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Agency estimates lengths of time it should take to enroll, recertify, and make changes.
March 29, 2012—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is inviting public comment on how much time it takes for hospitals, health centers, and other providers to initially enroll in 340B and then later to recertify their eligibility.
HRSA issued the request for comments in the March 19 Federal Register. Per the Affordable Care Act (ACA), HRSA for the first time is requiring all 340B providers to recertify their eligibility annually. Whenever a federal agency launches this sort of data collection project, federal law requires it to solicit public input.
In its comment request, HRSA estimates that it should take hospitals no more than two hours to initially register to participate in 340B and all other covered entity types no more than an hour.
For all entity types, annual recertification should take no more than 30 minutes, HRSA estimates. Certifications to enroll outpatient facilities and OPA database change-request submissions should take only 30 minutes and registering a contract pharmacy only one hour, it says.
Comments are due Friday, May 18. HRSA is seeking feedback on the accuracy of its estimates; on how to maximize the value of the data it gathers; and how to minimize the data collection burden on respondents. Comments can be emailed to paperwork@hrsa.gov or mailed to: HRSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn Bldg., 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md., 20857.
