[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 98 (Friday, May 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30966-30967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10808]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program 
Performance, OMB No. 0915-0363--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 should be received no later than June 21, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or by mail to the 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N136B, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

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: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the information collection request title 
for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: Medicare Rural Hospital 
Flexibility Program Performance OMB No. 0915-0363--Revision.
    Abstract: This information collection comment request is for 
continued approval of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program 
Performance Measures. HRSA is proposing to continue this data 
collection with minor changes to the organization of the data. The 
current performance measures are collected electronically in the 
Performance Improvement and Measurement System which awardees access 
securely through the HRSA Electronic Handbooks.
    The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex Program) is 
authorized by Section 1820 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-
4), as amended. The purpose of the Flex Program is to enable state 
designated entities to support critical access hospitals in quality 
improvement, quality reporting, performance improvement, and 
benchmarking; to assist facilities seeking designation as critical 
access hospitals; and to create a program to establish or expand the 
provision of rural emergency medical services.
    A 60-day notice published in the Federal Register, Vol. 87, No. 46, 
FR 13300-13301 (March 9, 2022). There were no public comments.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: For this program, 
performance measures were developed to provide data useful to the Flex 
program and to enable HRSA to provide aggregate program data required 
by Congress under the Government Performance and Results Modernization 
Act of 2010. These measures cover principal topic areas of interest to 
the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, including: (a) Quality 
reporting, (b) quality improvement interventions, (c) financial and 
operational improvement initiatives, (d) population health management, 
(e) rural emergency medical services integration and (f) innovative 
care models. In addition to informing the Office's progress toward 
meeting the goals set in Government Performance and Results 
Modernization Act of 2010, the information is important in identifying 
and understanding programmatic improvement across program areas, as 
well as guiding future iterations of the Flex Program and prioritizing 
areas of need and support.
    This submission includes the addition of minor revisions in the 
organization of the measures to align with the changes to the 
organization of the program areas within the Flex Program. The 
revisions include changes to align with current language and a 
broadening of scope for some activities. The measures will remain 
unchanged. For example, population health improvement activities were 
previously combined with rural emergency medical services integration, 
and these measures will be separated into two distinct program areas. 
The burden remains unchanged with these changes.
    Likely Respondents: Respondents are the Flex Program coordinators 
for the states participating in the Flex Program. There are currently 
45 states participating in the Flex 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; 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.

[[Page 30967]]



                                    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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Performance Improvement                       45               1              45              70           3,150
 Measurement System (within the
 Electronic Handbooks system....
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                                              45  ..............              45  ..............           3,150
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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. 2022-10808 Filed 5-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P