[Federal Register: January 10, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 6)]
[Notices]
[Page 1724-1726]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10ja05-43]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Privacy Act of 1974; New System of Records
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS.
ACTION: Notification of a new system of records.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act, the
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is publishing
notice of a proposal to add a new system of records. The new system of
records, ``State-Provided Physician Records for the Application
Submission & Processing System, SDB, BHPr, HRSA,'' will cover health
care practitioners who are the subjects of databases collected and
maintained by State Primary Care Offices/Associations. Such health care
practitioners include physicians (both M.D.s and D.O.s), licensed or
otherwise authorized by a State to provide health care services. This
system of records is required to comply with the implementation
directives of the Act, Public Law 108-20. The records will be used to
support the Application Submission and Processing System electronic
application for the development, submission, and review of applications
for HPSAs and MUPs. The most critical requirement for accurate
designation determinations is accurate data on the location of primary
care providers relative to the population. To this end, SDB continually
tries to obtain the latest data on primary care providers and their
practice location(s) at the lowest geographical level possible for use
in the designation process, with the objective of minimizing the level
of effort required on the part of States and communities seeking
designations.
DATES: HRSA invites interested parties to submit comments on the
proposed New System of Records on or before February 22, 2005. As of
the date of the publication of this Notice, HRSA has sent a Report of
New System of Records to Congress and to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). The New System of Records will be effective 40 days from
the date submitted to OMB unless HRSA receives comments that would
result in a contrary determination.
ADDRESSES: Please address comments to Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) Privacy Act Officer, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 14A-
20, Rockville, Maryland 20857; telephone (301) 443-3780. This is not a
toll-free number. Comments received will be available for inspection at
this same address from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Associate Administrator, Bureau of
Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA), 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 8-05, Rockville, Maryland 20857;
telephone (301) 443-5794. This is not a toll-free number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) proposes to establish a new system of records:
``State-Provided Physician Records for the Application Submission &
Processing System, SDB, BHPr, HRSA.'' The new system of records,
``State-Provided Physician Records for the Application Submission &
Processing System, SDB, BHPr, HRSA,'' will cover health care
practitioners who are the subjects of databases collected and
maintained by State Primary Care Offices/Associations. Such health care
practitioners include physicians (both M.D.s and D.O.s), licensed or
otherwise authorized by a State to provide health care services. The
records will be used to support the Application Submission and
Processing System electronic application for the development,
submission, and review of applications for HPSAs and MUPs. The most
critical requirement for accurate designation determinations is
reliable data on the location of primary care providers relative to the
population. To this end, SDB continually tries to obtain the latest
data on primary care providers and their practice location(s) at the
lowest geographical level possible for use in the designation process,
with the objective of minimizing the level of effort required on the
part of States and communities seeking designations. The system will
include records that show a value for each of the following fields for
all of the physicians that are included in each States' database:
Provider ID (System-Assigned); Provider Type; Provider Status; First
Name; Middle Name; Last Name; Suffix; Physician License Number;
Specialty Code; Visa
[[Page 1725]]
Status; Federal Employee Status; National Health Service Corps Status;
MD/DO; AMA ID; AOA ID; Hospital Privileges Status; Gender; Source Type;
Address 1; Address 2; Address 3; City; State; Zip; FIPS State; FIPS
County; Census Tract; Minor Civil Division; Longitude; Latitude;
Address FTE; Office Visits (Per Year); New Patients Waiting Time For
Appointments (days); Current Patients Waiting Time For Appointments
(days); Average Wait for New Patient (hours); Average Wait for Current
Patient (hours); Patient Percent--Homeless; Patient Percent--Medicaid;
Patient Percent--Migrant Farm worker; Patient Percent--Native American;
Patient Percent--Sliding Fee Scale; Patient Percent--Language Barrier
Present; Patient Percent--Migrant/Seasonal Farm worker; Patient
Percent--Other Population; Medicaid Claims; Hours Given Include Time
Spent in Hospital; Accepts New Patients; Tour Hours in Direct Patient
Care for this Address; Sub Specialty; Sub Specialty Percent; Language
1; Language 1 Percent; Language 2; Language 2 Percent; Language 3; and
Language 3 Percent.
