[Federal Register: September 29, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 188)]
[Notices]
[Page 56964-56965]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29se05-88]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA-2005-22417]
Notice of Intent To Survey Medical Examiners Who Certify the
Physical Qualifications of Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the
intention of FMCSA to request approval from the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for an information collection associated with the
agency's medical examiner Role Delineation Study. This information
collection would gather data on the role of medical examiners and
provide medical examiners (medical doctors (MDs), doctors of osteopathy
(DOs), doctors of chiropractic (DCs), physician assistants (PAs) and
advance practice nurses (APNs)) who perform FMCSA physical examinations
of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers a means of participating in
an assessment of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to
effectively determine if a CMV driver's health meets Federal physical
qualifications standards. The data obtained from the Role Delineation
Study and other sources would be used to support the development of the
National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) program.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 28, 2005.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA-
2005-22417 by any of the following methods:
Web site: http://dms.dot.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on the DOT
electronic docket site.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management System (DMS) Facility, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on plaza level of the Nassif
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number of the notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://dms.dot.gov including any personal
information provided.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-
401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000, at 65 FR 19477 or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information, contact Dr. Mary D.
Gunnels, Office of Bus and Truck Standards and Operations, Physical
Qualifications Division, 202-366-4001. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Notice of Intent to Survey Medical Examiners Who Certify the
Physical Qualifications of Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers.
Background
Section 4116 of The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (Public Law
109-59) requires the Secretary of Transportation ``to establish and
maintain a current national registry of medical examiners who are
qualified to perform examinations and issue medical certificates.'' To
implement this requirement, FMCSA is developing the National Registry
program that was announced at a June 22, 2005, Public Meeting in
Arlington, Virginia (70 FR 28596; May 18, 2005). The NRCME will be
comprised, in part, of a training and testing program that will include
a database of medical examiners who conduct medical examinations of
interstate CMV drivers and effectively determine their physical
qualifications to operate such vehicles in interstate commerce as
defined in 49 CFR 391.41.
Once the program is implemented, FMCSA would only accept medical
examinations conducted by NRCME medical examiners. The NRCME program
would require training using a standardized curriculum, a certification
examination, and procedures to maintain the quality of the program in
accordance with national accreditation standards. The Role Delineation
Study is a critical component of developing a standardized training
curriculum and a valid, reliable and fair certification examination.
The goal of the Role Delineation Study is to inform the policies that
guide the NRCME program in accordance with national accreditation
standards. The study is an assessment of the knowledge, skills, and
abilities necessary for a medical examiner to perform competently. The
Role Delineation Study incorporates the following components: (1)
Develop a task list through a variety of techniques; (2) measure
agreement on each task in the list by a representative sample of
medical examiners; (3) disqualify tasks lacking sufficient agreement;
(4) identify critical tasks; and (5) create specifications for an
examination. The information derived from the Role Delineation Study is
necessary to form the basis of a professionally and legally sound
quality management system that supports a national accreditation of the
certification program. A survey of medical examiners is one of the
techniques for gathering data from FMCSA medical examiners for the Role
Delineation Study.
Respondents: Medical examiners (MDs, DOs, DCs, PAs, and APNs) who
are currently performing FMCSA physical examinations of CMV drivers.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated average burden
per response for each survey is 30 to 60 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden is
500 to 1000 hours for the information collection based on the following
requirement for statistical significance: 200 responses for each of the
five medical examiner professional categories; [1000 respondents per
survey
[[Page 56965]]
x 30/60 minutes per respondent = 500 to 1000 hours].
Frequency: Data collection in support of program content validation
is typically done every few years because practice standards change and
evolve.
Public Comments Invited
Interested parties are invited to send comments regarding any
aspect of this information collection, including but not limited to:
(1) The necessity and utility of the information collection for the
proper performance of the functions of FMCSA and specifically the
conduct of the Role Delineation Study; (2) the accuracy of the
estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the collected information; and (4) ways to minimize the collection
burden without reducing the quality of the collected information.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB's clearance for this information
collection.
Issued on: September 22, 2005.
Rose A. McMurray,
Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 05-19460 Filed 9-28-05; 8:45 am]
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