[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 132 (Monday, July 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44885-44887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16207]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 30-Day Proposed Information 
Collection: Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and 
Privileges Files

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which 
requires 30 days for public comment on proposed information collection 
projects, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is submitting to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for an extension of a 
previously approved collection of information titled, ``Indian Health 
Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files,'' OMB Control 
Number 0917-0009, which expires August 31, 2016. This

[[Page 44886]]

proposed information collection project was previously published in the 
Federal Register (81 FR 23318) on April 20, 2016, and allowed 60 days 
for public comment. The IHS received no public comments regarding this 
collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for public 
comment to be submitted directly to OMB.
    Proposed Collection: Title: 0917-0009, ``Indian Health Service 
Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files.'' Type of Information 
Collection Request: Extension, without revision, of currently approved 
information collection, 0917-0009, ``Indian Health Service Medical 
Staff Credentials and Privileges Files.'' 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, the 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 electronically available 
on the Internet. The application may be found at the IHS.gov Web site 
address: http://www.ihs.gov/IHM/index.cfm?module=dsp_ihm_pc_p3c1_ex#ManualExhibit3-1-A.
    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.

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                                           Estimated
     Data collection instrument(s)         number of     Responses per   Average burden hour per   Total annual
                                          respondents     respondent           response *          burden hours
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Application to Medical Staff..........             570               1  1.00 (60 mins)..........             570
Reference Letter......................           1,710               1  0.33 (20 mins)..........             570
Reappointment Request.................             190               1  1.00 (60 mins)..........             190
Ob-Gyn 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
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    Total.............................           3,068  ..............  ........................           1,784
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* For ease of understanding, burden hours are provided in actual minutes.

    There are no capital costs, operating costs and/or maintenance 
costs to respondents.
    Request 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

[[Page 44887]]

through the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

ADDRESSES: To request additional information, please contact Lisa Neel 
by one of the following methods:
     Mail: Lisa Neel, Program Manager, HIV Program, Office of 
Clinical and Preventive Services, Indian Health Service, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Mail Stop: 08N06-A, Rockville, MD 20857.
     Phone: 301-443-4305.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 301-443-4305.
    Direct Your Comments to OMB: Send your comments and suggestions 
regarding the proposed information collection contained in this notice, 
especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated 
response time to: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Desk Officer for IHS.
    Comment Due Date: Your comments regarding this information 
collection is best assured of having full effect if received within 30 
days of the date of this publication.

    Dated: June 29, 2016.
 Elizabeth A. Fowler,
 Deputy Director for Management Operations, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-16207 Filed 7-8-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-16-P