Disclosure of these records may be made to HRSA employees in order
to accomplish the purposes for which the records are collected. The
users are required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act
with respect to such records. Also, each State Primary Care Office (and
a few Primary Care Associations) may have access to provider data
within their own state. These users will also have access to bordering
states' data (one county-deep) at an aggregate level only. Disclosure
may also be made to contractors engaged by the Department to geocode
the physicians' address so that it may be seen on a computerized map,
or to load the provider data into the Application Submission and
Processing Systems. All such contractors shall be required to maintain
Privacy Act safeguards with respect to such records and return all
records to HRSA.
This system of records is required to comply with the
implementation directives of the Act, Public Law 108-20.
The following notice is written in the present tense, rather than
in the future tense, in order to avoid the unnecessary expenditure of
public funds to republish the notice after the system becomes
effective.
Dated: December 23, 2004.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration.
09-15-0066
System Name:
State-Provided Physician Records for the Application Submission &
Processing System, SDB, BHPr, HRSA
Security Classification:
None.
System Location:
System Manager is located in Shortage Designation Branch, Office of
Workforce Evaluation and Quality Assurance, Bureau of Health
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Room 8C-26, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Actual computer server is
located in Office of Information Technology, Health Resources and
Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 10A-08, Rockville,
Maryland 20857.
Categories of Individuals Covered by the System:
Health care practitioners who are the subjects of databases
collected and maintained by State Primary Care Offices/Associations.
Such health care practitioners include physicians (both M.D.s and
D.O.s), licensed or otherwise authorized by a State to provide health
care services.
Categories of Records in the System:
The system will include records that show a value for each of the
following fields for all of the physicians that are included in each
States' database:
--Provider ID (System-Assigned)
--Provider Type
--Provider Status
--First Name
--Middle Name
--Last Name
--Suffix
--Physician License Number
--Specialty Code
--Visa Status
--Federal Employee Status
--National Health Service Corps Status
--MD/DO
--AMA ID
--AOA ID
--Hospital Privileges Status
--Gender
--Source Type
--Address 1
--Address 2
--Address 3
--City
--State
--Zip
--FIPS State
--FIPS County
--Census Tract
--Minor Civil Division
--Longitude
--Latitude
--Address FTE
--Office Visits (Per Year)
--New Patients Waiting Time For Appointments (days)
--Current Patients Waiting Time For Appointments (days)
--Average Wait for New Patient (hours)
--Average Wait for Current Patient (hours)
--Patient Percent--Homeless
--Patient Percent--Medicaid
--Patient Percent--Migrant Farmworker
--Patient Percent--Native American
--Patient Percent--Sliding Fee Scale
--Patient Percent--Language Barrier Present
--Patient Percent--Migrant/Seasonal Farmworker
--Patient Percent--Other Population
--Medicaid Claims
--Hours Given Include Time Spent in Hospital?
--Accepts New Patients?
--Tour Hours in Direct Patient Care for this Address
--Sub Specialty
--Sub Specialty Percent
--Language 1
--Language 1 Percent
--Language 2
--Language 2 Percent
--Language 3
--Language 3 Percent
Authority for Maintenance of the System:
42 CFR, chapter 1, part 5--Designation of Health Professional
Shortage Areas and section 332 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act
provide that the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall designate
health professional shortage areas, (HPSAs), and/or Medically
Underserved Populations (MUPs), based on criteria established by
regulation. The authority for designation of HPSAs is delegated to the
Bureau of Health Profession's Shortage Designation Branch (SDB).
Criteria and the process used for designation of HPSAs and/or MUPs were
developed in accordance with the requirements of section 332 of the PHS
Act. Designation as a HPSA is a prerequisite for application for the
National Health Service Corps recruitment assistance. To accomplish
this task, the SDB relies on data specified in 42 CFR part 5 and HPSA
and/or MUP guidelines, to review applications submitted by State
Primary Care Offices (PCO) and their affiliates for designation status.
