[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34402-34403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15306]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request Information Collection Request Title: The 
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, OMB No. 0915-
0127--Revision

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on proposed data 
collection projects, 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 should be received no later than September 
16, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail them to 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N136B, 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 Lisa Wright-
Solomon, 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: The National Health Service 
Corps Loan Repayment Program, OMB No. 0915-0127--Revision.
    Abstract: The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment 
Program (LRP) was established to assure an adequate supply of trained 
primary care health professionals to provide services in the neediest 
Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) of the United States. The 
NHSC Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Workforce LRP and the NHSC Rural 
Community LRP were established to recruit and retain a health 
professional workforce with specific training and credentials to 
provide evidence-based SUD treatment in HPSAs. Under these programs, 
HHS agrees to repay the qualifying educational loans of selected 
primary care health professionals. In return, the health professionals 
agree to serve for a specified period of time in a NHSC-approved site 
located in a federally-designated HPSA approved by the Secretary for 
LRP participants. The forms utilized by each LRP include the following: 
(1) The NHSC LRP Application, the Authorization for Disclosure of Loan 
Information form, (2) the Privacy Act Release Authorization form, and, 
if applicable, (3) the Verification of Disadvantaged Background form, 
and (4) the Private Practice Option form. The first three of the 
aforementioned NHSC LRP forms collect information that is needed for 
selecting participants and repaying qualifying educational loans. The 
last referenced form, the Private Practice Option Form, is needed to 
collect information for all participants who have applied for that 
service option.
    NHSC-approved sites are health care facilities that provide 
comprehensive outpatient, ambulatory, primary health care services to 
populations residing in HPSAs. Related in-patient services may be 
provided by NHSC-approved Critical Access Hospitals and Indian Health 
Service hospitals. In order to become an NHSC-approved site, new sites 
must submit a Site Application for review and approval. Existing NHSC-
approved sites are required to complete a Site Recertification 
Application every 3 years in order to maintain their NHSC-approved 
status. Both the NHSC Site Application and Site Recertification 
Application request information on the clinical service site, 
sponsoring agency, recruitment contact, staffing levels, service users, 
charges for services, employment policies, and fiscal management 
capabilities. Assistance in completing these applications may be 
obtained through the appropriate State Primary Care Office and the 
NHSC. The information collected on the applications is used for 
determining the eligibility of sites for the assignment of NHSC health 
professionals and to verify the need for NHSC clinicians. NHSC service 
site approval is valid for 3 years.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of 
this information collection is to assess an LRP applicant's eligibility 
and qualifications for the LRP, and to obtain information for NHSC site 
applicants. The NHSC LRP application asks for personal, professional, 
and financial/loan information.
    The proposed revisions in this ICR include asking applicants to 
provide their educational information on the completion of advanced 
training such as the Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) 
Champion fellowship. To identify the PCTE Champions, the NHSC will 
require applicants to respond to the following additional questions and 
submit their National Practitioner Identifier (NPI):
    (1) Have you completed a fellowship?
    (2) Applicants who selected ``yes'' to the question above are 
required to submit the NPI number.
    NHSC policy requires behavioral health providers to practice in a 
community-based setting that provides access to comprehensive 
behavioral health services. Accordingly, for those sites seeking to be 
assigned behavioral health NHSC participants, additional site 
information will be collected from an NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral 
Health Services Checklist. NHSC sites that do not directly offer all 
required behavioral health services must demonstrate a formal 
affiliation with a comprehensive, community-based primary behavioral 
health setting or facility to provide these services.
    Likely Respondents: Likely respondents include: (1) Licensed 
primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health 
providers who are employed or seeking employment, and are interested in 
serving underserved populations; (2) health care facilities interested 
in participating in the NHSC and becoming an NHSC-approved service 
site; and (3) NHSC sites providing behavioral health care services 
directly, or through a formal affiliation with a comprehensive 
community-based primary behavioral health setting or facility providing 
comprehensive behavioral health services.
    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

[[Page 34403]]

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
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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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NHSC LRP Application............           9,020               1           9,020            1.00         9,020.0
Authorization for Disclosure of            7,150               1           7,150             .10           715.0
 Loan Information Form..........
Privacy Act Release                          303               1             303             .10            30.3
 Authorization Form.............
Verification of Disadvantaged                660               1             660             .50           330.0
 Background Form................
Private Practice Option Form....             330               1             330             .10            33.0
NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral              4,400               1           4,400             .13           572.0
 Health Services Checklist......
NHSC Site Application (including           4,070               1           4,070             .50         2,035.0
 recertification)...............
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    Total.......................          25,933  ..............          25,933  ..............        12,735.3
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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.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2019-15306 Filed 7-17-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P