2014-06267. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR is for renewal of the approved information collection assigned OMB control number 0945-0006, scheduled to expire on March 31, 2014. Comments submitted during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB will accept further comments from the public on this ICR during the review and approval period.

DATES:

Comments on the ICR must be received on or before April 23, 2014.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments to [e-mail] or via facsimile to [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Information Collection Clearance staff, [e-mail] or [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

When submitting comments or requesting information, please include the document identifier HHS-OS-21138-30D for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: The Civil Rights Information Request Form.

OMB No.: 0945-0006.

Abstract: This request for OMB approval of The Civil Rights Information Request Form is for a 3 year extension. The Civil Rights Information Request Form is designed to collect data from health care providers who have requested certification to participate in the Medicare Part A program. As part of the Medicare certification process, health care facilities must receive a civil rights clearance from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR uses the information to determine compliance with civil rights statutes and regulations. The civil rights information is requested only when a health care provider applies for Medicare Part A certification; it is not necessary on a regular yearly basis. Entities that are affected by the Civil Rights Information Request Form are: Health care providers applying for Medicare certification, and individuals who, as a result of civil rights clearances, should be granted equal access to quality health care, regardless of race, color, national origin, disability, age and sex.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: To ensure adherence to the statutory requirements, compliance reviews are requested when health care providers, such as hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies, apply to participate in the Medicare Part A program. When a provider seeks Medicare certification, OCR conducts a compliance review to determine whether the provider will be able to comply with Title VI, Section 504, and the Age Discrimination Act. Such reviews are an effective means of working with health care providers because potential civil rights concerns can be identified prior to receipt of Federal financial assistance. The technical assistance available to recipients on the OCR Web site helps providers take steps to comply with their obligations to refrain from prohibited discrimination.

Likely Respondents: Healthcare providers.

Burden Statement: In conducting a complaint investigation or compliance review of a health care or social service provider, OCR determines whether a compliance review was performed by OCR. In many instances, the procedure decreases the burden on the recipient since the compliance review and corrective actions, as necessary, may reduce or eliminate the need for a formal investigation involving interviews, examination of records, collection and submission of data associated with issues already addressed through a recent compliance review certification process. To further reduce provider burden in completing the compliance review process, OCR has developed several Corporate Agreements with health care corporations. These Agreements are designed to expedite the civil rights compliance review process by implementing a practice whereby all of a corporation's national policies and procedures are reviewed and approved at OCR's headquarters' level. Subsequent to such approval, only local facility-specific information is reviewed by OCR for civil rights compliance during the review process.

Total Estimated Annualized Burden—Hours

Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total burden hours
The Civil Rights Information Request Form	2900	1	8	23,200

Darius Taylor,

Deputy, Information Collection Clearance Officer.