[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 82 (Tuesday, April 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23524-23526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08967]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Rural Health Network 
Development Planning Performance Improvement and Measurement System 
Database, OMB No. 0915-0384--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 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
HRSA has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Comments 
submitted during the first public review of this ICR will be provided 
to OMB. OMB will accept further comments from the public during the 
review and approval period. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30 
day comment period for this notice has closed.

DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than May 28, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed

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information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the clearance 
requests submitted to OMB for review, email Lisa Wright-Solomon, the 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at [email protected] or 
call (301) 443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Information Collection Request Title: Rural Health Network 
Development Planning Performance Improvement and Measurement System 
Database, OMB No. 0915-0384--Revision
    Abstract: The purpose of the Rural Health Network Development 
Planning (Network Planning) program is to assist in the development of 
an integrated health care network, specifically for entities that do 
not have a history of formal collaborative efforts. Health care 
networks can be an effective strategy to help smaller rural health care 
providers and health care service organizations align resources, 
achieve economies of scale and efficiency, and address challenges more 
effectively as a group than as single providers. The Network Planning 
program promotes the planning and development of healthcare networks in 
order to: (1) Achieve efficiencies; (2) expand access to, coordinate, 
and improve the quality of essential health care services; and (3) 
strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.
    The proposed change to this package includes the addition of the 
``Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE): A Plan for America'' initiative, a 
multi-year HHS initiative to end the HIV epidemic in the United States 
within 10 years. The purpose of the EHE Network Planning program is 
targeted to the seven states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, 
Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina) with a disproportionate number 
of HIV diagnoses in rural areas, to assist in the development of an 
integrated health network for HIV care and treatment, specifically with 
network participants who do not have a history of formal collaborative 
efforts. EHE Network Planning aims are: (i) To achieve efficiencies; 
(ii) to expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of 
essential health care services; and (iii) to strengthen the rural 
health care system as a whole.
    To address the aims of the EHE Network Planning program, applicants 
must describe planning activities that support at least one of the four 
key strategies specified in the `Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for 
America' initiative: (i) Diagnose; (ii) Treat; (iii) Prevent; and (iv) 
Respond. Performance measures for the EHE Network Planning Program 
serve the purpose of quantifying awardee-level data that conveys the 
successes and challenges associated with the grant award. These 
measures and aggregate data substantiate and inform the focus and 
objectives of the grant program.
    A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on August 26, 
2019, vol. 84, No. 165; pp. 44626-27. There were no public comments. 
The scope of this request was subsequently expanded to include the EHE 
Network Planning Program which, similar to the Network Planning 
Program, focuses on building rural health care network capacity. The 
EHE Network Planning Program specifically addresses HIV related health 
service delivery in response to the Administration's 'Ending the HIV 
Epidemic' Initiative.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: This data collection 
provides HRSA with information on how well each grantee is meeting the 
needs of implementing the Network Planning and EHE Network Planning and 
development activities in a rural setting. Grantees of the EHE Network 
Planning program will be reporting on the performance measures from the 
current Network Planning PIMS measures.
    The type of information requested in the Network Planning and EHE 
Network Planning PIMS enables HRSA to assess the following 
characteristics about its programs:
     The types and number of organizations in the consortium or 
network.
     The types of collaboration and/or integration among the 
network members.
     The contribution by network members and the network's 
sustainability efforts.
     The network's assessment of effectiveness and during the 
project period.
    The respondents for these measures are Network Planning and EHE 
Network Planning award recipients.
    If this information is not collected, HRSA would be unable to 
measure effective use of grant dollars to report on progress toward 
strategic goals and objectives of the Network Planning and EHE Network 
Planning Programs.
    Likely Respondents: The respondents for these measures are Network 
Planning and EHE Network Planning award recipients.
    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--Network Planning Program
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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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Rural Health Network Development              21               1              21               1              21
 Planning Program Performance
 Improvement Measurement System.
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    Total.......................              21  ..............              21  ..............              21
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                     Total Estimated Annualized Burden--Hours--EHE Network Planning Program
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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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EHE Network Planning Grantee key              10               1              10               1              10
 personnel (Project Director)...
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    Total.......................              10  ..............              10  ..............              10
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Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2020-08967 Filed 4-27-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P