[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 209 (Monday, October 31, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65598-65600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23574]


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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; The National Health 
Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs

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 Information Collection Request must be received 
no later than December 30, 2022.

[[Page 65599]]


ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail them to 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N136B, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 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 Samantha Miller, 
the acting HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, at (301) 443-
9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Information Collection Request Title: The National Health Service 
Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Programs (LRP) OMB No. 0915-0127--Revision.
    Abstract: The NHSC LRP was established to assure an adequate supply 
of trained primary care health professionals to provide services in the 
neediest Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) of the United 
States. The NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP and the NHSC 
Rural Community LRP were established to recruit and retain a health 
professional workforce with specific training and credentials to 
provide evidence-based substance use disorder treatment in HPSAs. Under 
these programs, the Department of Health and Human Services agrees to 
repay the qualifying educational loans of selected primary care health 
professionals. In return, the health professionals agree to serve for a 
specified period of time in an NHSC-approved site located in a 
federally-designated HPSA approved by the Secretary for LRP 
participants.
    The forms utilized by each LRP include the following: (1) the NHSC 
LRP Application, (2) the Authorization for Disclosure of Loan 
Information form, (3) the Privacy Act Release Authorization form, and 
if applicable, (4) the Verification of Disadvantaged Background form, 
and (5) the Private Practice Option form. The first four of the NHSC 
LRP forms collect information that is needed for selecting participants 
and repaying qualifying educational loans. The last referenced form, 
the Private Practice Option Form, is needed to collect information for 
all participants who have applied for that service option.
    NHSC-approved sites are health care facilities that provide 
comprehensive outpatient, ambulatory, primary health care services to 
populations residing in HPSAs. Related in-patient services may be 
provided by NHSC-approved Critical Access Hospitals and Indian Health 
Service hospitals. In order to become an NHSC-approved site, new sites 
must submit a Site Application for review and approval. Existing NHSC-
approved sites are required to complete a Site Recertification 
Application every 3 years in order to maintain their NHSC-approved 
status. Both the NHSC Site Application and Site Recertification 
Application request information on the clinical service site, 
sponsoring agency, recruitment contact, staffing levels, service users, 
charges for services, employment policies, and fiscal management 
capabilities. Assistance in completing these applications may be 
obtained through the appropriate State Primary Care Offices and the 
NHSC. The information collected on the applications is used for 
determining the eligibility of sites for the assignment of NHSC health 
professionals and to verify the need for NHSC clinicians. NHSC service 
site approval is valid for 3 years.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of 
this information collection is to assess an LRP applicant's eligibility 
and qualifications for the LRP, and to obtain information for NHSC site 
applicants. The NHSC LRP application asks for personal, professional, 
and financial/loan information.
    The proposed revisions in this ICR include asking applicants to 
provide their educational information on the completion of post 
graduate training. The NHSC will use this information to identify 
graduates or completers of the following HRSA-funded programs: the 
Primary Care Training and Enhancement: Training Primary Care Champions 
Program, the Addiction Medicine Fellowship, the Teaching Health Center 
Graduate Medical Education Program, the Advanced Nursing Education 
Nurse Practitioner Residency Program, or the Advanced Nursing Education 
Nurse Practitioner Residency Integration Program. To identify the 
graduates or completers of these HRSA-funded programs, the NHSC will 
require applicants to respond to the following additional questions:
    (1) Have you completed a post graduate training?
    (2) Applicants who selected ``yes'' to the question above are 
required to submit the National Practitioner Identifier number.
    (3) Further, if applicable, applicants are asked to enter the 
residency identification number and their residency completion 
certificate, if available.
    NHSC policy requires behavioral health providers to practice in a 
community-based setting that provides access to comprehensive 
behavioral health services. Accordingly, for those sites seeking to be 
assigned behavioral health NHSC participants, additional site 
information will be collected from an NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral 
Health Services Checklist. NHSC sites that do not directly offer all 
required behavioral health services must demonstrate a formal 
affiliation with a comprehensive, community-based primary behavioral 
health setting or facility to provide these services.
    Likely Respondents: Likely respondents include: (1) Licensed 
primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health 
providers who are employed or seeking employment, and are interested in 
serving underserved populations; (2) health care facilities interested 
in participating in the NHSC and becoming an NHSC-approved service 
site; and (3) NHSC sites providing behavioral health care services 
directly, or through a formal affiliation with a comprehensive 
community-based primary behavioral health setting or facility providing 
comprehensive behavioral health services.
    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 Information Collection Request are summarized in the table below.

[[Page 65600]]



                                     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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NHSC LRP Application............           9,020               1           9,020            1.00           9,020
Authorization for Disclosure of            7,150               1           7,150             .10             715
 Loan Information Form..........
Privacy Act Release                          303               1             303             .10            30.0
 Authorization Form.............
Verification of Disadvantaged                660               1             660             .50             330
 Background Form................
Private Practice Option Form....             330               1             330             .10              33
NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral              4,400               1           4,400             .13             572
 Health Services Checklist......
NHSC Site Application (including           4,070               1           4,070             .50           2,035
 recertification)...............
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    Total.......................          25,933  ..............          25,933  ..............          12,735
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Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2022-23574 Filed 10-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P