[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 174 (Friday, September 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55448-55449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19493]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 30-Day Information Collection: Urban 
Indian Organization On-Site Review

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments; request for approval.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on a 
new information collection titled, ``Urban Indian Organization On-Site 
Review.'' IHS is requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
to approve this new collection. The purpose of this notice is to 
announce the IHS' intent to submit this collection to OMB and to allow 
30 days for public comment to be submitted directly to OMB.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by October 
11, 2022.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the supporting statement is available at 
www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID: IHS_FRDOC_0001).
    Direct Your Comments to OMB: Send your comments and suggestions 
regarding the proposed information collection contained in this notice, 
especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated 
response time to: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Desk Officer for IHS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information, 
please contact Evonne Bennett, Information Collection Clearance Officer 
at: [email protected] or 301-443-4750.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Summary of Comments: There was one comment that was submitted to 
the Agency regarding the 60-Day Federal Register Notice published on 
February 11, 2022 (87 FR 8020).
    Comment Summary: The National Council of Urban Indian Health 
(NCUIH) was the only comment to the FRN, and a summary of the comments, 
requests, and recommendations in response to the February 11, 2022, 
notice, is summarized below. These comments can be found in full on 
www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID: IHS_FRDOC_0001) and based on 
NCUIH's consultations with Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) and 
NCUIH's subject matter expertise. In summary, the NCUIH recommends the 
following:
     Update the Manual regularly and as needed to remain 
consistent with other relevant accreditation processes.
     Provide greater flexibility in the Manual to accommodate 
diverse UIO program/facility goals and services.
     The IHS to provide a consolidated list of requirement 
documents to UIOs prior to the on-site review.
     Ensure that UIOs can use existing administrative or site 
visit data in meeting the requirements of the Manual.
    Additional Recommendations for UIOs includes that the Office of 
Urban Indian Health Programs (OUIHP) host an Urban Confer with UIOs to 
learn directly from UIO leaders about their experiences with the Manual 
and overall review process. The NCUIH also wanted consideration on (1) 
Provide a timeline for processing information collected in the annual 
review process; and (2) Improve overall review by ensuring reviewers 
are licensed medical providers.
    IHS Response: The IHS Urban Indian Organization On-Site Review is 
conducted annually by the IHS Area Offices to evaluate IHS-funded UIOs' 
compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA), and other contract and grant 
requirements. The on-site review requirements are based on best-
practice standards for delivering safe and high quality health care. 
The OUIHP at IHS Headquarters provides national oversight of the annual 
on-site reviews.
    In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the OUIHP executed an Indefinite-
Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract to revise the outdated 2013 
Annual On-site Review Manual using current Accreditation Association 
for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), The Joint Commission, and 
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities accreditation 
standards, and the IHS Manual to improve consistency and usefulness of 
on-site reviews. IHS solicited feedback and recommendations from UIOs 
by conducting seven site visits: 1 outreach and referral program, 2 
limited ambulatory programs, 2 comprehensive ambulatory programs, and 2 
residential and outpatient treatment centers. In FY 2020, the OUIHP 
finalized the Annual On-site Review Manual incorporating UIOs' feedback 
and recommendations.
    In FY 2021, the OUIHP began development of an electronic Annual On-
site Review application to replace the hardcopy and a national 
dashboard to enhance the efficiency of on-site reviews. The application 
enables IHS Area Office staff and UIOs to document on-site reviews 
electronically by (1) completing corrective action plans; (2) 
documenting on-site reviews simultaneously at UIOs by IHS and UIO 
staff; (3) uploading on-site review documents; (4) calculating 
compliance scores to provide real-time feedback; (5)

[[Page 55449]]

generating compliance trend data as a baseline measure; (6) uploading 
on-site review data if no internet connection is available; and (7) 
printing options for the on-site review manual and completed reviews. 
The advantages of automating the Annual On-site Review Manual and 
process will increase productivity, increase communication on status of 
on-site reviews, increase efficient use of the Annual On-site Review 
Manual, and improve implementation of corrective action plans. In FY 
2022, the OUIHP continues to develop the electronic Annual On-site 
Review Manual and process including seeking OMB approval.
    The standardization of the Annual On-site Review Manual and process 
was in line with the 2017-2021 OUIHP strategic plan to improve the 
consistency, usefulness, and efficiency of annual on-site reviews for 
IHS Area Offices and UIOs.
    The IHCIA at 25 U.S.C. 1655, states that the IHS will annually 
review and evaluate each UIO funded under the law. The IHCIA also 
requires IHS to develop procedures for evaluating compliance with 
awards made under the statute. Section 1655 states, in part:

(a) Contract Compliance and Performance

    The Secretary, through the Service, shall develop procedures to 
evaluate compliance with grant requirements under this subchapter and 
compliance with, and performance of contracts entered into by [UIOs] 
under this subchapter. Such procedures shall include provisions for 
carrying out the requirements of this section.

(b) Annual On-Site Evaluation

    The Secretary, through the Service, shall conduct an annual on-site 
evaluation of each [UIO] which has entered into a contract or received 
a grant under Section 1653 of this title for purposes of determining 
the compliance of such organization with, and evaluating the 
performance of such organization under, such contract or the terms of 
such grant.
    To meet statutory compliance, the IHS will conduct annual on-site 
reviews of UIOs funded under the IHCIA to ensure grant and contract 
compliance and the delivery of safe and high-quality health care.
    This notice announces our intent to establish a new information 
collection.
    Title: Urban Indian Organization On-Site Review. Need and Use of 
Information Collection: The Office of Urban Indian Health Programs 
(OUIHP) at IHS Headquarters provides national oversight of the annual 
on-site reviews. The IHS Urban Indian Organization On-Site Review is 
conducted annually by the IHS Area Offices to evaluate IHS-funded Urban 
Indian Organizations' compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 
(FAR) contractual requirements and grant requirements established 
through the IHCIA. The on-site review requirements are based on best-
practice standards for delivering safe and high quality health care. 
Agency Form Number: none. Members of Affected Public: IHS-funded Urban 
Indian Organizations. Status of the Proposed Information Collection: 
new.
    The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
Estimated number of respondents, Number of responses per respondent, 
Average burden hour per response, and Total annual burden hours.

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                                                     Estimated                    Average burden
          Data collection instrument(s)              number of     Responses per     hour per      Total annual
                                                    respondents     respondent       response      burden hours
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UIOs............................................              41               1              16             656
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................              41               1              16             656
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    There are no direct costs to respondents to report.
    Requests for Comments: Your written comments and/or suggestions are 
invited on one or more of the following points:
    (a) whether the information collection activity is necessary to 
carry out an agency function;
    (b) whether the agency processes the information collected in a 
useful and timely fashion;
    (c) the accuracy of the public burden estimate (the estimated 
amount of time needed for individual respondents to provide the 
requested information);
    (d) whether the methodology and assumptions used to determine the 
estimates are logical;
    (e) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information being collected; and
    (f) ways to minimize the public burden through the use of 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology

Elizabeth A. Fowler,
Acting Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-19493 Filed 9-8-22; 8:45 am]
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