Indian Health Service June 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.