[[Page 1726]]
Purpose(s):
The sole purpose of the system is to support the Application
Submission and Processing System electronic application for the
development, submission, and review of applications for HPSAs and MUPs.
The most critical requirement for accurate designation determinations
is reliable data on the location of primary care providers relative to
the population. To this end, SDB continually tries to obtain the latest
data on primary care providers and their practice location(s) at the
lowest geographical level possible for use in the designation process,
with the objective of minimizing the level of effort required on the
part of States and communities seeking designations.
Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System, Including Categories
of Users and the Purposes of Such Uses:
1. Disclosure may be made to HRSA employees in order to accomplish
the purposes for which the records are collected. The users are
required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act with
respect to such records.
2. Each state Primary Care Office (and a few Primary Care
Associations) may have access to provider data within their own state.
These users will also have access to bordering states' data (one
county-deep) at an aggregate level only.
3. Disclosure may be made to contractors engaged by the Department
to geocode the physicians' address so that it may be seen on a
computerized map, or to load the provider data into the Application
Submission and Processing Systems. All such contractors shall be
required to maintain Privacy Act safeguards with respect to such
records and return all records to HRSA.
Policies and Practices for Storing, Retrieving, Accessing, Retaining,
and Disposing of Records in the System:
Storage:
Records are maintained in file folders and in computer data files.
Retrievability:
Retrieval of physician records is by use of personal identifiers
used when entering the system.
Safeguards:
1. Authorized users: Access to records is limited to designated
HRSA and PCO/A staff. Theses employees are the only authorized users.
HRSA maintains current lists of authorized users.
2. Physical Safeguards: All computer equipment and files are stored
in areas where fire and life safety codes are strictly enforced. All
automated and non-automated documents are protected on a 24-hour basis.
Perimeter security includes intrusion alarms, on-site guard force,
random guard patrol, key/passcard/combination controls, and
receptionist controlled area. Hard copy files are maintained in a file
room used solely for this purpose with access limited by combination
lock to authorized users identified above. Computer files are password
protected and are accessible only by use of computers which are
password protected.
3. Procedural Safeguards: A password is required to access computer
files. All users of personal information in connection with the
performance of their jobs protect information from public view and from
unauthorized personnel entering an unsupervised area. All authorized
users sign a ``Rules of Behavior'' document. All passwords, keys and/or
combinations are changed when a person leaves or no longer has
authorized duties. Access to records is limited to those authorized
personnel trained in accordance with the Privacy Act and ADP security
procedures. The safeguards described above were established in
accordance with DHHS Chapter 45-13 and supplementary chapter PHS hf:45-
13 of the General Administration Manual; and the DHHS Information
Resources Management Manual, Part 6, ``ADP Systems Security.''
Retention and Disposal:
Retention and disposal is in accordance with the HRSA records
retention schedule. Contact the System Manager at the following address
for further information.
System Manager(s) and Address:
Debra Small, ASAPS System Manager, Public Health Analyst, Shortage
Designation Branch, Office of Workforce Evaluation and Quality
Assurance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 8C-26, Rockville, Maryland
20857.
Notification Procedure:
Write to the System Manager to determine if a record exists. The
requester must also verify his or her identity by providing either a
notarization of the request or a written certification that the
requester is who he or she claims to be and understands that the
knowing and willful request for acquisition of a record pertaining to
an individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense under the
Act, subject to a fine.
Record Access Procedure:
To obtain access to a record, contact the System Manager at the
above specific address. Requesters should provide the same information
as is required under the Notification Procedures above. Individuals may
also request listings of accountable disclosures that have been made of
their records, if any.
Contesting Record Procedures:
Write to the official specified under Notification Procedures
above, and reasonably identify the record and specify the information
being contested, the corrective action sought, and your reasons for
requesting the correction, along with supporting information to show
how the record is inaccurate, incomplete, untimely, or irrelevant. The
right to contest records is limited to information which is incomplete,
incorrect, untimely, or irrelevant.
Record Source Categories:
Data are collected from the State Primary Care Offices and a few
State Primary Care Associations.
Systems Exempted From Certain Provisions of the Act:
None.
[FR Doc. 05-447 Filed 1-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P