[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 161 (Wednesday, August 20, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50150-50151]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21296]


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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 that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) allow the proposed information collection 
project: ``Surveys of Employee Benefit Managers of Large National 
Employers Concerning Dissemination Effectiveness of Health Services 
Research Information (SEBM)''. In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
AHRQ

[[Page 50151]]

invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by October 20, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Cynthia D. 
McMichael, Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Suite 
5022, Rockville, MD 20850.
    Copies of the proposed collection plans, data collection 
instruments, and specific details on the estimated burden can be 
obtained from AHRQ's Reports Clearance Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia D. McMichael, AHRQ, Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1651.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

    ``Surveys of Employee Benefit Managers of Large National Employers 
Concerning Dissemination Effectiveness of Health Services Research 
Information (SEBM)''.
    The SEBM is a series of two questionnaires and one telephone 
interview to learn the extent of awareness, use of , and satisfaction 
with the content of health services research information by employee 
benefits managers of large national employers. The surveys will also 
measure the effectiveness of the methods used to disseminate health 
services research information. The initial survey will serve as a 
benchmark against which the remaining two surveys in this study will be 
measured. Subsequent to the initial survey, AHRQ will initiate two 
interventions: (1) Placing AHRQ-sponsored information on a Web site and 
(2) making personal contact with employee benefits managers; a survey 
will follow each intervention to measure the extent to which each 
intervention makes employee benefit managers aware of AHRQ and its 
health research information. With this knowledge, AHRQ will be able to 
make changes to its information dissemination efforts to make them more 
effective and responsive to employee benefit managers.

Data Confidentiality Provisions

    Data collected by the contractor and the contractor's draft 
analyses will be retained for one year after final acceptance of all 
contract deliverables, unless longer retention is requested by the 
agency for audit purposes. All agency documents pertaining to the 
contract will be archived after the contract is completed and retained 
in accordance with a Federal Records Act retention schedule.

Methods of Collection

    The data will be collected using a combination of web-based and 
telephone surveys.

                                       Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
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                                                                  Estimated time     Estimated       Estimated
                     Survey                          Number of    per respondent   total burden   annual cost to
                                                    respondents     in minutes         hours      the government
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Initial Benchmark Survey........................             240              10           40              $4000
Post Intervention Survey 1.............              45              10            7.5              750
Post Intervention Survey 2.............             240              10           40               4000
                                                 -----------------
        Total...................................             525              10           87.5             8750
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Request for Comments

    In accordance with the above cited legislation, comments on AHRQ's 
information collection are requested with regard to any of the 
following: (a) whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of functions of AHRQ, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy 
of AHRQ'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.

    Dated: August 14, 2003.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 03-21296 Filed 8-19-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M