[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31562-31563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12340]
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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
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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.
Information Collection Request Title: Rural Health Information
Technology Network Development Program (OMB No. 0915-0354)--REVISION
The purpose of the Rural Health Information Technology Network
Development (RHITND) Program, authorized under the Public Health
Service Act, Section 330A(f) (42 U.S.C. 254c(f)) as amended by the
Health Care Safety Net Amendments of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-251), is to
improve health care and support the adoption of health information
technology (HIT) in rural America by providing targeted HIT support to
rural health networks. HIT plays a significant role in the advancement
of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) priority policies
to improve health care delivery. Some of these priorities include:
improving health care quality, safety, and efficiency; reducing
disparities; engaging patients and families in managing their health;
enhancing care coordination; improving population and public health;
and ensuring adequate privacy and security of health information.
The intent of RHITND is to support the adoption and use of
electronic health records (EHR) in coordination with the ongoing HHS
activities related to the Health Information Technology for Economic
and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5). The HITECH Act
provides HHS with the authority to establish programs to improve health
care quality, safety, and efficiency through the promotion of health
information technology, including EHR.
For this program, performance measures were drafted to provide data
useful to the program and to enable HRSA to provide aggregate program
data required by Congress under the Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-62). These measures cover the principal topic
areas of interest to the Office of Rural Health Policy, including: (a)
Access to care; (b) the underinsured and uninsured; (c) workforce
recruitment and retention; (d) sustainability; (e) health information
technology; (f) network development; and (g) health related clinical
measures. Several measures will be used for this program. These
measures will speak to the Office's progress toward meeting the goals
set.
A 60-day Federal Register Notice regarding this collection request
was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2013, (Vol. 78, No.
45; page. 14804). There were no public comments.
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 Responses per Total Hours per Total burden
Instrument respondents respondent responses response hours
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Rural Health Information 41 1 41 5.68 232.88
Technology Network Development
Program........................
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Total....................... 41 1 41 5.68 232.88
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ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to the desk officer for HRSA, either by
email to [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-5806. Please
direct all correspondence to the ``attention of the desk officer for
HRSA.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the clearance
requests submitted to OMB for review, email the HRSA Information
Collection Clearance Officer at [email protected] or call (301) 443-
1984.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting
information, please include the information request collection title
for reference.
Deadline: Comments on this ICR should be received within 30 days of
this notice.
[[Page 31563]]
Dated: May 17, 2013.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-12340 Filed 5-23-13; 8:45 am]
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