[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52972-52973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24669]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0750]


Agency Information Collection Activity: Ethics Consultation 
Feedback Tool (ECFT)

AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed 
collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish 
notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information, including each proposed reinstatement of a currently 
approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response 
to the notice.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations on the proposed collection 
of information should be received on or before January 16, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information 
through Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov 
or to Brian McCarthy, Office of Regulatory and Administrative Affairs 
(10B4), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20420 or email to [email protected]. Please refer 
to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0750'' in any correspondence. During the 
comment period, comments may be viewed online through FDMS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian McCarthy at (202) 461-6345.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must 
obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. This request for 
comment is being made pursuant to Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA.
    With respect to the following collection of information, VHA 
invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of VHA's functions, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy 
of VHA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on

[[Page 52973]]

respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or the use of other forms of information technology.

    Authority:  38 U.S.C. Part 1 Chapter 5 Section 527.

    Title: Ethics Consultation Feedback Tool (ECFT); VA Form 10-10065.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0750.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Ethics consultation is a service provided in all Veterans 
Health Administration (VHA) facilities. We define ethics consultation 
as a service provided by an individual ethics consultant, ethics 
consultation team, or ethics committee to help patients, providers, and 
other parties resolve ethical concerns in a health care setting. The 
overall goal of ethics consultation is to improve health care quality 
by facilitating the resolution of ethical concerns. By providing a 
forum for discussion and methods for careful analysis, effective ethics 
consultation:

 Promotes practices consistent with high ethical standards
 helps foster consensus and resolve conflict in an atmosphere 
of respect
 honors participants' authority and values in the decision-
making process
 educates participants to handle current and future ethical 
concerns

    Ensuring the success of the ethics consultation service also 
requires ongoing evaluation, by which we mean systematic assessment of 
the operation and/or outcomes of a program compared to a set of 
explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the 
continuous improvement of the program. Evaluation is an important 
strategy to improve the process of ethics consultation (i.e., how 
ethics consultation is being performed) as well as its outcomes (i.e., 
how ethics consultation affects participants and the facility).
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 47 hours.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 5 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 569.

    By direction of the Secretary.
Cynthia Harvey-Pryor,
Department Clearance Officer, Office of Quality, Privacy and Risk, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2017-24669 Filed 11-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P