[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34141-34142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9210]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

    In compliance with the requirements for public comment on proposed 
data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of Title 44, United 
States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 
104-13), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
publishes periodic summaries of proposed projects being developed for 
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain copy of the data collection plans and 
draft instruments, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 
443-1129.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is 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: Hospital Available Beds for Emergencies and Disasters 
(HAvBED) System: (NEW)

    The HAvBED system will be a web-based hospital bed reporting/
tracking system to assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) only during disasters and public health emergencies. 
HAvBED does not duplicate the systems already in place to track 
hospital beds. It is designed to dynamically amalgamate data and accept 
manually entered data to give emergency operations managers a real-time 
view of specific hospital bed availability on a large geographic scale. 
During a disaster or public health emergency States will be asked to 
report hospital bed availability no more than twice daily; although the 
severity of the event may require less or more reporting per day.
    Currently, hospital bed tracking systems are operational in some 
States to meet the needs of the healthcare system during routine 
operations. Local and State governments, emergency management agencies 
and the healthcare systems have developed systems that support 
jurisdictional emergency operations without regard to cooperation with 
outside systems or entities. Local systems have been developed over 
time to meet the changing needs at the local level. The systems have 
been developed locally to meet the needs of the local healthcare 
system. A mass casualty event would overwhelm the ability of local 
systems to work out their differences in the middle of a response.
    During a disaster or public health emergency it may be necessary 
for Federal officials to work with State partners to evacuate or move 
patients from one area of the country to another as was the case during 
hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The health and safety of the 
hospital patient is paramount at all times during a hospital stay, but 
never more acute while being moved to another location. To ensure that 
patients receive the highest level of care during an emergency it is 
necessary to know where the necessary resources are in real-time.
    The estimate of burden is based on hospitals reporting the data 
twice a day everyday for two weeks.

[[Page 34142]]



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                                                                        Number of      Responses per        Total          Hours per       Total burden
                          Submission type                              respondents       respondent       responses         response          hours
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HAvBED.............................................................             100             28 *            2,800             .083             233
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* Based on 2 responses per day for a period of 14 days.

    If a mass casualty event occurred and hundreds of hospital patients 
or victims needed hospital care across the country, it is possible that 
hundreds of hospitals would be needed to house the wounded. In that 
case the burden estimate would increase proportionally to the needs of 
the event.
    Send comments to Susan G. Queen, Ph.D., HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 10-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this 
notice.

    Dated: June 6, 2006.
Cheryl R. Dammons,
Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. E6-9210 Filed 6-12-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P