[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48663-48664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18780]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30DAY-39-02]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.
    Proposed Project: Report of Verified Case of Tuberculosis (RVCT) 
(CDC 72.9A, 72.9B, 72.9C) OMB No. 0920-0026--Revision--National Center 
for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP), Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National 
Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP), Division of 
Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), proposes to continue data collection 
for the Report of Verified Case of Tuberculosis (RVCT) (CDC 72.9A, 
72.9B, 72.9C), previously approved under OMB No. 0920-0026 in 1992, 
1995, 1998, and 2001. This request is for a 3-year revision of OMB 
clearance approval beginning January 1, 2003 (current OMB No. 0920-0026 
expiration date is December 31, 2002). CDC is requesting OMB clearance 
for revision of the RVCT which will change the race and ethnicity 
variables on the RVCT form to comply with the OMB ``Standards for 
Maintaining, Collecting, and Processing Federal Data on Race and 
Ethnicity''.
    To accomplish the CDC goal of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) in the 
United States, CDC maintains the national TB surveillance system. The 
system, initiated in 1953, has been modified several times to better 
monitor and respond to changes in TB morbidity. The most recent 
modification was implemented in 1993 when the RVCT was expanded in 
response to the TB epidemic of the late 1980s and early 1990s and 
incorporated into a CDC software for electronic reporting of TB case 
reports to CDC. The expanded system improved the ability of CDC to 
monitor important aspects of TB epidemiology in the United States, 
including drug resistance, TB risk factors, including HIV coinfection, 
and treatment. The timely system also enabled CDC to monitor the 
recovery of the nation from the resurgence and identify that current TB 
epidemiology supports the renewed national goal of elimination. To 
measure progress in achieving this goal, as well as continue to monitor 
TB trends and potential TB outbreaks, identify high risk populations 
for TB, and gauge program performance, CDC proposes to extend use of 
the RVCT.
    Data are collected by 60 Reporting Areas (the 50 states, the 
District of Columbia, New York City, Puerto Rico, and 7 jurisdictions 
in the Pacific and Caribbean) using the RVCT. An RVCT is completed for 
each reported TB case and contains demographic, clinical, and 
laboratory information. A comprehensive software package, the 
Tuberculosis Information Management System (TIMS) is used for RVCT data 
entry and electronic transmission of TB case reports to CDC. TIMS 
provides reports, query functions, and export functions to assist in 
analysis of the data. CDC publishes an annual report summarizing 
national TB statistics and also periodically conducts special analyses 
for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals to further 
describe and interpret national TB data. These data assist public 
health officials and policy makers in program planning, evaluation, and 
resource allocation. Reporting Areas also review and analyze their RVCT 
data to monitor local TB trends, evaluate program success, and assist 
in focusing resources to eliminate TB.
    No other federal agency collects this type of national TB data. In 
addition to providing technical assistance for use of the RVCT, CDC 
also provides Reporting Areas with technical support for the TIMS 
software. There annualized burden for this data collection is 8,338 
hours.

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                                                                                                  Average burden
                         Respondents                              Number of      Responses per     per response
                                                                 respondents       respondent       (in hours)
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State/Local/Tribal Governments...............................              60              278            30/60
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[[Page 48664]]

    Dated: July 17, 2002.
Nancy E. Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-18780 Filed 7-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P