[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 68 (Monday, April 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15164-15165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07175]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; Telehealth Resource Center Performance 
Measurement Tool, OMB No. 0915-0361, Revision

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

ACTION: Notice.

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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 June 8, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail Lisa 
Wright-Solomon, HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 10-
29, 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 Lisa Wright-Solomon at [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: Telehealth Resource Center 
Performance Measurement Tool, OMB No. 0915-0361, Revision.
    Abstract: To ensure the best use of public funds and to meet the 
Government Performance Review Act requirements, the Office for the 
Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) in collaboration with the Telehealth 
Resource Centers (TRCs) created a set of performance measures that 
grantees can use to evaluate the technical assistance services provided 
by the TRCs. Grantee goals are to provide customized telehealth 
technical assistance across the country. The TRCs provide technical 
assistance to health care organizations, health care networks and 
health care providers in the implementation of cost-effective 
telehealth programs to serve rural and medically underserved areas and 
populations.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: In order to evaluate 
existing programs, data are submitted to OAT through HRSA's Performance 
Improvement Management System (PIMS). The data are used to measure the 
effectiveness of the technical assistance. There are two data reporting 
periods each year; during these biannual reporting periods data are 
reported for the previous six months of activity. Programs have 
approximately six weeks to enter their data into the PIMS system during 
each biannual reporting period.
    The instrument was developed with the following four goals in mind:
    1. Improving access to needed services,
    2. reducing rural practitioner isolation,
    3. improving health system productivity and efficiency, and
    4. improving patient outcomes.
    The TRCs currently report on existing performance data elements 
using PIMS. The performance measures are designed to assess how the TRC 
program is meeting its goals to:
    1. Expand the availability of telehealth services in underserved 
communities,
    2. Improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of telehealth 
services, and
    3. Promote knowledge exchange and dissemination about efficient and 
effective telehealth practices and technology.
    4. Establish sustainable technical assistance (TA) centers 
providing quality, unbiased TA for the development and expansion of 
effective and efficient telehealth services in underserved communities.
    Additionally, the PIMS tool allows OAT to:
    1. Determine the value added from the TRC Cooperative Agreement;
    2. Justify budget requests;
    3. Collect uniform, consistent data which enables OAT to monitor 
programs;
    4. Provide guidance to grantees on important indicators to track 
over time for their own internal program management;
    5. Measure performance relative to the mission of OAT/HRSA as well 
as individual goals and objectives of the program;
    6. Identify topics of interest for future special studies; and
    7. Identify changes in healthcare needs within rural communities, 
allowing programs to shift focus in order to meet those needs.
    This renewal request proposes changes to existing measures. After 
compiling data from the previous tool over the last three years, OAT 
conducted an analysis of the data and compared the findings with the 
program needs. Based on the findings, the measures are being revised to 
better capture information necessary to measure the effectiveness of 
the program. The measure changes include: Additional demographic 
details from organizations requesting technical assistance, streamlined 
methods of inquiry, additional topics of technical assistance inquiries 
aligning with the current telehealth landscape, streamlined types of 
services provided by the grantees, deletion of client satisfaction 
survey results, and deletion of telehealth sites developed as a result 
of grantee technical assistance.
    Likely Respondents: The likely respondents will be telehealth 
associations, telehealth providers, rural health providers, clinicians 
that deliver services via telehealth, technical assistance providers, 
research organizations, and academic medical centers.
    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:

[[Page 15165]]



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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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Telehealth Resource Center                    14              42             588            0.07              41
 Performance Data Collection
 Tool...........................
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    Total.......................              14  ..............             588  ..............              41
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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.

    Dated: April 3, 2018.
Lori Roche,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2018-07175 Filed 4-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P