Indian Health Service 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This Notice advises the public that the Indian Health Service (IHS) proposes the geographic boundaries of the Service Delivery Area (SDA) for the Tejon Indian Tribe. The Tribe's federal recognition was reaffirmed by the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs on December 30, 2011. The Tejon Indian Tribe's SDA is to be comprised of Kern County in the State of California. The county listed is designated administratively as the SDA, to function as a Contract Health Service Delivery Area (CHSDA), for the purpose of operating a Contract Health Service (CHS) program pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistant Act (ISDEAA), Public Law 93-638.

In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, which requires 30 days for public comment on proposed information collection projects, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for a revision of an approved collection of information titled, ``Application for Participation in the IHS Scholarship Program (OMB Control Number 0917-0006),'' with an expiration date of August 31, 2013. This proposed information collection project was previously published in the Federal Register (78 FR 36197) on June 17, 2013, and allowed 60 days for public comment, as required by 3506(c)(2)(A). 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. Proposed Collection: Title: ``Application for Participation in the IHS Scholarship Program (OMB Control Number 0917-0006).'' Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of the currently approved information collection, ``Application for Participation in the IHS Scholarship Program, (OMB Control No. 0917-0006).'' Form Number(s): IHS-856-3, IHS-856-5 through 856-19, IHS-856-21 through 856-24, IHS- 817, and IHS-818 are retained for use by the IHS Scholarship Program (IHSSP) as part of this current Information Collection Request. Reporting forms are found on the IHS Web site at www.ihs.gov/ scholarship. Form Numbers: IHS-856, IHS-856-2, IHS-856-4, IHS-856-20, IHS-815, and IHS-816 have been deleted from the previous Information Collection Request in an effort to comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Need and Use of Information Collection: The IHS Scholarship Branch needs this information for program administration and uses the information to: solicit, process, and award IHS Pre-graduate, Preparatory, and/or Health Professions Scholarship recipients; monitor the academic performance of recipients; and to place recipients at payback sites. The IHS Scholarship Program streamlined the application process by converting the IHS-856 to an electronic tool and reduced the number of required supplemental application and reporting forms to minimize the time needed by applicants and recipients to complete the application process and provide required information after receiving a scholarship from the IHSSP. The IHSSP application is electronically available on the internet at the IHS Web site at: https://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/apply_ now.cfm. Affected Public: Individuals, not-for-profit institutions and State, local or Tribal Governments. Type of Respondents: Students pursuing health care professions. The table below provides: 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 hours.

The Indian Health Service published a document in the Federal Register on May 30, 2013, concerning a request for a renewal of the collection of information, titled, ``Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Contracts, 25 CFR Part 900.'' The document contained an error regarding the ``Estimated Time per Response.''

In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which requires 30 days for public comment on proposed information collection projects, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for a revision of an approved collection of information titled, ``Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files,'' OMB Control Number 0917-0009, which expires June 31, 3013. This proposed information collection project was previously published in the Federal Register (78 FR 19721) on April 2, 2013, and allowed 60 days for public comment, as required by 3506(c)(2)(A). The IHS received one comment concerning the ``Optometric Privileges Request Form'' in regards to the defining of physicians and optometrists separately. The IHS responded that it will not include the ``Optometric Privileges Request Form'' for consideration in this requestpending a review of ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of this particular form. The purpose of this notice is to allow 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: Revision of an approved information collection, 0917-0009, ``Indian Health Service Medical Staff Credentials and Privileges Files.'' Form Numbers: 0917-0009. Need and Use of Information Collection: This collection of information is used to evaluate individual health care providers applying for medical staff privileges at IHS health care facilities. 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, audiologists, physician assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse midwives. 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 IHS; (2) contractors who will 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 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission, and other accrediting organizations require health care facilities to review, evaluate and verify the credentials, training and experience of medical staff applicants prior to granting medical staff privileges. In order to meet these standards, IHS health care facilities require all medical staff applicants to provide information concerning their education, training, licensure, and work experience and any adverse disciplinary actions taken against them. 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, the Joint Commission standards require that a review of the medical staff be conducted not less than every two years. This review evaluates the current competence of the medical staff and verifies whether they are maintaining the licensure or certification requirements of their specialty. The medical staff credentials and privileges records are maintained at the health care facility where the health care provider is a medical staff member. The establishment of these records at IHS health care facilities is a Joint Commission requirement. Prior to the establishment of this Joint Commission requirement, the degree to which medical staff applications were maintained at all health care facilities in the United States that are verified for completeness and accuracy varied greatly across the Nation. The application process has been streamlined and is using information technology to make the application electronically available on the Internet. The application may be found at the IHS.gov Web site address: https://www.ihs.gov/IHM/index.cfm?module=dspihmpcp3c1 ex#Manual Exhibit 3-1-A. Affected Public: Individuals and households. Type of Respondents: Individuals. The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, Estimated number of respondents, Number of annual number of responses, Average burden per response, and Total annual burden hours.

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which requires 60 days for public comment on proposed information collection projects, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is publishing for comment a summary of a proposed information collection to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which requires 30 days for public comment on proposed information collection projects, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is publishing for comment a summary of a proposed information collection to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (0MB) for review. This proposed information collection project was previously published in the Federal Register (77 FR 60219) on October 2, 2012, and allowed 60 days for public comment, as required by 3506(c)(2)(A). No public comment was received in response to the notice. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for public comment to be submitted directly to OMB. Proposed Collection: Title: 0917-0030, ``IHS Forms to Implement the Privacy Rule (45 CFR parts 160 & 164).'' Type of Information Collection Request: Extension, without revisions, of currently approved information collection, 0917-0030, ``IHS Forms to Implement the Privacy Rule (45 CFR parts 160 & 164).'' Form Number(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 individuals' 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 requires covered entities to obtain or receive a valid authorization for its use or disclosure of protected health information for other than for treatment, payment and healthcare operations. Under the provision 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. 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 IHS agreed or disagreed with the restriction. Section 164.522(a)(2) permits a covered entity to terminate its agreement to a restriction if the individual agrees to or requests the termination in writing. The form IHS-912-2, ``Request for Revocation of Restriction(s),'' is used to document the agency or individual request to terminate a formerly agreed to restriction regarding the use and disclosure of protected health information. 45 CFR 164.528 and 45 CFR 5b.9(c): This provision requires covered entities to permit individuals to request that the covered entity provide an accounting of disclosures of protected health information made by the covered entity. 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: This provision requires covered entities to permit an individual to request that the covered entity amend protected health information. If the covered entity accepts the requested amendment, in whole or in part, the covered entity must inform the individual that the amendment is accepted. If the covered entity denies the requested amendment, in whole or in part, the covered entity must provide the individual with a written denial. The form IHS-917, ``Request for Correction/Amendment of Protected Health Information,'' will be used to document an individual's request to amend their 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 the estimated burden hours for this information collection: