Indian Health Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This Notice advises the public that the Indian Health Service (IHS) proposes to expand the geographic boundaries of the Purchased/ Referred Care Delivery Area (PRCDA) for the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation (NWBSN) in the State of Utah to include the Utah counties of Box Elder, Davis, Salt Lake, and Weber. The current PRCDA for the NWBSN is Box Elder County in the State of Utah. Tribal members residing on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation are provided health services through the IHS direct care facility in Fort Hall, Idaho, or by Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) referrals to private providers. NWBSN members residing outside of the PRCDA are eligible for direct care services, however, they are not eligible for PRC services. The sole purpose of this expansion would be to authorize additional Tribal members and beneficiaries to receive PRC services.

Notice is hereby given that the Indian Health Service has decided to expand the geographic boundaries of the Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) Delivery Area for the Havasupai Tribe in the State of Arizona to include Mohave County in the State of Arizona. The final PRC delivery area for the Havasupai Tribe is now the counties of Coconino and Mohave in the State of Arizona. The sole purpose of this expansion is to authorize Havasupai to cover additional Tribal members and beneficiaries under Havasupai's PRC.

In compliance the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on the information collection titled, ``Application for Participation in the IHS Scholarship Program,'' Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 0917-0006. IHS is requesting OMB to approve an extension for this collection, which expires on March 31, 2020. This proposed information collection project was previously published in the Federal Register on December 17, 2019, and allowed 60 days for public comment, as required by the PRA. The IHS received no comments regarding this collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for public comment to be submitted directly to OMB.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on the information collection titled, ``Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials,'' OMB Control Number 0917-0009, that expires February 29, 2020. This proposed information collection project was previously published in the Federal Register (84 FR 70197) on December 20, 2019, and allowed 60 days for public comment, as required by the PRA. The IHS received one comment regarding this collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for public comment to be submitted directly to OMB.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on the information collection titled, ``Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Contracts,'' Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 0917-0037. IHS is requesting OMB to approve an extension for this collection, which expires on February 29, 2020.

In compliance the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on the information collection titled, ``Application for Participation in the IHS Scholarship Program,'' Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 0917-0006. IHS is requesting OMB to approve an extension for this collection, which expires on March 31, 2020.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on the information collection titled, ``IHS Forms to Implement the Privacy Rule'' Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 0917-0030. This previously approved information collection project was last published in the Federal Register (81 FR 15347) on March 22, 2016, and allowed 30 days for public comment. No public comment was received in response to the notice. This notice announces our intent to submit the collection, which expires August 31, 2019, to OMB for approval of an extension, and to solicit comments on specific aspects of the information collection. A copy of the supporting statement is available at www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID IHS-2016-1). Title of Collection: 0917-0030, IHS Forms to Implement the Privacy Rule (45 CFR parts 160 & 164). Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of the currently approved information collection, 0917-0030, IHS Forms to Implement the Privacy Rule (45 CFR parts 160 & 164). Form(s): IHS-810, IHS-912-1, IHS-912-2, IHS-913, and IHS-917. Need and Use of Information Collection: This collection of information is made necessary by the Department of Health and Human Services Rule entitled ``Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information'' (Privacy Rule) (45 CFR parts 160 and 164). The Privacy Rule implements the privacy requirements of the Administrative Simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, creates national standards to protect individual's personal health information, and gives patients increased access to their medical records. 45 CFR 164.508, 164.522, 164.526 and 164.528 of the Rule require the collection of information to implement these protection standards and access requirements. The IHS will continue to use the following data collection instruments to meet the information collection requirements contained in the Rule. 45 CFR 164.508: This provision generally requires covered entities to obtain or receive a valid authorization for its use or disclosure of protected health information, unless otherwise permitted or required by the Privacy Rule. (See, e.g., 45 CFR 164.506 for a common exception to this general rule, which involves uses and disclosure for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.) Individuals may initiate a written authorization permitting covered entities to release their protected health information to entities of their choosing. The form IHS-810 ``Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information'' is used to document an individual's authorization to use or disclose their protected health information. 45 CFR 164.522: Section 164.522(a)(1) requires a covered entity to permit individuals to request that the covered entity restrict the use and disclosure of their protected health information. The covered entity may or may not agree to the restriction, and with a limited exception, a covered entity is not required to agree to a requested restriction. 45 CFR 164.522(a)(1)(vi). The form IHS-912-1 ``Request for Restrictions(s)'' is used to document an individual's request for restriction of their protected health information, and whether the IHS agreed or disagreed with the restriction. Section 164.522(a)(2) permits a covered entity to terminate its agreement to a restriction under certain conditions. For example, termination may occur if the individual agrees to or requests the termination in writing. 45 CFR 164.522(a)(2)(i). The form IHS-912-2 ``Request for Revocation of Restriction(s)'' is used to document the individual's request, the individual's agreement, and/or the agency's decision to terminate a formerly agreed to restriction regarding the use and disclosure of protected health information. 45 CFR 164.528: This provision requires covered entities to provide an accounting of certain disclosures of protected health information made by the covered entity. See also, 45 CFR 5b.9(c). The form IHS-913 ``Request for an Accounting of Disclosures'' is used to document an individual's request for an accounting of disclosures of their protected health information and the agency's handling of the request. 45 CFR 164.526: Under this provision, individuals have a right to amend protected health information or a record about the individual in a designated record set, under certain conditions. 45 CFR 164.526(a). This provision further requires covered entities to permit an individual to request that the covered entity amend protected health information. 45 CFR 164.526(b). The covered entity must inform the individual if the covered entity accepts the requested amendment, in whole or in part. The covered entity must provide the individual with a written denial containing certain information if the covered entity denies the requested amendment, in whole or in part. 45 CFR 164.526(d)(1). The form IHS-917 ``Request for Correction/Amendment of Protected Health Information'' will be used to document an individual's request to amend his/her protected health information and the agency's decision to accept or deny the request. Completed forms used in this collection of information are filed in the IHS medical, health and billing record, a Privacy Act System of Records Notice. Affected Public: Individuals and households. Type of Respondents: Individuals. Burden Hours: The table below provides for this information collection: types of data collection instruments, estimated number of respondents, number of responses per respondent, average burden hour per response, and total annual burden hour(s).

In follow-up to the Indian Health Service (IHS) request for comments on the Draft IHS Strategic Plan Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-2022 issued in the Federal Register (FR) on July 24, 2018, (see 83 FR 35012; July 24, 2018; hereafter ``July 2018 FR document''), the IHS is announcing the final plan entitled: IHS Strategic Plan FY 2019-2023. The IHS is also making available on the IHS Strategic Plan website, a response to comments document that addresses comments received on the Draft IHS Strategic Plan from the July 2018 FR document.