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) publishes 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 and draft instruments, call

the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1891.

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: Uncompensated Services Reporting and

Recordkeeping--42 CFR 124, Subpart F (OMB No. 0915-0077): Revision

Titles VI and XVI of the Public Health Service Act, commonly known

as the Hill-Burton Act, provide for government grants and loans for

construction or renovation of health care facilities. As a condition of

receiving this construction assistance, facilities are required to

provide a ``reasonable volume'' of services to persons unable to pay.

Facilities are also required to provide assurances periodically that

the required level of uncompensated care is being provided, and to

follow certain notification and recordkeeping procedures. These

requirements are referred to as the uncompensated services assurance.

The regulations contain provisions for reporting to the government

the amount of free care provided, as well as provisions for following

certain notification and recordkeeping procedures. All of these

regulations are included in this clearance request. The Uncompensated

Services Assurance Report (USAR) (HRSA form 710) is one of the methods

of reporting the amount of free care provided. There are no changes to

the USAR form. There will be a significant reduction in the burden from

the previous request for OMB approval since many facilities have met

their obligations over the last 3 years. In addition, now that most now

facilities are having a substantial compliance review done annually,

very few facilities need to submit the USAR form. Burden estimates are

as follows:

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Number of Responses per Total Burden per Total burden

Requirement respondents respondent responses response hours

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclosure requirements (42

CFR):

Published Notices (124.504 389 1 389 .75 292

(a)).......................

Individual Notices (124.504 389 1 389 43.6 16,960

(c)).......................

Determinations of 389 396 154,044 .75 115,533

Eligibility (124.507)......

Reporting Requirements Form 710:

USAR (124.509 (a)).......... 10 1 10 11 110

Complaint Information 124.511

(a):

Individuals................. 10 1 10 .25 3

Facilities.................. 10 1 10 .5 5

Application for Compliance 4 1 4 6 24

Alternative for Public

Facilities (124.513 (c))...

Annual Certification for 195 1 195 .5 98

Public Facilities (124.509

(b)).......................

Application for Compliance 0 0 0 0 0

Alternative for Small

Obligation Facilities

(124.514(c))...............

Annual Certification for 1 1 1 .5 1

Small Obligation Facilities

(124.509(c))...............

Application for Compliance 2 1 2 6 12

Alternative for Charitable

Facilities (124.516(c))....

[[Page 23655]]

Annual Certification for 26 1 26 .5 13

Charitable Facilities

(124.516(c))...............

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Subtotal: Reporting and .............. .............. .............. .............. 133,051

Disclosure.............

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of Recordkeeping

Requirement recordkeepers Hours burden

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nonalternative Facilities (124.510(a)).......................... 389 50 19,450

Small Obligation Facilities (124.510(b)).................... *0 0 0

Public Facilities (124.510(b)).............................. *0 0 0

Charitable Facilities (124.510(b)).......................... 0 0 0

-----------------------------------------------

Subtotal: Recordkeeping................................. .............. .............. 19,450

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Requires facilities under the public facilities compliance alternative, the charitable facilities compliance

alternative, and the small obligation compliance alternative to maintain qualification documents. These are

ordinarily retained by facilities, so there is no burden.

Total burden for this project is estimated to be 152,501 hours.

Send comments to Susan G. Queen, Ph.D., HRSA Reports Clearance Officer,

Room 14-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

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

Dated: April 27, 1999.

Jane Harrison,

Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.

[FR Doc. 99-11050 Filed 4-30-99; 8:45 am]

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