[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 59 (Monday, March 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17309-17310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06486]


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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; Telehealth Resource Center Performance Measurement 
Tool, OMB No. 0915-0361--Extension

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

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 April 27, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
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 Samantha Miller, the acting 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at [email protected] or 
call (301) 443-9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Information Collection Request Title: Telehealth Resource Center 
(TRC) Performance Measurement Tool, OMB No. 0915-0361--Extension.
    Abstract: HRSA requests an extension of their TRC Performance 
Measurement Tool. The TRCs deliver telehealth technical assistance. 
There are two types of HRSA TRC programs:
     Two National Telehealth Resource Center Programs focus on 
policy and technology.
     Twelve Regional Telehealth Resource Center Programs host 
activities and provide resources to rural and underserved areas.

[[Page 17310]]

    The HRSA TRCs:
     Provide training and support,
     Publicize information and research findings,
     Support collaboration and partnerships,
     Promote effective partnerships, and
     Promote the use of telehealth by providing health care 
information and education to the public and medical specialists.
    The TRCs share expertise through individual consults, training, 
webinars, conference presentations, and the web.
    A 60-day notice published in the Federal Register, 87 FR 1421 
(January 11, 2022). There were no public comments.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: In order to evaluate 
existing programs, data are submitted to the Office for the Advancement 
of Telework (OAT) through HRSA's Performance Improvement Management 
System (PIMS). The data are used to measure the effectiveness of the 
technical assistance. There is one data reporting period each year; 
during these reporting periods, data are reported for the previous 12 
months of activity. Programs have approximately 6 weeks to enter their 
data into the PIMS system during each annual reporting period.
    The instrument was developed with the following four goals in mind:
    1. Improving access to needed services,
    2. Reducing rural and underserved population 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:
     Expand the availability of telehealth services in 
underserved communities;
     Improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of 
telehealth services;
     Promote knowledge exchange and dissemination about 
efficient and effective telehealth practices and technology; and
     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:
     Determine the value added from the TRC Cooperative 
Agreement;
     Justify budget requests;
     Collect uniform, consistent data which enables OAT to 
monitor programs;
     Provide guidance to grantees on important indicators to 
track over time for their own internal program management;
     Measure performance relative to the mission of OAT/HRSA as 
well as individual goals and objectives of the program;
     Identify topics of interest for future special studies; 
and
     Identify changes in health care needs within rural and 
underserved communities, allowing programs to shift focus in order to 
meet those needs.
    Likely Respondents: The likely respondents will be telehealth 
associations, telehealth providers, rural and underserved health 
providers, clinicians that deliver services via telehealth, TA 
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
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                                                     Number of                    Average burden
            Form name                Number of     responses per       Total       per response    Total burden
                                    respondents     respondent       responses      (in hours)         hours
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Telehealth Resource Center                    14              42             588            0.07              41
 Performance Measurement 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.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2022-06486 Filed 3-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P