[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23318-23319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09170]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 60 Day Information Collection: Indian 
Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments. Request for extension of 
approval.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on 
the information collection titled, ``Indian Health Service Medical 
Staff Credentials and Privileges Files,'' OMB Control Number 0917-0009, 
which expires August 31, 2016.

DATES: Comment Due Date: June 20, 2016. Your comments regarding this 
information collection are best assured of having full effect if 
received within 60 days of the date of this publication.

ADDRESSES: Send your written comments, requests for more information on 
the collection, or requests to obtain a copy of the data collection 
instrument and instructions to Cheryl Peterson by one of the following 
methods:
     Mail: Cheryl Peterson, Acting Director, Improving Patient 
Care Program, Office of Clinical and Preventive Services, Indian Health 
Service, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop: 08N34-A, Rockville, MD 20857.
     Phone: 301-443-1043.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 301-443-9971.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice announces our intent to submit 
the collection to OMB for approval of an extension, and to solicit 
comments on specific aspects of the information collection. The purpose 
of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment to be submitted 
to IHS. A copy of the supporting statement is available at 
www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID IHS-2016-0004).
    Information Collection Title: ``Indian Health Service Medical Staff 
Credentials and Privileges Files, 0917-0009.'' Type of Information 
Collection Request: Extension of an approved information collection, 
``Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files, 
0917-0009.'' Form Numbers: 0917-0009. Need and Use of Information 
Collection: This collection of information is used to evaluate 
individual health care providers applying for medical staff privileges 
at IHS health care facilities. The IHS operates health care facilities 
that provide health care services to American Indians and Alaska 
Natives. To provide these services, the IHS employs (directly and under 
contract) several categories of health care providers including: 
Physicians (M.D. and D.O.), dentists, psychologists, optometrists, 
podiatrists, audiologists, physician assistants, certified registered 
nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse midwives. 
IHS policy specifically requires physicians and dentists to be members 
of the health care facility medical staff where they practice. Health 
care providers become medical staff members, depending on the local 
health care facility's capabilities and medical staff bylaws. There are 
three types of IHS medical staff applicants: (1) Health care providers 
applying for direct employment with IHS; (2) contractors who will not 
seek to become IHS employees; and (3) employed IHS health care 
providers who seek to transfer between IHS health care facilities.
    National health care standards developed by the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission, and other 
accrediting organizations require health care facilities to review, 
evaluate and verify the credentials, training and experience of medical 
staff applicants prior to granting medical staff privileges. In order 
to meet these standards, IHS health care facilities require all medical 
staff applicants to provide information concerning their education, 
training, licensure, and work experience and any adverse disciplinary 
actions taken against them. This information is then verified with 
references supplied by the applicant and may include: former employers, 
educational institutions, licensure and certification boards, the 
American Medical Association, the Federation of State Medical Boards, 
the National Practitioner Data Bank, and the applicants themselves.
    In addition to the initial granting of medical staff membership and 
clinical privileges, Joint Commission standards require that a review 
of the medical staff be conducted not less than every two years. This 
review evaluates the current competence of the medical staff and 
verifies whether they are maintaining the licensure or certification 
requirements of their specialty.
    The medical staff credentials and privileges records are maintained 
at the health care facility where the health care provider is a medical 
staff member. The establishment of these records at IHS health care 
facilities is a Joint Commission requirement. Prior to the 
establishment of this Joint Commission requirement, the degree to which 
medical staff applications were maintained at all health care 
facilities in the United States that are verified for completeness and 
accuracy varied greatly across the Nation.
    The application process has been streamlined and is using 
information technology to make the application

[[Page 23319]]

electronically available on the Internet. The application may be found 
at the IHS.gov Web site address: https://www.ihs.gov/IHM/index.cfm?module=dsp_ihm_pc_p3c1.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households. Type of Respondents: 
Individuals.
    The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
Estimated number of respondents, Number of annual number of responses, 
Average burden per response, and Total annual burden hours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Estimated    Responses  per   burden  hour    Total annual
          Data collection instrument(s)              number of       respondent    per  response   burden hours
                                                    respondents                          *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application to Medical Staff....................             570               1  1.00 (60 mins)             570
Reference Letter................................            1710               1  0.33 (20 mins)             570
Reappointment Request...........................             190               1  1.00 (60 mins)             190
Obstetrics-Gynecology Privileges................              20               1  1.00 (60 mins)              20
Internal Medicine...............................             325               1  1.00 (60 mins)             325
Surgery Privileges..............................              20               1  1.00 (60 mins)              20
Psychiatry Privileges...........................              13               1  1.00 (60 mins)              13
Anesthesia Privileges...........................              15               1  1.00 (60 mins)              15
Dental Privileges...............................             150               1  0.33 (20 mins)              50
Psychology Privileges...........................              30               1  0.17 (10 mins)               5
Audiology Privileges............................               7               1   0.08 (5 mins)               1
Podiatry Privileges.............................               7               1   0.08 (5 mins)               1
Radiology Privileges............................               8               1  0.33 (20 mins)               3
Pathology Privileges............................               3               1  0.33 (20 mins)               1
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................            3068  ..............  ..............           1,784
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* For ease of understanding, burden hours are provided in actual minutes.

    There are no capital costs, operating costs and/or maintenance 
costs to respondents.
    Requests for Comments: Your written comments and/or suggestions are 
invited on one or more of the following points: (a) Whether the 
information collection activity is necessary to carry out an agency 
function; (b) whether the agency processes the information collected in 
a useful and timely fashion; (c) the accuracy of public burden estimate 
(the estimated amount of time needed for individual respondents to 
provide the requested information); (d) whether the methodology and 
assumptions used to determine the estimate is logical; (e) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being 
collected; and (f) ways to minimize the public burden through the use 
of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

    Dated: April 13, 2016.
Elizabeth A. Fowler,
Deputy Director for Management Operations, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-09170 Filed 4-19-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4160-16-P