[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 162 (Thursday, August 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49517-49519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19825]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30-Day-14-0212]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your

[[Page 49518]]

comments should address any of the following: (a) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of 
the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses; and (e) Assess 
information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Written comments and/or 
suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be 
directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    The National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) (OMB Control Number 0920-
0212; Expires 04-30-2016)--Revision--National Center for Health 
Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Section 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 
242k), as amended, authorizes that the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS), acting through NCHS, shall collect statistics on the 
extent and nature of illness and disability of the population of the 
United States. This three-year clearance request for NHCS includes the 
collection of all impatient and ambulatory Uniform Bill-04 (UB-04) 
claims data or electronic health record (EHR) data from a sample of 581 
hospitals as well as the collection of additional clinical data from a 
sample of emergency department (ED) and outpatient department (OPD) 
visits (including ambulatory surgeries) through the abstraction of 
medical records.
    NHCS integrates the former National Hospital Discharge Survey (OMB 
No. 0920-0212), the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 
(NHAMCS) (OMB No. 0920-0278) and the Drug-Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) 
(OMB No. 0930-0078, expired 12/31/2011) previously conducted by the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA). 
Integration of NHAMCS and DAWN into the NHCS is part of a broader 
strategy to improve efficiency by minimizing redundancy in data 
collection; broadening our capability to collect more relevant data on 
transitions of care; and identifying opportunities to exploit 
electronic and administrative clinical data systems to augment primary 
data collection.
    NHCS consists of a nationally representative sample of 581 
hospitals. These hospitals are currently being recruited, and 
participating hospitals are submitting all of their inpatient and 
ambulatory care patient data in the form of electronic UB-04 
administrative claims or EHR data. Currently, hospital-level data are 
collected through a paper questionnaire and additional clinical data 
are being abstracted from a sample of visits to EDs and OPDs. This 
activity continues in 2014, and as more hospitals choose to send EHR 
data that includes clinical information, the need to conduct 
abstraction will be reduced.
    This revision seeks approval to continue voluntary recruitment and 
data collection for NHCS, including inpatient, outpatient and emergency 
care; to revise the hospital-level questionnaire with additional items 
needed to improve weighting procedures; to combine the OPD and 
ambulatory surgery location patient record forms to more effectively 
capture ambulatory procedures in these settings; to continue collection 
of substance-involved ED visit data previously collected by DAWN; and 
to eliminate data collection from freestanding ambulatory surgery 
centers in order to concentrate efforts on hospital-based settings of 
care.
    NHCS collects data items at the hospital, patient, inpatient 
discharge, and visit levels. Hospital-level data items include 
ownership, number of staffed beds, hospital service type, and EHR 
adoption. Patient-level data items are collected from both electronic 
data and abstraction components and include basic demographic 
information, personal identifiers, name, address, social security 
number (if available), and medical record number (if available). 
Discharge-level data are collected through the UB-04 claims or EHR data 
and include admission and discharge dates, diagnoses, diagnostic 
services, and surgical and non-surgical procedures. Visit-level data 
are collected through either EHR data, or for those hospitals 
submitting UB-04 claims, through the claims as well as through 
abstraction of medical records for a sample of visits. These visit-
level data include reason for visit, diagnosis, procedures, 
medications, substances involved, and patient disposition.
    NHCS users include, but are not limited to, CDC, Congressional 
Research Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation (ASPE), National Institutes of Health, American Health Care 
Association, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), SAMHSA, 
Bureau of the Census, Office of National Drug Control Policy, state and 
local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Other users of these 
data include universities, research organizations, many in the private 
sector, foundations, and a variety of users in the media.
    Data collected through NHCS are essential for evaluating health 
status of the population, for the planning of programs and policy to 
improve health care delivery systems of the Nation, for studying 
morbidity trends, and for research activities in the health field. 
Historically, data have been used extensively in the development and 
monitoring of goals for the Year 2000, 2010, and 2020 Healthy People 
Objectives.
    There is no cost to respondents other than their time to 
participate. The total burden is 8,232 hours.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Avgerage
                                                                    Number of       Number of       burden per
         Type of respondents                   Form name           respondents    responses per   response  (in
                                                                                   respondent          hrs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hospital DHIM or DHIT................  Initial Hospital Intake              160               1              1
                                        Questionnaire.
Hospital CEO/CFO.....................  Recruitment Survey                   160               1              1
                                        Presentation.

[[Page 49519]]

 
Hospital DHIM or DHIT................  Prepare and transmit UB-             481              12              1
                                        04 for Inpatient and
                                        Ambulatory.
Hospital DHIM or DHIT................  Prepare and transmit EHR             100               4              1
                                        for Inpatient and
                                        Ambulatory.
Hospital CEO/CFO.....................  Annual Hospital                      581               1              2
                                        Interview.
Hospital CEO/CFO.....................  Annual Ambulatory                    385               1              1.5
                                        Hospital Interview.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-19825 Filed 8-20-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P