[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 242 (Thursday, December 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69635-69637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-33422]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration
[Document Identifier HCFA-R-268]


Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements 
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Care Financing 
Administration (HCFA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 
is publishing the following summary of proposed collections for public 
comment. They invite interested persons to send comments regarding this 
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including any of the following subjects: (1) The necessity of the 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.
    We are, however, requesting an emergency review of the information 
collection referenced below. In compliance with the requirement of 
section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we have 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the following 
requirements for emergency review. Due to the unanticipated event and 
the fact that this collection of this information is needed before the 
expiration of the normal time limits under OMB's regulations at 5 CFR, 
Part 1320, we are requesting an emergency review.
    The purpose of this submission is to request approval to collect 
information from Internet users as they exit from any of three web 
sites of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS): 
medicare.gov, 4woman.gov, and healthfinder.gov, which are respectively 
provided by the Health Care Financing Administration, the Office of 
Women's Health and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion (ODPHP). The latter two agencies are within the DHHS Office 
of Public Health and Science (OPHS). Obtaining feedback from users of 
these web sites is critical for these three agencies so that the 
agencies can continually revise the sites to respond to the needs of 
the public. As part of the effort to decide how these web sites can 
serve the public best, we request approval from OMB of ``bounceback'' 
forms. Internet users will fill out a bounceback form after visiting 
any of the web sites. They will compile and study the results of the 
forms so that the needs and preferences of the people who use the web 
sites guide future revisions to the web sites .
    The present request is for OMB authorization to collect data on the 
reactions of users of all three federally mandated web sites. We will 
use the data to improve the web sites so that can best serve the needs 
of the users. The designers of medicare.gov will introduce changes to 
their site at various times in 1999. The Surgeon General recently 
announced the 4woman.gov web site on November 16, 1998. They will 
update and enhance the site often in the immediate future. The 
designers of the healthfinder.gov web site are preparing new sections, 
functionality, and updates for release March 18, 1999. They request 
expedited review of this submission so that pending enhancements and 
updates incorporate information collected from users. With an expedited 
review, the staff of these web sites will have findings in sufficient 
time to guide the revisions planned for the sites. Without receiving 
feedback from users of these sites, the developers of the sites would 
have little information from the perspective of actual users to guide 
the changes. Besides the need for having feedback to carry out 
anticipated changes in the web sites, each of the three World Wide Web

[[Page 69636]]

