Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Bureau of Health Workforce Performance Data Collection, OMB No. 0915-0061-Revision

AGENCY:

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the ICR.

DATES:

Comments on this ICR should be received no later than November 23, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments to paperwork@hrsa.gov or mail the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N136B, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and draft instruments, email paperwork@hrsa.gov or call Samantha Miller, the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 443-9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

When submitting comments or requesting information, please include the information request collection title for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: Bureau of Health Workforce Performance Data Collection, OMB No. 0915-0061—Revision.

Abstract: Over 40 Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) programs award grants to health professions schools and training programs across the United States to develop, expand, and enhance training, and to strengthen the distribution of the health workforce. These programs are governed by the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq. ), specifically Titles III, VII, and VIII. Performance information is collected in the HRSA Performance Report for Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Data collection activities consisting of an annual progress and annual performance report satisfy statutory and programmatic requirements for performance measurement and evaluation (including specific Title III, VII and VIII requirements), as well as Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 and the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 requirements. The performance measures were last revised in 2019 to ensure they addressed programmatic changes, met evolving program management needs, and responded to emerging workforce concerns. As these changes were successful, BHW will continue with its current performance management strategy and make only minor changes that reduce burden, simplify reporting, and reflect new Department of Health and Human Services and HRSA priorities as well as elements to enable longitudinal analysis of program performance. An Excel upload feature will be implemented for a majority of programs, discipline-related questions will be split into two parts to make it easier for respondents to find the appropriate answer, COVID-related questions are being added, additional information is being collected for telehealth, and additional loan repayment questions are being added.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The purpose of the proposed data collection is to continue analysis and reporting of grantee training activities and education, identify intended practice locations, and report outcomes of funded initiatives. Data collected from these grant programs will also provide a description of the program activities of approximately 1,630 reporting grantees to inform policymakers on the barriers, opportunities, and outcomes involved in health care workforce development. The proposed measures focus on five key outcomes:

(1) Increasing the workforce supply of diverse well-educated practitioners in needed professions,

(2) increasing the number of practitioners that practice in underserved and rural areas,

(3) enhancing the quality of education,

(4) increasing the recruitment, training, and placement of under-represented groups in the health workforce, and

(5) supporting educational infrastructure to increase the capacity to train more health professionals in high demand areas.

Likely Respondents: Respondents are awardees of BHW health professions grant programs.

Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the information requested. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for this ICR are summarized in the table below.

HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.