[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7750-7751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-3550]


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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: ``CAHPS II Reports Laboratory Experiment''. This experiment 
will assess the impact of improved data displays on consumers' 
understanding and use of reports of health care quality. In accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), AHRQ 
invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by April 19, 2004.

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--``CAHPS II Reports Laboratory Experiment''

    CAHPS II Reports Laboratory Experiment is designed to assess the 
impact of improved data displays on consumers' understanding and use of 
reports of health care quality and tests the impact of alternative 
design features. Getting consumers to pay attention to and use 
comparative quality information continues to be a major challenge to 
CAHPS and other quality reporting efforts, including efforts by the 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National 
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and others. We need to learn 
more about ways to maximize the likelihood that consumers of health 
services will look at and pay attention to quality information, 
understand and interpret it accurately, use the information 
appropriately, and make ``effective'' choices based on the information.
    This study will test the impact of alternative design features on 
user comprehension of available health care quality information and on 
its saliency to user decision-making. The study will assess ease of 
navigation of alternative approaches and consumers' stated preferences 
among the choices offered.
    Study participants will be persons between 25-70 years old who have 
health insurance and have had a visit to a doctor in the last 12 
months. The quality information presented to study participants in this 
laboratory experiment evaluating design alternatives will consist of 
mock data on consumers' assessments of the care provided by their 
physicians. The quality information will contain measures of physician 
performance, with candidate measures including how well the doctor 
scored on (1) listening carefully to patients; (2) giving explanations 
that are easy to understand; (3) spending enough time with patients; 
and, (4) treating patients with courtesy and respect. The quality 
information also will include ratings of the doctor's staff, for 
example, office staff that are as helpful as they should be and office 
staff who treat patients with courtesy and respect. Finally, the 
quality information will include measures of access to care, such as 
being able to make appointments as soon as needed, a reasonable amount 
of time waiting in the doctor's office, and access to extended hours of 
service. The exact quality measures on which we will present 
information will be determined during preliminary testing.

Data Confidentiality Provisions

    To protect subject confidentiality, the following procedures will 
be employed:
    [sbull] Upon arriving at the testing location and prior to 
participation, each subject will receive and sign the consent form, 
approved by the grantee's Institutional Review Board, that contains 
information about their rights as a subject and the measures being 
taken to safeguard confidentiality. A test administrator will verbally 
repeat and explain the information in the form at the beginning of the 
testing session. Subjects will be informed that their participation is 
voluntary and that they have the right to refuse to answer any 
questions or to stop participating at any point during the testing 
session.
    [sbull] All subject materials will be marked with a unique ID 
number, rather than the subjects' names. Subjects' names will never be 
linked with their individual answers. Any information linking subject 
names and ID numbers will be kept in a secure location and will be 
accessible only to members of the project team. Subject names will not 
be shared with anyone outside of the project team.
    [sbull] All information will be aggregated and reported at the 
group, rather than the individual, level.
    [sbull] During portions of the testing session that will be video-
taped (i.e., the taping of the ``choose a doctor'' and comprehension 
questions to gather timing data), we will refer to the subjects by 
first name only. The videotapes will be marked with subject ID numbers 
and will be stored in a secure location. The tapes will be used only 
for analysis purposes by project team members.
    [sbull] Subjects will be informed that participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] All completed subject materials (e.g., recruitment 
screeners, questionnaires, tapes, consent forms, incentive receipt 
forms) will be kept in a secure location accessible only to members of 
the project team.

[[Page 7751]]

    [sbull] All completed questionnaires, video tapes and other subject 
materials will be destroyed no later than 12 months following the end 
of the CAHPS II project.

Methods of Collection

    The data will be collected using a pencil and paper.

                                       Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
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                                                                  Estimated time     Estimated       Estimated
                     Survey                          Number of    per respondent   total burden   annual cost to
                                                    respondents        hours           hours      the government
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A. Potential participants who did not enroll in              100             .10              10            1000
 study..........................................
B. Potential participants who did enroll in                  250             .25            62.5            6250
 study..........................................
C. Actual number of participants in laboratory               210            2.0              420           39500
 experiment (subset of B).......................
                                                 -----------------
    Total (A+B).................................             350            1.4            492.5          46,750
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Request for Comments

    In accordance with the above cited Paperwork Reduction Act 
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: February 11, 2004.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 04-3550 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-90-M