[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3918-3920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01052]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-20-1030; Docket No. CDC-2020-0003]
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 effort to reduce public burden and maximize the
utility of government information, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed
information collection project titled Developmental Studies to Improve
the National Health Care Surveys. The purpose of this generic
information collection request is to conduct developmental studies on
survey design and data collection activities that are part of the
National Health Care Surveys (NHCS).
DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before March 23, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
0003 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments
to Regulations.gov.
Please note: Submit all comments 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 the information collection plan
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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 the OMB for approval. To
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a
proposed data collection as described below.
The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
1. 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;
2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. 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
submissions of responses.
5. Assess information collection costs.
Proposed Project
Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health Care Surveys
(OMB Control No. 0920-1030, Exp. 04/30/2020)--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, ambulatory, 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
[[Page 3919]]
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, ambulatory, 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
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.
Projects under development or in the planning stages include two
projects related to opioid use: One that will investigate adding
questions to NAMCS on physician understanding of guidelines for opioid
use and one that will test the validation of an algorithm for
identifying opioid-involved hospital visits. Another study will develop
a Hospital-Based Victim Services Frame.
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,
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. The total estimated annualized
burden hours are 7,085.
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, 418 1 2.5 418
local government agencies, surveys, focus
and business entities. groups,
experiments (in
person, phone,
internet,
postal/
electronic
mail).
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 7,085
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[[Page 3920]]
Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-01052 Filed 1-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P