Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection:

Comment Request

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public

comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995, Public Law 104-13), the Health Resources and Services

Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed

projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed

project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans, call the HRSA

Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1129.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of

the agency, including whether the information shall have practical

utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,

utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways

to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,

including through the use of automated collection techniques or other

forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Uniform Data System (OMB No. 0915-0193)--

Extension and Revision--This is a request for extension and revision of

a reporting system, the Uniform Data System (UDS), that consolidated

and replaced annual reporting requirements for the cluster of primary

care grantees funded by the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC),

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The UDS includes

reporting requirements for grantees of the following primary care

programs: Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, Health Care

for the Homeless, Outreach and Primary Health Services for Homeless

Children and Public Housing Primary Care. Authorizing Legislation is

found in Public Law 104-299, Health Center Consolidation Act of 1996,

enacting Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act.

The Bureau of Primary Health Care collects data on its programs to

ensure compliance with legislative mandates and to report to Congress

and policy makers on program accomplishments. To meet these objectives,

BPHC requires a core set of information collected annually that is

appropriate for monitoring and evaluating performance and reporting on

annual trends. The UDS includes two components: the Universal Report,

completed by all grantees, provides data on services, staffing, and

financing; and the Grant Report, completed by grantees funded under the

Homeless or Public Housing Program as well as one of the other

programs, provides data on characteristics of users whose services fall

within the scope of the Homeless or Public Housing Program grant. The

first UDS reports were collected March 31, 1997 and analysis of data

indicates that several revisions should be made. Program officials have

noted that additional information needs to be collected which was

included in previous reporting systems but was deleted from the UDS.

Grantees will be asked to provide information on the charges,

collections, bad debt write off and contractual disallowances by payor

sources (Medicaid, Medicare, self pay and private insurance). Existing

UDS forms are being reviewed to determine how the revenue/income

reporting can be modified to accommodate these changes. Additional

revisions will include annotating the forms to indicate which lines are

subtotals and the lines to which they sum.

The proposed changes are not expected to add significantly to the

reporting burden. Estimates of annualized reporting burden are as

follows:

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Number of Hours per Total burden

Type of report respondents response hours

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Universal Report................................................ 694 24 16,656

Grant Report.................................................... 88 16 1,408

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[[Page 48298]]

Total..................................................... 694 .............. 18,064

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Send comments to Patricia Royston, HRSA Reports Clearance Officer,

Room 14-36, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

Written comments should be received within 60 days of this Notice.

Dated: September 5, 1997.

Jane Harrison,

Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.

[FR Doc. 97-24347 Filed 9-12-97; 8:45 am]

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