sites was created through Federal law and requires a systematic 
assessment.
    One provision under the 1997 Balanced Budget Act (Pub. L. 105-33) 
established that we provide information to Medicare beneficiaries to 
promote informed choice on their expanded health care options. One 
activity for widely disseminating information on coverage options, 
which they required, was the creation of ``an Internet site through 
which individuals may electronically obtain information on such options 
and Medicare+Choice (M+C) plans in states that they offer M+C plans.'' 
As a result, the medicare.gov site was created to provide Medicare 
beneficiaries, their caregivers, and partners with an official source 
for Medicare information on the Internet. Comprehensive information for 
Medicare beneficiaries and anyone involved in helping them with their 
health care decisions is available on the medicare.gov web site; 
critical topics include: managed care and the ``Medicare+Choice'' 
options; contact information; publications in dual languages (English 
and Spanish); preventive services now available; detecting and 
reporting fraud and abuse; and data on nursing homes. We need to 
receive quick feedback from beneficiaries and partners about the 
content of the site to ensure that we are meeting their needs and 
whether the site functions well. Given that we have recently launched 
the National Medicare Education campaign and given that beneficiaries 
in only five pilot states received the Medicare & You Handbook and have 
access to 1-800 Medicare, without an expedited clearance, we would be 
unable to make quick changes to the medicare.gov web site to ensure 
that it is meeting the information needs of beneficiaries and those 
acting on their behalf in the non-pilot states. In addition, we need to 
quickly learn whether the World Wide Web is an effective method for 
delivering information to Medicare beneficiaries. The Internet site is 
one of three methods mandated by the 1997 BBA for disseminating 
information in the National Medicare Education campaign; therefore, 
receiving feedback in the most expedient way is critical not only from 
beneficiaries but our agents, partners, regional offices and 
congressional offices as well. In the first four days of operation the 
bounceback form for the Medicare & You Handbook page on the Internet 
elicited more than 800 responses. This type and level of immediate 
feedback are critical to gauge reaction to the national information 
strategy. With such quick feedback, we can revise and revamp the web 
site accordingly. If the web site is not providing information in a 
format that is easy to understand and use, this could result in harm to 
Medicare beneficiaries, especially if they cannot find or understand 
critical information. Thus, we need a quick turnaround from users of 
the site through expedited clearance.
    The Office of Public Health and Science's Office of Women's Health 
first received funding for the establishment of the National Women's 
Health Information Center (NWHIC) through the Senate Appropriations 
Committee report accompanying the FY'96 Labor-DHHS-Education spending 
bill. Funding for the NWHIC has continued without interruption since 
then, showing the ongoing commitment to the NWHIC. The web site 
4woman.gov is an important part of the NWHIC. With the recent 
announcement of the 4woman.gov web site by the Surgeon General, women 
and others now have a major resource for finding information concerning 
women's health issues, including research findings on diseases and the 
latest legislation to improve women's health. An expedited clearance 
for setting up a bounceback form for this web site will provide 
information on the utility of the information provided to women, 
researchers and providers. Solicitation of rapid feedback from users of 
the 4woman.gov web site will guide pending development of which issues 
women and their providers find beneficial. Healthfinder.gov is the 
world wide web extension of the National Health Information Center 
(NHIC), which was mandated by Congress in 1976 as part of the National 
Consumer Health Information and Health Promotion Act (Pub.L. 94-317), 
and has been in continuous operation since then. As a national referral 
source and a site that responds to information requests, the developers 
of healthfinder.gov need to know how valuable those referrals are to be 
certain of doing no harm and keeping the content topical. For 
healthfinder.gov, a heavily-used web site that produces reliable health 
information for the consumer, feedback from the users of the web site 
will be used to enhance and update the web site quickly to best serve 
the needs of the users. The most recent expansion to the 
healthfinder.gov web site was in April 1998 and to ensure that the site 
is meeting the needs of its users, it is critical to solicit feedback 
from users prior to upcoming changes and enhancements of the web site 
scheduled in 1999.
    HCFA is requesting OMB review and approval of this collection 
within eleven working days, with a 180-day approval period. They will 
accept written comments and recommendations from the public if received 
by the individual designated below, within ten working days of 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    During this 180-day period, HCFA will pursue OMB clearance of this 
collection as stipulated by 5 CFR.1320.
    Type of Information Collection Request: New Collection.
    Title of Information Collection: Collection of Assessment 
Information on Three Federal Government Web Sites: www.medicare.gov, 
www.4woman.gov, and www.healthfinder.gov.
    Form Nos.: HCFA-R-268.
    Use: The purpose of the bounceback forms is to provide feedback to 
the government agencies that provide the web sites. The information 
collected through the bounceback forms will be used with other 
information collected about the web sites through focus groups, 
interviews, and expert evaluations. The combined information will guide 
future improvements to the web sites. Currently, there is no plan to 
distribute the information, other than through public health, medical, 
or other professional journals, in which we may report the results.
    Frequency: Users will have the opportunity to complete the 
bounceback form whenever they exit the web site.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, Medicare beneficiaries, 
family members of beneficiaries, health professionals or providers, 
researchers, employees of an insurer, HMO or Managed Care organization, 
and Federal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 212,185;
    Total Annual Responses: 212,185 in first year, 636,55 after that;
    Total Annual Hours: 21,221;
    To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access HCFA's 
Web Site address at http://www.hcfa.gov/regs/prdact95.htm, or E-mail 
your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, and 
HCFA document identifier, to P[email protected], or call the Reports 
Clearance Office on (410) 786-1326.
    They invite interested persons to send comments regarding the 
burden or any other aspect of these collections of information 
requirements. However, as noted above, they must mail comments on this 
information collection and record keeping requirements and/or faxed to 
the designee referenced below, within ten working days of publication 
of this collection in the Federal Register:


[[Page 69637]]


Health Care Financing Administration, Office of Information Services, 
Security and Standards Group, Division of HCFA Enterprise Standards, 
Room N2-14-26, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850. Fax 
Number: (410) 786-0262, Attn: Louis Blank HCFA-R-268

      and,

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 
20503, Fax Number: (202) 395-6974 or (202) 395-5167, Attn: Allison 
Herron Eydt, HCFA Desk Officer.

    Dated: December 7, 1998.
John P. Burke III,
HCFA Reports Clearance Officer, HCFA, Office of Information Services 
Security and Standards Group, Division of HCFA Enterprise Standards.
[FR Doc. 98-33422 Filed 12-16-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-03-P