Notice2024-25717
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Performance
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 6, 2024
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 89 Issue 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88053-88055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25717]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection:
Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Medicare
Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Performance
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department
of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Notice.
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[[Page 88054]]
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 ICR should be received no later than January 6,
2025.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#631302130611140c1108230b1110024d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="700011001502071f021b30180203115e171f06">[email protected]</span></a> or mail the HRSA
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N39, 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bcccddccd9cecbd3ced7fcd4cecfdd92dbd3ca"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c0b0a1b0a5b2b7afb2ab80a8b2b3a1eea7afb6">[email protected]</span></a> or call Joella Roland, the
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, at (301) 443-3983.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
Information Collection Request Title: Medicare Rural Hospital
Flexibility Program Performance, OMB No. 0915-0363--Revision.
Abstract: The mission of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
(FORHP) within HRSA is to sustain and improve access to quality care
services for rural communities. FORHP administers the Medicare Rural
Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex Program) authorized by section
1820(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-4(g)). The purpose
of the Flex Program is to enable state designated entities to support
critical access hospitals in quality improvement, quality reporting,
and performance improvement; to assist facilities seeking designation
as critical access hospitals; and to create a program to establish or
expand the provision of rural emergency medical services. HRSA
currently collects information from grant recipients that participate
in the Flex Program using an OMB-approved set of performance measures,
the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Performance Measures,
and seeks to revise its approved information collection. HRSA is
proposing significant changes to the method by which performance
measures are collected, the organization of the measures, and the
measures themselves.
Need and Proposed Use of the Information: These measures cover
principal topic areas of interest to FORHP, including: (a) quality
reporting, (b) quality improvement interventions, (c) financial and
operational improvement initiatives, (d) population health management,
and (e) rural EMS integration. In addition to informing HRSA's progress
toward meeting the goals set in the Government Performance and Results
Act, the information is important in identifying and understanding
programmatic improvement across program areas, as well as guiding
future iterations of the Flex Program and prioritizing areas of need
and support.
Performance measures are collected electronically in the
Performance Improvement and Measurement System (PIMS), which awardees
currently access through the HRSA Electronic Handbooks, a data
collection platform. As part of a broader change affecting all programs
across FORHP, HRSA proposes to change the method of PIMS report
submission from the Electronic Handbooks to a different electronic data
collection platform. In addition, HRSA proposes to reduce the total
number of forms submitted. The current collection involves eight forms
and HRSA proposes reducing this to six forms, one for recipients to
select which program areas they are working in and one for each program
area selected.
Performance measures in PIMS are currently organized by a series of
checkboxes, where a state entity selects which hospitals are
participating in a funded intervention, and if that hospital has shown
improvement after that intervention. HRSA proposes to change the
organization of the measures to align with a format that would resemble
a work plan submission, which is an existing requirement recipients
must meet. Instead of the series of checkboxes used in the current
collection, we are proposing a series of dropdown menus where
respondents can choose more specific information.
Finally, HRSA proposes revisions to performance measures in PIMS
that include changes to align with current terminology used by HRSA and
a broadening of scope for some activities, as well as providing
examples of more specific measures. Dropdown menus would contain lists
of both common projects completed across the Flex Program and common
outcome measures associated with each project. Respondents would not be
required to collect all of the measures listed, rather they would be
able to choose from a list of examples.
With these changes, HRSA estimates the burden on the recipients
would remain the same. Even though HRSA is proposing to include more
specific performance measures in PIMS reporting, the additional
measures reflect data the recipients are currently collecting, in
outside forms and spreadsheets. The reporting in PIMS to HRSA currently
does not include all the specific outcome measure information collected
by recipients, so the changes to the measure collection system would
include that specific outcome measure information. However, instead of
moving between multiple forms and spreadsheets outside of the PIMS
system and copying information into it, recipients will be able to
simply update their work plan in PIMS following the end of the program
year with their outcome data.
Likely Respondents: Respondents are the Flex Program recipients.
There are currently 45 states participating in the Flex Program.
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 88055]]
Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Average
Number of Number of Total burden per Total
Form name respondents responses per responses response burden
respondent (in hours) hours
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Performance Improvement Measurement System.. 45 1 45 70 3,150
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Total................................... 45 ............... 45 ........... 3,150
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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. 2024-25717 Filed 11-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P
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