86 FR 232 pgs. 69284-69285 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Bureau of Health Workforce Performance Data Collection

Type: NOTICEVolume: 86Number: 232Pages: 69284 - 69285
Docket number: [OMB No. 0915-0061—Revision]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2021-26460 Filed 12-6-21; 8:45 am]
Agency: Health and Human Services Department
Sub Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration
Official PDF Version:  PDF Version
Pages: 69284, 69285

[top] page 69284

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

[OMB No. 0915-0061-Revision]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Bureau of Health Workforce Performance Data Collection

AGENCY:

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 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. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30-day comment period for this Notice has closed.

DATES:

Comments on this ICR should be received no later than January 6, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting "Currently under 30-day Review-Open for Public Comments" or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request a copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, email Samantha Miller, the acting HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at paperwork@hrsa.gov or call (301) 443-9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Information Collection Request Title: Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) Performance Data Collection, OMB No. 0915-0061-Revision.

Abstract: Over 40 BHW programs award grants to health professions schools and training programs across the United States to develop, expand, and enhance training, and to strengthen the distribution of the health workforce. These programs are governed by the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq. ), specifically Titles III, VII, and VIII. Performance information about these health professions programs is collected in the HRSA Performance Report for Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Specific performance measurement requirements for each program may be found on the HRSA website at https://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/reportonyourgrant. Data collection activities consist of two reports, an annual progress and annual performance report that are submitted by awardees to comply with statutory and programmatic requirements for performance measurement and evaluation (including specific Title III, VII and VIII requirements), as well as the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 requirements. The performance measures were last revised in 2019 to ensure they addressed programmatic changes, met evolving program management needs, and responded to emerging workforce concerns. As these changes successfully enabled BHW to demonstrate accurate outputs and outcomes associated with the health professions programs, BHW will continue with its current performance management strategy and make only minor changes that reduce burden, simplify reporting, and reflect new Department of Health and Human Services and HRSA priorities as well as elements to enable longitudinal analysis of program performance. An Excel upload feature will be implemented for a majority of programs, discipline-related questions will be split into two parts to make it easier for respondents to find the appropriate answer, COVID-related questions are being added, additional information is being collected for telehealth, and additional loan repayment questions are being added.

A 60-day Notice was published in the Federal Register , 86 FR 53069 (September 24, 2021). There were no public comments.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The purpose of the proposed data collection is to continue analysis and reporting of awardee training activities and educational programs, identify intended practice locations and report outcomes of funded initiatives. Data collected from these grant programs will also provide a description of the program activities of approximately 1,630 reporting grantees to inform policymakers on the barriers, opportunities, and outcomes involved in health care workforce development. The proposed measures focus on five key outcomes: (1) Increasing the workforce supply of well-educated practitioners in needed professions; (2) increasing the number of practitioners that practice in underserved and rural areas; (3) enhancing the quality of education; (4) increasing the recruitment, training, and placement of under-represented groups in the health workforce; and (5) supporting educational infrastructure to increase the capacity to train more health professionals in high demand areas.

Likely Respondents: Respondents are awardees of BHW health professions grant programs.


[top] 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 69285

Form name Number of respondents Number of responses per respondent Total responses Average burden per response (in hours) Total burden hours
Direct Financial Support Program 699 1 699 2.7 1,887.3
Infrastructure Program 142 1 142 6.2 880.4
Multipurpose or Hybrid Program 789 1 789 3.4 2,682.6
Total 1,630 1,630 5,450.3

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. 2021-26460 Filed 12-6-21; 8:45 am]

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