[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 231 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86715-86717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28874]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-17-1030; Docket No. CDC-2016-0115]
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the
utility of government information, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on the proposed
extension of the Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health
Care Surveys, a generic package that includes studies to evaluate and
improve upon existing survey design and operations, as well as to
examine the feasibility of, and address challenges that may arise with,
future expansions of the National Health Care Surveys.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-
0115 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.
Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the
address listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the
proposed project or to obtain a copy of
[[Page 86716]]
the information collection plan and instruments, contact the
Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329;
phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they
conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies
to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each
proposed collection of information, including each new proposed
collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a
proposed data collection as described below.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-
up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain,
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This
includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire,
install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of
collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to
train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of
information, to search data sources, to complete and review the
collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the
information.
Proposed Project
Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health Care Surveys
(OMB No. 0920-1030, expires 10/31/2017)--Extension--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 the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (DHHS), acting through the Division of Health Care Statistics
(DHCS) within NCHS, shall collect statistics on the extent and nature
of illness and disability of the population of the United States.
The DHCS conducts the National Health Care Surveys, a family of
nationally representative surveys of encounters and health care
providers in inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings. This
information collection request (ICR) is for the extension of a generic
clearance to conduct developmental studies to improve this family of
surveys. This three year clearance period will include studies to
evaluate and improve upon existing survey design and operations, as
well as to examine the feasibility of, and address challenges that may
arise with, future expansions of the National Health Care Surveys.
Specifically, this request covers developmental research with the
following aims: (1) To explore ways to refine and improve upon existing
survey designs and procedures; and (2) to explore and evaluate proposed
survey designs and alternative approaches to data collection. The goal
of these research studies is to further enhance DHCS existing and
future data collection protocols to increase research capacity and
improve health care data quality for the purpose of monitoring public
health and well-being at the national, state and local levels, thereby
informing the health policy decision-making process. The information
collected through this generic ICR will not be used to make
generalizable statements about the population of interest or to inform
public policy; however, methodological findings may be reported.
This generic ICR would include studies conducted in person, via the
telephone or internet, and by postal or electronic mail. Methods
covered would include qualitative (e.g., usability testing, focus
groups, ethnographic studies, and respondent debriefing questionnaires)
and/or quantitative (e.g., pilot tests, pre-tests and split sample
experiments) research methodologies. Examples of studies to improve
existing survey designs and procedures may include evaluation of
incentive approaches to improve recruitment and increase participation
rates; testing of new survey items to obtain additional data on
providers, patients, and their encounters while minimizing
misinterpretation and human error in data collection; testing data
collection in panel surveys; triangulating and validating survey
responses from multiple data sources; assessment of the feasibility of
data retrieval; and development of protocols that will locate,
identify, and collect accurate survey data in the least labor-intensive
and burdensome manner at the sampled practice site.
To explore and evaluate proposed survey designs and alternative
approaches to collecting data, especially with the nationwide adoption
of electronic health records, studies may expand the evaluation of data
extraction of electronic health records and submission via continuity
of care documentation to small/mid-size/large medical providers and
hospital networks, managed care health plans, prison-hospitals, and
other inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings that are
currently either in-scope or out-of-scope of the National Health Care
Surveys. Research on feasibility, data quality and respondent burden
also may be carried out in the context of developing new surveys of
health care providers and establishments that are currently out-of-
scope of the National Health Care Surveys.
Specific motivations for conducting developmental studies include:
(1) Within the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), new
clinical groups may be expanded to include dentists, psychologists,
podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists), mid-level providers (e.g.,
physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners,
certified nurse midwives) and allied-health professionals (e.g.,
certified nursing aides, medical assistants, radiology technicians,
laboratory technicians, pharmacists, dieticians/nutritionists). Current
sampling frames such as those from the American Medical Association may
be obtained and studied, as well as frames that are not currently in
use by NAMCS, such as state and organizational listings of other
licensed providers. (2) Within the National Study of Long-Term Care
Providers, additional new frames may be sought and evaluated and data
items from home care agencies, long-term care hospitals, and facilities
exclusively serving individuals with intellectual/developmental
disability may be tested. Similarly, data may be obtained from lists
compiled by states and other organizations. Data about the facilities
[[Page 86717]]
as well as residents and their visits will be investigated. (3) In the
inpatient and outpatient care settings, the National Hospital Care
Survey (NHCS) and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
(NHAMCS) may investigate the addition of facility and patient
information especially as it relates to insurance and electronic
medical records.
The National Health Care Surveys collect critical, accurate data
that are used to produce reliable national estimates--and in recent
years (when budget allows), state-level estimates--of clinical services
and of the providers who delivered those services in inpatient,
outpatient, ambulatory, and long-term care settings. The data from
these surveys are used by providers, policy makers and researchers to
address important topics of interest, including the quality and
disparities of care among populations, epidemiology of medical
conditions, diffusion of technologies, effects of policies and practice
guidelines, and changes in health care over time. Research studies need
to be conducted to improve existing and proposed survey design and
procedures of the National Health Care Surveys, as well as to evaluate
alternative data collection approaches particularly due to the
expansion of electronic health record use, and to develop new sample
frames of currently out-of-scope providers and settings of care. There
is no cost to respondents other than their time to participate. Average
burdens are designed to cover 15-40 min interviews as well as 90 minute
focus groups, longer on-site visits, and situations where organizations
may be preparing electronic data files.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Average
Number of Number of burden per Total burden
Type of respondents Form name respondents responses per response (in (in hours)
respondent hours)
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Health Care Providers and Interviews, 6,667 1 1 6,667
Business entities. surveys, focus
groups,
experiments (in
person, phone,
internet,
postal/
electronic
mail).
Health Care Providers, State/ Interviews, 167 1 2.5 418
local government agencies, surveys, focus
and business entities. groups,
experiments (in
person, phone,
internet,
postal/
electronic
mail).
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Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 7,085
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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. 2016-28874 Filed 11-30-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P