Agency information collection activities: Submission for OMB review; comment request,

[Federal Register: June 15, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 114)]

[Notices]

[Page 32060-32061]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr15jn99-80]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service

Request for Public Comment: 30-Day Proposed Collection: Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files

SUMMARY: In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Indian Health Service (IHS) provided an opportunity for public comment on the proposed agency information collection project. A notice was previously published in the Federal Register on May 1, 1998, (63 FR 24185) and allowed 60 days for public comment. No public comment was received in response to the notice. As required by section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Act, the proposed information collection has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment to be submitted directly to OMB.

Proposed Collection

Title: 0917-0009, ``Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files''. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement, with minor change, of a previously approved information collection for which approval expired October 31, 1998. Form Number: Instruction and information collection formats are contained in an IHS Circular, ``Credentials and Privileges Review Process for the Medical Staff.'' Need and Use of Information Collection: The IHS operates health care facilities that provide health care services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. To provide these services, the IHS employs (directly and under contract) several categories of health care providers, including physicians (M.D. and D.O.), dentists, psychologists, optometrists, podiatrists, and audiologists; and in some States, physician assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse midwives. The IHS policy specifically requires physicians and dentists to be members of the health care facility medical staff where they practice. Health care providers become medical staff members, depending on the local health care facility's capabilities and medical staff bylaws. There are three types of IHS medical staff applicants: (1) Health care providers applying for direct employment with the IHS, (2) contract health care providers who do not seek to become IHS employees, and (3) employed IHS health care providers who seek to transfer between IHS health care facilities.

National health care standards developed by the Health Care Financing Administration and by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) require health care facilities to review, evaluate, and verify the credentials, training, and experience of medical staff applicants prior to granting medical staff privileges. To meet these standards, IHS health care facilities require each medical staff applicant to provide information concerning their education, training, licensure, and work experience and any adverse disciplinary actions taken against them or medical malpractice payments made on their behalf based on clinical services they performed. This information is then verified with references supplied by the applicant and may include former employers, educational institutions, licensure and certification boards, the American Medical Association, the Federation of State Medical Boards, the National Practitioner Data Bank, and the applicants themselves.

In addition to the initial granting of medical staff membership and clinical privileges, JCAHO standards require that a review of the medical staff be conducted no less than every two years. This review evaluates the current competence of the medical staff and verifies whether they are maintaining their licensure and the certification requirements of their speciality.

The medical staff credentials and privileges records are maintained at the heatlh care facility where the health care provider is a medical staff member. The establishment of these records at IHS health care facilities is not optional; such records must be established and maintained at all health care facilities in the United States that are accredited by JCAHO. This information collection activity is used to evaluate individual health care providers applying for medical staff privileges at IHS health care facilities. Affected Pubic: Individuals, businesses or other for-profit, not-for-profit institutions, and State, local or tribal governments. Type of Respondents: Health care providers requesting Medical staff privileges at IHS health facilities.

[[Page 32061]]

The table below provides the following: types of data collection instruments, estimated number of respondents, number of responses per respondent, annual number of responses, average burden hour per response, and total annual burden hour.

Table 1

Estimated Data collection instrument

number of Responses per Annual number Average burden hour per response * Total annual respondents respondent of responses

burden hours

Application to Medical Staff................

600

1

600 0.75 (45 mins)............................

450.0 Reference letter............................

1800

1

1800 0.33 (20 mins)............................

600.0 Reappointment request.......................

644

1

644 1.00 (60 mins)............................

644.0 Medical Privileges..........................

387

1

387 1.00 (60 mins)............................

387.0 Ob-Gyn Privileges...........................

25

1

25 1.00 (60 mins)............................

25.0 Surgical Privileges.........................

23

1

23 1.00 (60 mins)............................

23.0 Psychiatric Privileges......................

18

1

18 1.00 (60 mins)............................

18.0 Anesthesia Privileges.......................

16

1

16 1.00 (60 mins)............................

16.0 Dental Privileges...........................

128

1

128 0.33 (20 mins)............................

42.2 Optometic Privileges........................

21

1

21 0.33 (20 mins)............................

6.9 Psychology Privileges.......................

23

1

23 0.17 (10 mins)............................

3.9 Audiologic Privileges.......................

6

1

6 0.08 (5 mins).............................

0.5 Podiatric Privileges........................

6

1

6 0.08 (5 mins).............................

0.5 Radiology Privileges........................

9

1

9 0.33 (20 mins)............................

3.0 Pathology Privileges........................

3

1

3 0.33 (20 mins)............................

1.01

Total...................................

3,709 ..............

3,709 ..........................................

2,221.0

* For ease of understanding, burden hours are also provided in actual minutes.

There are no capital costs, operating costs or maintenance costs to report.

Request for Comments

Your written comments and/or suggestions are invited on one or more of the following points: (1) Whether the information collection activity is necessary to carry out an agency function; (2) whether the IHS processes the information collected in a useful and timely fashion; (3) the accuracy of the public burden estimate (this is the amount of time needed for individual respondents to provide the requested information); (4) whether the methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimate are logical; (5) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (6) ways to minimize the public burden through the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Direct Comments To OMB: Send your written comments and suggestions regarding the proposed information collection contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, to: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for IHS.

To request more information on the proposed collection or to obtain a copy of the data collection instrument(s) and/or instruction(s), contact: Mr. Lance Hodahkwen, Sr., M.P.H., IHS Reports Clearance Officer, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 450, Rockville, MD 20852-1601; call non-toll free (301) 443-5938 or send via fax to (301) 443-1522; or send your e-mail requests, comments, and return address to: 1hodahkw@hqe.ihs.gov.

Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received on or before August 16, 1999.

Dated: June 7, 1999. Michael H. Trujillo, Assistant Surgeon General, Director.

[FR Doc. 99-15086Filed6-14-99; 8:45 am]

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