[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 183 (Tuesday, September 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 50575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25223]



[[Page 50575]]

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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 grant a generic approval for ``Voluntary Customer 
Surveys of `Partners' of the Agency for Health Care Policy and 
Research.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), the Agency for Health Care 
Policy and Research invites the public to comment on this proposed 
information collection request to allow AHCPR to conduct surveys.
    The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research will publish 
periodic summaries of proposed projects being developed for submission 
to OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by November 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Ruth A. Celtnieks, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHCPR, 2101 E. Jefferson Street, Suite 500, 
Rockville, Maryland 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

``Voluntary Customer Surveys of `Partners' of the Agency for Health 
Care Policy and Research''
    In response to Executive Order 12862, the Agency for Health Care 
Policy and Research (AHCPR) plans to conduct voluntary customer surveys 
of ``partners'' to identify how well AHCPR is performing its functions 
with its partners and to use this information to determine the kind and 
quality of services they want and expect, their level of satisfaction 
with existing services, and to implement improvements where feasible 
and practical. AHCPR partners are typically payers, plans, 
practitioners and health care providers, researchers, AHCPR suppliers 
and in some cases State and local governments or persons or entities 
that provide service to the public for AHCPR, e.g., a middle man.
    Partner surveys to be conducted by AHCPR may include, for example, 
surveys of grantees to measure satisfaction with technical assistance 
received from AHCPR. Results of these surveys will be used to assess 
and redirect resources and efforts needed to improve services.
    In addition, approval is requested for customer surveys that would 
be undertaken by one of AHCPR's ``partners'' (grantees) to assess their 
satisfaction with services received. For example, the AHCPR's Office of 
Research Review, Education, and Policy (ORREP) provides grant funds for 
training of health services researchers. AHCPR would like to survey 
scholars whose training it has supported regarding their training 
experience. The Office for Health Care Information (OHCI) is proposing 
to survey one component of their customers: researchers. This proposed 
survey will be undertaken by a contractor to determine how AHCPR could 
better serve the research community. Questions asked may include a need 
for extended hours to answer inquiries on grant submission-related 
matters or the development of a comprehensive manual on grant 
submission.

Method of Collection

    The data will be collected using a combination of preferred 
methodologies appropriate to each survey. These methodologies are:
     Mail surveys;
     Evaluation forms; and
     Telephone surveys.
    The estimated annual burden is as follows:

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                                                  Number of                                          Total hours
                 Type of survey                  respondents         Average burden/response          of burden 
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Mail/Telephone Surveys.........................        3,000  20 minutes...........................        1,000
Focus Groups...................................          200  1.5 hours............................          300
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    Totals.....................................        3,200  .41 hours............................        1,300
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Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) The necessity of the proposed 
collection 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.
    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 collections plans can be obtained from the 
AHCPR Reports Clearance Officer (see above).

    Dated: September 14, 1998.
John M. Eisenberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-25223 Filed 9-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M