[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42821-42823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19252]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: National 
Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other 
Health Care Practitioners--45 CFR Part 60 Regulations and Forms, OMB 
No. 0915-0126--Revision

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 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 ICR must be received no later than November 13, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail to the 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, 14N39, 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, in compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
    Information Collection Request Title: National Practitioner Data 
Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care 
Practitioners--45 CFR part 60 Regulations and Forms, OMB No. 0915-
0126--Revision.
    Abstract: This is a request for a revision of OMB approval of the 
information collection contained in regulations found at 45 CFR part 60 
governing the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and the forms to 
be used in registering with, reporting information to, and requesting 
information from the NPDB. Administrative forms are also included to 
aid in monitoring compliance with Federal reporting and querying 
requirements. Responsibility for NPDB implementation and operation 
resides in HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce.
    The intent of the NPDB is to improve the quality of health care by 
encouraging hospitals, State licensing boards, professional societies, 
and other entities providing health care services to identify and 
discipline those who engage in unprofessional behavior, and to restrict 
the ability of incompetent health care practitioners, providers, or 
suppliers to move from State to State without disclosure of previous 
damaging or incompetent performance. It also serves as a fraud and 
abuse clearinghouse for the reporting and disclosing of certain final 
adverse actions (excluding settlements in which no findings of 
liability have been made) taken against health care practitioners, 
providers, or suppliers by health plans, Federal agencies, and State 
agencies.
    The reporting forms, request for information forms (query forms), 
and administrative forms (used to monitor compliance) are accessed, 
completed, and submitted to the NPDB

[[Page 42822]]

electronically through the NPDB Web site at https://www.npdb.hrsa.gov/. 
All reporting and querying is performed through the secure portal of 
this Web site. This revision proposes changes to eliminate redundant 
and unnecessary forms, improve user error recovery, and improve overall 
data integrity. There is no change to the average burden per response. 
The total estimated number of respondents has increased from 5 million 
in 2015 to over 6 million in 2017, primarily attributable to increases 
in use of the ``One-Time Query for an Individual'' and ``Continuous 
Query'' forms. The increase in total respondents has resulted in an 
estimated increase of approximately 47,000 total burden hours.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The NPDB acts primarily 
as a flagging system; its principal purpose is to facilitate 
comprehensive review of practitioners' professional credentials and 
background. Information is collected from, and disseminated to, 
eligible entities (entities that are entitled to query and/or report to 
the NPDB as authorized in Title 45 CFR part 60 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations) on the following: (1) Medical malpractice payments, (2) 
licensure actions taken by Boards of Medical Examiners, (3) State 
licensure and certification actions, (4) Federal licensure and 
certification actions, (5) negative actions or findings taken by peer 
review organizations or private accreditation entities, (6) adverse 
actions taken against clinical privileges, (7) Federal or State 
criminal convictions related to the delivery of a health care item or 
service, (8) civil judgments related to the delivery of a health care 
item or service, (9) exclusions from participation in Federal or State 
health care programs, and (10) other adjudicated actions or decisions. 
It is intended that NPDB information should be considered with other 
relevant information in evaluating credentials of health care 
practitioners, providers, and suppliers.
    Likely Respondents: Eligible entities or individuals that are 
entitled to query and/or report to the NPDB as authorized in 
regulations found at 45 CFR part 60.
    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 ICR are summarized in the table below.

                                     Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    Number of                     Average burden   Total burden
           Form name                Number of     responses per       Total        per response   hours (rounded
                                   respondents     respondent       responses       (in hours)          up)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accreditation..................              10               1              10              .75               8
Civil Judgment.................              10               1              10              .75               8
Criminal Conviction (Guilty               1,140               1           1,140              .75             855
 Plea or Trial) (manual).......
Criminal Conviction (Guilty                 688               1             688            .0003               1
 Plea or Trial) (automated)....
DEA/Federal Licensure..........             698               1             698              .75             524
Deferred Conviction or Pre-                  54               1              54              .75              41
 Trial Diversion...............
Exclusion/Debarment (manual)...           1,624               1           1,624              .75           1,218
Exclusion/Debarment (automated)           3,180               1           3,180            .0003               1
Government Administrative......           2,062               1           2,062              .75           1,547
Health Plan Action.............             335               1             335              .75             252
Injunction.....................              10               1              10              .75               8
Medical Malpractice Payment              11,993               1          11,993              .75           8,995
 (manual)......................
Medical Malpractice Payment                 242               1             242            .0003               1
 (automated)...................
Nolo Contendere (No Contest)                 85               1              85              .75              64
 Plea..........................
Peer Review Organization.......              10               1              10              .75               8
Professional Society...........              49               1              49              .75              37
State Licensure (manual).......          19,160               1          19,160              .75          14,370
State Licensure (automated)....          25,980               1          25,980            .0003               8
Title IV Clinical Privileges                698               1             698              .75             524
 Actions.......................
Correction, Revision to Action,          11,114               1          11,114              .25           2,779
 Correction of Revision to
 Action, Void, Notice of Appeal
 (manual)......................
Correction, Revision to Action,          17,966               1          17,966            .0003               6
 Correction of Revision to
 Action, Void, Notice of Appeal
 (automated)...................
One-Time Query for an                 2,054,381               1       2,054,381              .08         164,351
 Individual (manual)...........
One-Time Query for an                 2,813,341               1       2,813,341            .0003             844
 Individual (automated)........
One-Time Query for an                    39,695               1          39,695              .08           3,176
 Organization (manual).........
One-Time Query for an                    10,201               1          10,201            .0003               4
 Organization (automated)......
Continuous Query (manual)......         643,860               1         643,860              .08          51,509
Continuous Query (automated)...         226,838               1         226,838            .0003              69
Self-Query on an Individual....         131,481               1         131,481              .42          55,223
Self-Query on an Organization..           1,545               1           1,545              .42             649
Entity Registration (Initial)..           1,073               1           1,073                1           1,073
Entity Registration (Renewal &           14,060               1          14,060              .25           3,515
 Update).......................
Agent Registration (Initial)...              85               1              85                1              85
Agent Registration (Renewal &               278               1             278              .08              23
 Update).......................
Entity Profile.................           9,000               1           9,000              .25           2,250
Licensing Board Attestation....             301               1             301                1             301
Licensing Board Data Request...             146               1             146             10.5           1,533
Reconciling Missing Actions....           7,981               1           7,981              0.8           6,385
Corrective Action Plan.........              10               1              10              .08               1

[[Page 42823]]

 
Missing Report Form............              29               1              29              .08               3
Subject Statement and Dispute..           3,547               1           3,547              .75           2,661
Request for Dispute Resolution.              99               1              99                8             792
Electronic Transfer of Funds                654               1             654              .08              53
 (EFT) Authorization...........
Authorized Agent Designation...             213               1             213              .25              54
Account Discrepancy............              10               1              10              .25               3
New Administrator Request......           3,016               1           3,016              .08             242
Query Credit Purchase..........             789               1             789              .08              64
Educational Request............              10               1              10              .08               1
Account Balance Transfer.......              10               1              10              .08               1
                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................       6,059,761  ..............       6,059,761  ...............         326,120
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

Amy McNulty,
Acting Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2017-19252 Filed 9-11-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P