Notice2021-27557
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Application for Health Center Program Award Recipients for Deemed Public Health Service Employment With Liability Protections Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, OMB No. 0906-0035-Revision
Primary source
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Published
December 21, 2021
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentHealth Resources and Services Administration
Abstract
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 242 (Tuesday, December 21, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72250-72251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27557]
[[Page 72250]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection:
Public Comment Request; Application for Health Center Program Award
Recipients for Deemed Public Health Service Employment With Liability
Protections Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, OMB No. 0906-0035--
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 Information Collection Request must be received
no later than February 22, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#99e9f8e9fcebeef6ebf2d9f1ebeaf8b7fef6ef"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="83f3e2f3e6f1f4ecf1e8c3ebf1f0e2ade4ecf5">[email protected]</span></a> or mail the HRSA
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N136B, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville, MD 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#502031203522273f223b10382223317e373f26"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bcccddccd9cecbd3ced7fcd4cecfdd92dbd3ca">[email protected]</span></a> or call Samantha Miller,
the acting HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 443-
9094.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting
information, please include the information request collection title
for reference.
Information Collection Request Title: Application for Health Center
Program Award Recipients for Deemed Public Health Service (PHS)
Employment with Liability Protections under the Federal Tort Claims Act
(FTCA), OMB No. 0906-0035--Revision.
Abstract: Section 224(g)-(n) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n)),
as amended, authorizes the Secretary to ``deem'' entities receiving
funds under section 330 of the PHS Act as PHS employees for the
purposes of establishing eligibility for liability protections for
covered activities and individuals under the FTCA. The Health Center
Program and the Health Center FTCA Program are administered by HRSA's
Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). Health centers submit deeming
applications annually to BPHC in the prescribed form and manner in
order to obtain deemed PHS employee status for this purpose.
Need and Proposed Use of the Information: Deeming applications are
required by law and must address certain specified criteria in order
for deeming determinations to be issued. The application submissions
provide BPHC with the information essential for evaluation of
compliance with legal requirements and making a deeming determination
under Section 224(g)-(n) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n)).
The FTCA Program uses a web based application system within HRSA's
Electronic Handbooks system. These electronic application forms
decrease the time and effort required to complete the older, paper-
based approved FTCA application forms. The application includes:
Contact information; Section 1: Review of Risk Management Systems;
Section 2: Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance; Section 3:
Credentialing and Privileging; Section 4: Claims Management; and
Section 5: Additional Information, Certification, and Signatures.
HRSA is proposing several changes to the Application for Health
Center Program Award Recipients for Deemed PHS Employment with
Liability Protections Under the FTCA, to be used for Health Center
deeming applications for Calendar Year 2022 and thereafter, to clarify
questions posed and required documentation. Specifically, the
Application includes the following proposed changes:
<bullet> Updated application language: Throughout the application,
revised terminology was utilized to provide greater clarity and
specificity. These changes were based on stakeholder feedback and
inquiries received from HRSA's Health Center Program Support. These
changes are not substantive in nature.
<bullet> Some questions were removed from the application's Quality
Improvement/Quality Assurance Section, as these questions were similar
to questions collected in the Risk Management Section. This change is
intended to reduce duplicative information collection.
<bullet> For the Credentialing and Privileging Section, the
application will return to the previous process of requiring the
submission of a Credentialing List with providers' credentialing and
privileging information. This change is intended to enhance HRSA's
oversight and verification capabilities as it relates to continuous
compliance with the FTCA statute.
Likely Respondents: Respondents include recipients of Health Center
Program funds seeking deemed PHS employee status under Section 224(g)-
(n) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n)).
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 72251]]
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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Application for Health Center 35 1 35 2.5 87.5
Program Deemed Public Health
Service Employment Status
(Initial)......................
Application for Health Center 1,125 1 1,125 2.5 2,812.5
Program Deemed Public Health
Service Employment Status
(Redeeming)....................
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Total....................... 1,160 2 1,160 5 2,900
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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. 2021-27557 Filed 12-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P
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