submit a SDMS application to BHW to obtain a federal 
shortage designation. The application asks for local, state, and 
national data required to determine the applicant's eligibility to 
obtain a federal shortage designation. In addition, applicants must 
enter in detailed information explaining how the area, population, or 
facility faces a critical shortage of health professionals.
    Likely Respondents: State Primary Care Offices interested in 
obtaining a primary care, dental, or mental HPSA designation or a MUA/P 
in their state.
    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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Designation Planning and                      54               1              54            4.25          229.50
 Preparation....................
SDMS Application................              54              23           1,242            1.75        2,173.50
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    Total.......................              54              --           1,296              --        2,403.00
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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.

Jackie Painter,
Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2015-07673 Filed 4-2-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P