[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 23469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11344]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

    In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed 
project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and draft 
instruments, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1891.
    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; and (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.

Proposed Project: Development and Testing of Emergency Department 
Utilization as a Measure of Effectiveness for the Health Care for 
the Homeless Program (NEW)

    The Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of 
Primary Health Care (BPHC) seeks clearance from OMB to conduct a 
performance evaluation of the Health Care for the Homeless Program 
(HCH). A primary goal of this program is to provide a ``medical home'' 
for homeless persons in the community, improving their access to 
primary care. The evaluation will test the hypothesis that the presence 
of an HCH program in a community reduces the inappropriate (i.e., non-
urgent) use of emergency departments (ED) by single homeless adults. 
The results from this evaluation will provide BPHC with evidence of the 
HCH program's ability to divert inappropriate use of emergency 
departments by homeless individuals.
    The study will compare the ED experience of HCH program users and 
non-HCH program users while considering three categories of influencing 
factors: (1) Predisposing factors (demographics), (2) enabling factors 
(insurance status and community characteristics), and (3) needs factors 
(physical and mental health status, presence of drug or alcohol 
problems). The analysis requires primary data collection through 
interviews of homeless individuals in communities where there are HCH 
grantees. The data collection instrument for this evaluation is a brief 
(20 minute) questionnaire that will measure self-reported health care 
utilization during the study period, health status and perceived health 
care needs, and demographics. Information from the study will be used 
in conjunction with data from ED records of homeless individuals with 
self-reported ED use during the study period to determine whether a 
particular ED visit should be considered ``urgent'' or ``non-urgent''.
    One thousand three hundred and fifty respondents are expected to be 
surveyed once. It is expected to take 20 minutes to complete each 
survey for a total of 450 burden hours.
    Send comments to Lyman Van Nostrand, HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 14-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
Maryland 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of 
this notice.

    Dated: April 22, 1998.
Jane Harrison,
Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. 98-11344 Filed 4-28-98; 8:45 am]
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