03-31049. Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget, in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). To request a copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Office at [phone].

Proposed Project: Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Payment Program (CHGME PP) (OMB No. 0915-0247)—Revision

The CHGME PP was enacted by Pub. L. 106-129 to provide Federal support for graduate medical education (GME) to freestanding children's hospitals. This legislation attempts to provide support for GME comparable to the level of Medicare GME support received by other, non-children's hospitals. The legislation indicates that eligible children's hospitals will receive payments for both direct and indirect medical education. Direct payments are designed to offset the expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs and indirect payments are designed to compensate hospitals for expenses associated with the treatment of more severely ill patients and the additional costs relating to teaching residents in such programs.

Technical assistance workshops and consultation with applicant hospitals resulted in an opportunity for hospital representatives to raise issues and provide suggestions resulting in proposed revisions in the CHGME application forms and instructions.

Data is collected on the number of full-time equivalent residents in applicant children's hospitals' training programs to determine the amount of direct and indirect medical education payments to be distributed to participating children's hospitals. Indirect medical education payments will also be derived from a formula that requires the reporting of discharges, beds, and case mix index information from participating children's hospitals. Hospitals will be requested to submit such information in an annual application. Hospitals will also be requested to submit data on the number of full-time equivalent residents a second time during the Federal fiscal year to participate in the reconciliation payment process.

The estimated average annual reporting for this data collection is approximately 150 hours per hospital. The estimated annual burden is as follows:

Form	Number of respondents	Responses per respondent	Total number of responses	Hours per response	Total burden hours
HRSA 99-1 (Initial)	60	1	60	24	1,440
HRSA 99-1 (Reconciliation)	60	1	60	8	480
HRSA 99-2 (Initial)	60	1	60	14	840
HRSA 99-2 (Reconciliation)	60	1	60	4	240
HRSA 99-4 (Reconciliation)	60	1	60	14	840
Total	60		60		3,840

Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of this notice to: John Morrall, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: December 10, 2003.

Tina M. Cheatham,

Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.