[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 19, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32953-32954]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15288]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to allow a proposed information collection 
project: ``Primary Care Network Survey (PRINS)''. In accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act as amended (see in particular 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed 
information collection request to allow AHRQ to conduct research in 
primary care settings.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 20, 2001.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia D. McMichael, AHRQ, Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 594-3132.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Primary Care Network Survey (PRINS)

    As directed in its reauthorization legislation, AHRQ supports 
activities designed to improve the capacity of practice-based research 
networks (PBRNs) to conduct research in primary care settings. A PBRN 
is a group of ambulatory practices devoted principally to the primary 
care of patients, affiliated with each other in order to investigate 
questions related to community-based practice. AHRQ has recently 
established cooperative agreements with 19 PBRNs who have specifically 
been asked to conduct network-defining surveys using the 1999-2000 
version of the National Ambulatory Medicare Care Survey (NAMCS) 
instrument (OMB No. 0920-0234). To distinguish data collected through 
the survey from NAMCS data collected from the nationally representative 
physician sample of the National Center for Health Statistics,

[[Page 32954]]

CDC, this survey will be known as the Primary Care Network Survey 
(PRINS).

Method of Collection

    PRINS will provide a range of baseline data on the clinicians 
enrolled in each network, the services provided, and the 
characteristics of patients receiving those services. Data to be 
collected include the patients' demographic characteristics and 
reason(s) for visit, and the providers' diagnosis(es) and diagnostic 
services, medications and disposition. These data may be used by the 
PBRN to define the network's capacity to study specific clinical 
conditions seen in primary care, establish a denominator for 
epidemiological or surveillance studies, and stimulate further research 
on the use, organization and delivery of primary care. All identifiable 
data that is collected will be protected in accordance with the AHRQ 
confidentiality statute, 42 U.S.C 299c-3(c).
    The estimated annual hour burden is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Number of
                Form                     respondents      Number of forms/   Avg. burden/form   Response burden
                                         (clinicians)        respondent          (in hrs)            (hrs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    (1)                (2)                (3)    (1)*(2)*(3) \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intake Form.........................              1,000                  1                .25                250
Patient Form........................              1,000                 30                .03                900
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Total.........................              1,000                 31               1.15             1,150
\1\ For rows 1 and 2.

    To calculate the burden hours, the number of respondents for PRINS 
is based on a sample of 1,000 clinicians who have agreed in advance to 
participate. Each clinician fills out an intake form (which requires 
about 15 minutes).
    The same 1,000 then record (on separate forms) information about 30 
consecutive patients seen in his/her practice (requiring less than 2 
minutes per form to complete). The total cost to respondents is 
estimated to be $150,000.

Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) The necessity of the proposed 
collections; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of burden 
(including hours and cost) 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 upon the 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 included in the request for OMB approval of the proposed 
information collection. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.
    Copies of these proposed collection plans and instruments can be 
obtained from the AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer (see above).

    Dated: June 8, 2001.
Carolyn Clancy,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 01-15288 Filed 6-18-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M