[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 138 (Thursday, July 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38725-38726]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15607]


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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: Rural 
Health Care Services Outreach Program Performance Improvement and 
Measurement Systems (PIMS) Measures, OMB No. 0906-0009, 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 September 
20, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the 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: Rural Health Care Services 
Outreach Program PIMS Measures OMB No. 0906-0009--Revision
    Abstract: The Rural Health Care Services Outreach (Outreach) 
Program is authorized by Section 330A(e) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 254c(e)) to ``promote rural health care services 
outreach by improving and expanding the delivery of health care 
services to include new and enhanced services in rural areas, through 
community engagement and evidence-based or innovative, evidence-
informed models.'' The goals for the Outreach Program are as follows: 
(1) Expand the delivery of health care services to include new and 
enhanced services exclusively in rural communities, (2) deliver health 
care services through a strong consortium, in which every consortium 
member organization is actively involved and engaged in the planning 
and delivery of services, (3) utilize community engagement and 
evidence-based or innovative, evidence-informed model(s) in the 
delivery of health care services, and (4) improve population health, 
and demonstrate health outcomes and sustainability.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The PIMS measures for the 
Outreach Program enable HRSA and the Federal Office of Rural Health 
Policy to capture awardee-level and aggregate data that illustrate the 
impact and scope of federal funding. The collection of this information 
helps further inform and substantiate the focus and objectives of the 
grant program. The measures encompass the following topics: (a) Access 
to care, (b) population demographics, (c) consortium/network, (d) 
sustainability, and (e) project specific domains.
    The proposed Outreach PIMS measures reflect an increase in the 
number of measures including the following:
    (1) The addition of project-specific measures related to the 
Healthy Rural Hometown Initiative (includes 17 required and 20 optional 
measures for a total of 37 additional measures) applicable only to 
Outreach awardees who apply to be part of the Healthy Rural Hometown 
Initiative track (anticipated total of 16 out of 61 awardees) to focus 
on one or more of the five causes of excess death in rural communities 
(heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury/substance use, chronic 
lower respiratory disease, and stroke);
    (2) addition of project-specific measures (3 additional measures) 
only applicable to Outreach Awardees with a focus on telehealth 
(anticipated total of 15 out of 61 awardees);
    (3) the addition of social determinants of health measures (3 
additional measures) only applicable to Outreach Awardees addressing 
social determinants of health as part of their grant funded activities 
(anticipated total of 15 out of 61 awardees);
    (4) the consolidation of the access to care measures from singular 
to composite measure format (currently 14, previously 16) applicable to 
all awardees (anticipated total of 61 awardees);
    (5) removal of an outdated project specific measure (1 measure 
removed) applicable to awardees focused on childhood obesity;
    (6) removal of an outdated project specific applicable to awardees

[[Page 38726]]

providing clinical services (currently 7, previously 8) related to 
Healthy People 2020 and;
    (7) removal of the outdated project specific Health Improvement 
Special Project measure (1 measure removed).
    In total, the proposed changes reflect the addition of 43 measures 
and the removal of 5 measures for an increase in measures by a total of 
38 measures. Of these measures, 17 are required and 26 are optional. 
All additional measures proposed are project specific (only applicable 
to anticipated total ranging from 15-16 out of 61 awardees). All 
measures will not be applicable to all 61 respondents. Project specific 
measures will remain applicable only to Outreach Awardees focusing on 
the respective project specific topic.
    Likely Respondents: The respondents would be award recipients of 
the Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program.
    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; 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; train personnel and to be able to respond to a 
collection of information; to search data sources; complete and review 
the collection of information; and 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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Rural Health Care Services                    61               1              61             3.5           213.5
 Outreach PIMS..................
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                                              61  ..............              61  ..............           213.5
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    HRSA specifically requests comments on the: (1) Necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions; (2) accuracy of the estimated 
burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the 
information collection burden.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2021-15607 Filed 7-21-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P