[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30255-30256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12700]


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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 July 27, 2015.

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 30256]]

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: Medicare Rural Hospital 
Flexibility Grant Program Performance OMB No. 0915-0363-Rev.
    Abstract: The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) is 
authorized by Section 1820 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-
4), as amended. The purpose of Flex is engaging state designated 
entities in activities relating to planning and implementing rural 
health care plans and networks; designating facilities as Critical 
Access Hospitals (CAHs); providing support for CAHs for quality 
improvement, quality reporting, performance improvements, and 
benchmarking; and integrating rural emergency medical services (EMS).
    Specifically, the Flex program provides funding for states to 
support technical assistance activities in hospitals to improve the 
quality of health care provided by CAHs; improve the financial and 
operational outcomes of CAHs; improve the Community Health and 
Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Needs of CAHs; enhance the health of 
rural communities through community/population health improvement; 
improve identification and management of Time Critical Diagnoses (TCD) 
and engage EMS capacity and performance in Rural Communities; assist in 
the conversion of qualified small rural hospitals to CAH status; and 
support the financial and operational transition to value based models 
and health care transformation models in the health care system. State 
designated Flex Programs will act as a resource and focal point for 
these activities, ensuring residents in rural communities have access 
to high quality health care services. Measures and goals identified in 
the Flex program take into consideration existing measures and 
priorities HHS has set for hospitals, to avoid both conflict and 
duplication of efforts.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: For this program, 
performance measures were drafted to provide data useful to the Flex 
program and to enable HRSA to provide aggregate program data required 
by Congress under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 
2010. These measures cover principal topic areas of interest to the 
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), including: (a) Quality 
reporting; (b) quality improvement interventions; (c) financial and 
operational improvement initiatives; (d) population health management; 
and (e) innovative care models. Several measures will be used for this 
program and will inform FORHP's progress toward meeting the goals set 
in GPRA. Furthermore, obtaining this information is important for 
identifying and understanding programmatic improvement across program 
areas, as well as guiding future iterations of the Flex Program and 
prioritizing areas of need and support.
    Likely Respondents: Respondents will be the Flex Program 
coordinator for each state participating in the Flex Program. There are 
currently 45 states participating in the Flex 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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Medicare Rural Hospital                       45               1              45             216           9,720
 Flexibility Grant Program......
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    Total.......................              45               1              45             216           9,720
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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. 2015-12700 Filed 5-26-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P