2017-24669. Agency Information Collection Activity: Ethics Consultation Feedback Tool (ECFT)

AGENCY:

Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed reinstatement of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice.

DATES:

Written comments and recommendations on the proposed collection of information should be received on or before January 16, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Submit written comments on the collection of information through Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov or to Brian McCarthy, Office of Regulatory and Administrative Affairs (10B4), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420 or email to [e-mail]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0750” in any correspondence. During the comment period, comments may be viewed online through FDMS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brian McCarthy at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. This request for comment is being made pursuant to Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA.

With respect to the following collection of information, VHA invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of VHA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of VHA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology.

Authority: 38 U.S.C. Part 1 Chapter 5 Section 527.

Title: Ethics Consultation Feedback Tool (ECFT); VA Form 10-10065.

OMB Control Number: 2900-0750.

Type of Review: Reinstatement of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: Ethics consultation is a service provided in all Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. We define ethics consultation as a service provided by an individual ethics consultant, ethics consultation team, or ethics committee to help patients, providers, and other parties resolve ethical concerns in a health care setting. The overall goal of ethics consultation is to improve health care quality by facilitating the resolution of ethical concerns. By providing a forum for discussion and methods for careful analysis, effective ethics consultation:

• Promotes practices consistent with high ethical standards
• helps foster consensus and resolve conflict in an atmosphere of respect
• honors participants' authority and values in the decision-making process
• educates participants to handle current and future ethical concerns

Ensuring the success of the ethics consultation service also requires ongoing evaluation, by which we mean systematic assessment of the operation and/or outcomes of a program compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the continuous improvement of the program. Evaluation is an important strategy to improve the process of ethics consultation (i.e., how ethics consultation is being performed) as well as its outcomes (i.e., how ethics consultation affects participants and the facility).

Affected Public: Individuals and households.

Estimated Annual Burden: 47 hours.

Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 5 minutes.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 569.

By direction of the Secretary.

Cynthia Harvey-Pryor,

Department Clearance Officer, Office of Quality, Privacy and Risk, Department of Veterans Affairs.