[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26013-26014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10591]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Request for Information on Guidance for the Specification of a
Secure, Online Reporting System for Streamlining Programmatic, Fiscal,
and Other Data From DHHS-Funded HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care
Services Grantees
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is seeking
to identify interest and obtain information relevant to the design,
deployment, operations, maintenance, and future enhancement of a
centralized, secure, flexible data reporting system to streamline the
collection, processing, and sharing of programmatic, funding, and other
data reported to DHHS Operating Divisions (OpDivs) by grantees funded
to provide HIV prevention, treatment, and care services.
DATES: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of
the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m. EST on May 17, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Electronic responses are strongly preferred and may be
addressed to [[email protected]]. Written responses should be
addressed to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Room 443-H,
200 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20201. Attention: HIV Open
Data Project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew D. Forsyth Ph.D. or Vera
Yakovchenko, MPH, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy
(OHAIDP), (202) 205-6606.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
In July 2010, the White House released the National HIV/AIDS
Strategy (NHAS) for the United States that outlined four key goals: (1)
Reduce the number of people who become infected with HIV; (2) increase
access to care and optimize health outcomes for people living with HIV;
(3) reduce HIV-related health disparities; and (4) achieve a more
coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic in the United
States.\1\ Central to the latter goal were two related directives. The
first was to develop improved mechanisms to monitor, evaluate, and
report on progress toward achieving national goals. And the second was
to simplify grant administration activities by standardizing data
collection and reducing undue grantee reporting requirements for
federal HIV programs.
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\1\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/nhas.
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In December 2009, the White House also released its Open Government
Directive,\2\ which seeks to improve access to government data in a
manner that enhances transparency, fosters participation through the
public's contribution of ideas and expertise to decision-making, and
enhances collaboration through new partnerships within the federal
government and between public and private institutions. Notwithstanding
existing clearance requirements or legitimate reasons to protect
information, the Directive highlighted the need for the following: (1)
Timely and accessible online publication of government information; (2)
improved quality of government information; (3) creation of a culture
of open government; and (4) establishment of a policy framework for
Open Government. The release of the Directive was followed shortly
thereafter by the DHHS Open Government Plan,\3\ which seeks to build
upon the White House's emphasis on transparency, collaboration, and
collaboration to ensure that the government works better for all
Americans.
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\2\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive.
\3\ http://www.hhs.gov/open/plan/opengovernmentplan/transparency/dashboard.html.
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An important contribution of the DHHS Open Government Plan is its
reference to new technological developments that make it possible to
streamline the collection, sharing, and processing of programmatic and
fiscal data in a manner that facilitates greater transparency,
participation, and collaboration, even in such critical and sensitive
areas as the DHHS investment in HIV prevention, treatment, and care
services. At present, DHHS OpDivs that fund these services use a
mixture of non-interoperable information processing systems to collect
programmatic, fiscal, and other data from grantees. Moreover, these
systems often utilize different indicators to monitor the progress of
HIV/AIDS programs that vary in their specifications (e.g., numerators,
denominators, time frames) and other key parameters. As a result, many
required HIV/AIDS data elements are inconsistent, impede evaluation and
monitoring of all relevant DHHS-funded services, and add undue burden
to HIV services grantees charged with reporting obligations often from
multiple DHHS OpDivs.
Under consideration at DHHS is the design, deployment, operations,
maintenance, and future enhancement of a centralized, secure, flexible
data reporting information system to compile programmatic, funding, and
other data reported to DHHS OpDivs by grantees funded to provide HIV
prevention, treatment, and care services. In effect, DHHS is exploring
the possibility of establishing a single data reporting tool for
funders, grantees, and sub-grantees that builds upon or shares many of
the features of the Health Resources and Services Administration's
(HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Services Report (RSR), which is a secure,
online, data collection system for programmatic and fiscal data.
Similarly, such a system might share features central to the National
Institutes of Health's Electronic Research Administration (ERA), which
offers a one-stop solution ``to manage the receipt, processing, review,
award and monitoring of over $30 billion in research and non-research
grants'' (see http://era.nih.gov). Moreover, such a system would offer
a secure data solution that permits internal and external access to
data, eliminates paper-based reporting, and streamlines the process of
data collection and sharing in a manner that advances the DHHS Open
Government Plan.
The HIV Open Data Project envisioned might offer several benefits,
such as: (1) Improve mechanisms to monitor, evaluate, and report on
progress toward achieving NHAS goals; (2) ensure more coordinated
program administration; (3) utilize a common protocol for establishing
patient identifiers to protect confidentiality and de-identify client
data; (4) reduce
[[Page 26014]]
administrative and infrastructural costs associated with reporting to
or maintaining independent data systems; (5) streamline and standardize
data collection; (6) facilitate data sharing among federal and non-
federal partners; (7) reduce bottlenecks and redundant data entry to
different data systems; (8) integrate with electronic health record
systems; (9) improve accountability and tracking of grantees with
multiple funding streams; (10) facilitate data standardization and
deployment of common core indicators that could form the basis of
performance dashboards; (11) identify services gaps and unmet need; and
(12) enhance transparency, participation, and collaboration around key
public policy decisions relevant to the DHHS investment in HIV
prevention, treatment, and care services.
Accordingly, this request for information seeks public comment on
several key dimensions of such a project, including but not limited to
the following:
1. In evaluating the feasibility of such a centralized data system,
what specific steps would be critical to the design, deployment,
operations, maintenance, and enhancement of such a system, particularly
in light of addressing interoperability issues of existing data systems
operated by DHHS OpDivs that support HIV prevention, treatment, or care
services (e.g., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HRSA,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Indian
Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)?
2. What existing systems currently in use to monitor health grants
offer the features desired and what are the strengths and challenges of
(a) designing an entirely new online resource or (b) adopting an
existing resource (e.g., HRSA's RSR or others)?
3. What are the greatest challenges encountered in reporting data
(describe your reporting obligations, if applicable) and what specific
solutions have DHHS grantees implemented to streamline divergent, non-
interoperable reporting systems?
4. And what data would prove most useful for different stakeholders
to receive from such a centralized system?
5. What costs, benefits, and risks need to be given careful
consideration in development of such a resource? What are the estimated
costs and return on investment of each component?
6. What technological resources and expertise would be needed to
design, deploy, operate, maintain, and enhance such a system and what
extant models exist for achieving the goal of a secure electronic
resource capable of achieving the benefits noted above?
7. What system architecture do you recommend for the project,
particularly considering the government's desire to keep the project
simple and streamlined (i.e. using as few different software packages
and tools as possible)? What architecture, expertise, and other
components are indispensible to the success of the design, deployment,
operations, maintenance, and enhancement of such a system?
8. What would a phased implementation plan consist of? If a modular
or phased approach is recommended, what is a realistic timeframe for
the completion of the project?
9. What additional information not specifically addressed elsewhere
in this RFI that would be important for the government to bear in mind
in developing such a system?
Dated: April 25, 2012.
Ronald O. Valdiserri,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Infectious Diseases), Office of
HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012-10591 Filed 5-1-12; 8:45 am]
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