[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 173 (Monday, September 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 47211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23681]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the Agency for Health Care Policy and 
Research's (AHCPR) intention to request the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) to allow a proposed information collection of the 
``Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS HC)--
Panels 3 and 4.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHCPR invites the 
public to comment on this proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by November 7, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Ruth A. Celtnieks, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHCPR, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 
500, Rockville, MD 20852-4908.
    All comments will become a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ruth A. Celtnieks, AHCPR Reports Clearance Officer, (301) 594-1406, 
ext. 1497.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

    ``Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC)--
Panels 3 and 4.''
    The AHCPR intends to conduct an annual panel survey of U.S. 
households to collect information on a variety of measures related to 
health status, health insurance coverage, health care use and 
expenditures, and sources of payment for health services. Each panel 
consists of a nationally representative sample of U.S. households who 
remain in MEPS for two consecutive years of data collection. The first 
two panels of MEPS began in 1996 and 1997. Panels 3 and 4 of the MEPS-
HC begin in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The MEPS-HC is jointly 
sponsored by the AHCPR and the National Center for Health Statistics 
(NCHS). It will be conducted using a sample of households selected from 
households which responded to the National Health Interview Survey 
(NHIS) sponsored by NCHS. The NHIS is a household survey which collects 
health related data from approximately 50,000 households and 110,000 
people. Due to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
efforts to integrate survey data collection activities, the NHIS is 
used as the sampling frame for the MEPS and several other surveys.
    Data to be collected from each household include detailed 
information on demographics, health conditions, current health status, 
utilization of health care providers, charges and payments for health 
care services, medications, employment and health insurance. Subject to 
AHCPR and NCHS confidentiality statutes, data will be made available 
through publications, articles in major journals as well as public use 
data files. The data are intended to be used for purposes such as:
     Generating national estimates of individual and family 
health care use and expenditures, private and public health insurance 
coverage, and the availability, costs and scope of private health 
insurance benefits among Americans;
     Examining the effects of changes in how chronic care and 
disability are managed and financed;
     Evaluating the growing impact of managed care and of 
enrollment in different types of managed care plans; and
     Examining access to and costs of health care for common 
diseases and conditions, prescription drug use, and other health 
issues.
    Statisticians and researchers will use these data to make important 
generalizations on the civilian non-institutionalized population of the 
United States, as well as to conduct research in which the family is 
the unit of analysis.

Method of Collection

    The data will be collected using a combination of modes. For 
example, the AHCPR intends to introduce study participants to the 
survey through advance mailings. The first contact will provide the 
household with information regarding the importance and uses of the 
information obtained. The AHCPR will then conduct five (in-person) 
interviews with each household to obtain health care use and expense 
data. Lastly, the AHCPR will conduct one telephone interview with each 
household to obtain tax and asset information. Data will be collected 
using a computer-assisted personal interviewing method (CAPI). In 
certain cases, AHCPR will conduct interviews over the telephone, if 
necessary. Burden estimates follow:
    Initial Number of Respondents: 10,000.
      Panel 3: 4800.
      Panel 4: 5200.
    Number of Surveys Per Respondent: 6.
    Average Burden Per Respondent: 9.0 hours.
    Estimated Burden Total: 81,100 hours.
      Panel 3: 39,050 hours.
      Panel 4: 42,050 hours.

Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) the necessity of the proposed 
collection; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection.
    Copies of these proposed collection plans and instruments can be 
obtained from the AHCPR Reports Clearance Officer (see above).

    Dated: September 2, 1997.
John M. Eisenberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-23681 Filed 9-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M