Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). To request a copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, email paperwork@hrsa.gov or call the HRSA Reports Clearance Office on (301) 443-1984.
The following request has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995:
Proposed Project: Rural Health Information Technology Network Development (OMB No. 0915-xxxx)—[New]
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 Section 201, Public Law 107-251, of the Health Care Safety Net Amendments of 2002, 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, efficiency and 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 the RHITND Program 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 (Pub. L. 111-5). This legislation 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 (GPRA) 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.
The Agency received no comments in response to the 60-day notice published in the Federal Register on February 21, 2012, vol. 77, No. 34; page 9949.
The annual estimate of burden is as follows:
| Instrument | Number of respondents | Responses per respondent | Total responses | Hours per response | Total burden hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Health Information Technology Network Development Program | 41 | 1 | 41 | 3.77 | 154.57 |
| Total | 41 | 1 | 41 | 3.77 | 154.57 |
Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of this notice to the desk officer for HRSA, either by email to OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov or by fax to 202-395-6974. Please direct all correspondence to the “attention of the desk officer for HRSA.”
Dated: May 24, 2012.
Reva Harris,
Acting Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2012-13125 Filed 5-30-12; 8:45 am]
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