00-18289. 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, Pub. L. 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 [phone].

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: Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program (OMB No. 0915-0247)

Public Law 106-129 amended the Public Health Service Act to provide for the support of graduate medical education (GME) in children's hospitals. The provision authorizes payments in Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 for direct and indirect expenses associated with operating approved GME programs. Section 340E(c)(1) of the PHS Act, as amended, states that the amount determined under this subsection for payments for direct medical expenses for a fiscal year is equal to the product of (a) the updated per resident amount as determined, and (b) the average number of FTE residents in the hospital's approved graduate medical residency training programs as determined under section 1886(h)(4) of the Social Security Act during the fiscal year. Section 340E(d)(2) requires the Secretary to determine the appropriate amount of indirect medical education for expenses associated with the treatment of more severely ill patients and the additional costs relating to teaching residents in such programs to a children's hospital by considering variations in case mix among children's hospitals, and the hospitals' number of FTE residents in approved training programs.

Administration of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program relies on the reporting of the number of full-time equivalent residents in applicant children's hospital training programs to determine the amount of direct and indirect expense payments to participating children's hospitals. Indirect expense payments will also be derived from a formula that requires the reporting of case mix index information from participating children's hospitals.

Hospitals will be requested to submit such information in an annual application. The statute also requires reconciliation of the estimated numbers of residents with the actual number determined at the end of the fiscal year. Participating children's hospitals would be required to complete an adjusted report to correct such information on an annual basis.

Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden

Form name	Number of respondents	Responses per respondents	Total responses	Hrs. per response	Total hour burden	Wage rate ($/hr)	Total hour cost ($)
Form-2001E	54	1	54	24	1,296	$45	$58,320
Form-2001F	54	1	54	8	432	45	19,440
IME data	54	1	54	14	756	45	34,020
Required GPRA tables	54	1	54	28	1,512	45	68,040
Total	54		54		3,996		$179,820

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 on or before September 18, 2000.

Dated: July 13, 2000.

Jane Harrison,

Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.