[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 54 (Monday, March 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13806-13808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6863]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health

[[Page 13807]]

Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-7978.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are 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: State Treatment Outcomes and Performance Pilot 
Studies Enhancement (TOPPS II)--New--The Center for Substance Abuse 
Treatment (CSAT) will develop a standardized approach that 
systematically measures the treatment outcomes of clients as they 
progress through State substance abuse treatment systems funded by the 
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT BG). The 
goal underlying TOPPS II is to enable Single State Authorities (SSAs) 
to collect information on SAPT BG funded treatment services and to 
monitor common substance abuse treatment effectiveness data measures 
across various State management information systems (MISs). The TOPPS 
II program supports initiatives to design or enhance State MISs or 
outcomes monitoring systems (OMS) which assess treatment outcomes 
measures and costs for providing treatment services. Nineteen SSAs are 
planning to conduct and pilot test studies of specific components of 
substance abuse treatment systems by incorporating common data measures 
across all nineteen States on an inter-State (i.e., with the States 
acting mutually together) basis. The TOPPS II study furthers the work 
begun by CSAT under TOPPS I. Ten of the nineteen TOPPS II States had 
received TOPPS I funding. Most of these States are now using the 
treatment outcomes assessment instruments developed during the TOPPS I 
project. All such instruments received OMB approval (OMB control number 
0930-0182).
    During TOPPS II initial project implementation, a consensus-derived 
core data set has been designed to identify key performance measures in 
two domains: Effectiveness and efficiency. Within these domains, data 
will be collected that will permit States and CSAT to assess client 
outcomes (improvement) for indicators such as confinement in a 
controlled environment, frequency of overnight hospitalizations and 
emergency room visits, pregnancy status, child care responsibilities, 
employment patterns, participation in vocational training or 
educational programs, arrests, living arrangements, and drug use 
patterns. These data will be collected through completion of the 
client-oriented core data set.
    The inter-State evaluation design for TOPPS II participants will be 
a pre-test/post-test design that collects standardized data at client 
intake, discharge, and again at follow-up. This time frame is necessary 
to allow treatment providers the opportunity to assess the complex 
causal links between program processes and client outcomes and to 
monitor common substance abuse treatment effectiveness data measures 
across various State MISs. In addition, all State-specific designs will 
incorporate measures of client satisfaction at selected intervals, 
which is essential to the assessing the quality, efficiency and 
efficacy of services.
    This initiative is crucial to support CSAT in developing State 
substance abuse treatment accountability measures. The inter-State data 
base will incorporate standardized outcome measures which will be 
voluntarily reported on by States in their Fiscal Year 2000 SAPT BG 
applications. It will also comply with GPRA reporting requirements to 
establish measurable performance goals for SAPT BG recipients. Through 
these efforts, TOPPS II will contribute to the future development of a 
standardized national approach that measures the effectiveness and 
efficiency of public substance abuse treatment system. The estimated 
annualized burden for TOPPS II core data set collection for the inter-
State evaluation design, over the next three years is presented below.

                                           Three-Year Reporting Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Number of
         State and study             Number of      responses/         Total         Hours per      Total hour
                                    respondents     respondent       responses       response         burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arizona:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.             600               4           2,400            0.17             408
    Client Satisfaction.........             600               1             600            0.08              48
Arkansas:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,125               3           3,375            0.17             574
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,125               1           1,125            0.08              90
California:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           2,700               3           8,100            0.17           1,377
    Client Satisfaction.........           2,700               1           2,700            0.08             216
Connecticut:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.             240               3             720            0.17             122
    Client Satisfaction.........             240               1             240            0.08              19
Illinois:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           2,000               3           6,000            0.17           1,020
    Client Satisfaction.........           2,000               1           2,000            0.08             160
Iowa:
    TOPPS Core Data Elements....             500               3           1.500            0.17             255
    Client Satisfaction.........             500               1             500            0.08              40
Kentucky:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.             600               3           1,800            0.17             306
    Client Satisfaction.........             600               1             600            0.08              48
Maryland:
    Client Satisfaction.........           5,100               1           5,100            0.08             408
Massachusetts:

[[Page 13808]]

 
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,532               3           4,596            0.17             781
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,532               1           1,532            0.08             123
Missouri:
    TOPPS Core Data.............             500               3           1,500            0.17             255
    Client Satisfaction.........             500               1             500            0.08              40
New Jersey:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,200               3           3,600            0.17             612
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,200               1           1,200            0.08              96
New Hampshire:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.             657               3            1971            0.17             335
    Client Satisfaction.........             657               1             657            0.08              53
New York:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,875               3           5,625            0.17             956
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,875               1           1,875            0.08             150
Oklahoma:
    Client Satisfaction.........           8,400               1           8,400            0.08             672
Rhode Island:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,200               3           3,600            0.17             612
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,200               1           1,200            0.08              96
Texas:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,750               3           5,250            0.17             893
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,750               1           1,750            0.08             140
Utah:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,050               3           3,150            0.17             536
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,050               1           1,050            0.08              84
Virginia:
    TOPPS II Core Data Elements.           1,600               3           4,800            0.17             816
    Client Satisfaction.........           1,600               1           1,600            0.08             128
Washington:
    Client Satisfaction.........          32,000               1           32,00            0.08            2560
    Total 3-Year Burden.........  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............          15,029
    Annualized Burden...........  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............           5,010
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    Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. 
Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: March 16, 1999
Richard Kopanda,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 99-6863 Filed 3-19-99; 8:45 am]
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