Notice2026-02473
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Rural Health Network Development Planning Program Performance Improvement and Measurement System, OMB No. 0915-0384-Revision
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
February 9, 2026
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 91 Issue 26 (Monday, February 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5773-5774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02473]
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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: Rural
Health Network Development Planning Program Performance Improvement and
Measurement System, OMB No. 0915-0384--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 ICR should be received no later than April 10,
2026.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#acdccddcc9dedbc3dec7ecc4dedfcd82cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1c6c7d6c796e6b736e775c746e6f7d327b736a">[email protected]</span></a> or mail the HRSA
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 13N82, 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#a6d6c7d6c3d4d1c9d4cde6ced4d5c788c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8bfbeafbeef9fce4f9e0cbe3f9f8eaa5ece4fd">[email protected]</span></a> or call Samantha Miller,
the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, at (301) 443-3983.
[[Page 5774]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
Information Collection Request Title: Rural Health Network
Development Planning Program Performance Improvement and Measurement
System, OMB No. 0915-0384--Revision.
Abstract: HRSA administers the Rural Health Network Development
Planning Program (Network Planning Program), which is authorized under
42 U.S.C. 254c(f), 330A(f) of the Public Health Service Act. The
purpose of the Network Planning Program is to promote the planning and
development of integrated health care networks to address the following
legislative aims: (1) achieve efficiencies; (2) expand access to,
coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and
associated health outcomes; and (3) strengthen the rural health care
system as a whole. The Network Planning Program supports 1 year of
planning and brings together key parts of a rural health care delivery
system, particularly those entities that may not have collaborated in
the past, to establish and/or improve local capacity to strengthen
rural community health interventions and enhance care coordination.
HRSA currently collects information about the Network Planning Program
grants using an OMB-approved set of performance measures and seeks to
revise that approved collection. The proposed changes are a result of
keeping this instrument relevant and responsive to the Network Planning
Program's needs and to improve clarity and ease of reporting for
respondents.
Need and Proposed Use of the Information: HRSA developed
performance measures to provide data on the Network Planning Program
and to enable HRSA to provide aggregate program data required under the
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. Data from this
information collection will help support program compliance, inform
rural needs, guide the delivery of technical assistance, and shape
federal program decisions. The measures cover the principal topic areas
of interest to HRSA, such as Capacity/Organizational information and
Sustainability. All measures will evaluate HRSA's progress toward
achieving its Network Planning Program goals.
The proposed collection will reduce the total number of measures
from 24 to 15. The following sections will be removed: Network
Infrastructure, Network Collaboration, and Network Assessment. In the
proposed collection, grantees instead complete two sections titled
``Capacity/Organizational Information'' and ``Sustainability.'' The
``Capacity/Organizational Information'' section will include 10
measures, and HRSA will modify the current ``Sustainability'' section
by reducing the number of measures from 10 to five measures.
Although the proposed total number of measures has been reduced,
there is a proposed increase in the estimated total burden hours
compared to the previous ICR package. There are several contributing
factors to the increase in estimated total burden. The increase in
burden is to account for a new set of awardees who will be new to this
data collection. The new set of awardees represent a group of
organizations who are funded in the 1-year Network Planning Program.
These organizations vary in data collection and reporting capacity as
well as vary in the number of member organizations it must coordinate
with to report this data to HRSA. The amount of time it takes to build
processes to coordinate and collect data from network partners will
vary. Larger networks with multiple partners across different
organizations are anticipated to report higher burdens due to the wait
time in between requests. Networks who already have established working
relationships with its member organizations may already have existing
processes in place to effectively collect data for this program.
Likely Respondents: The respondents for these measures are Rural
Health Network Development Planning Program award recipients.
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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Average
Number of Number of Total burden per Total burden
Form name respondents responses per responses response (in hours
respondent hours)
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Rural Health Network Development 25 1 25 11.25 281.25
Planning Program Performance
Measures.......................
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Total....................... 25 1 25 11.25 281.25
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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. 2026-02473 Filed 2-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P
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