[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 234 (Thursday, December 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68884-68885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-5949]


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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, Department of 
Health and Human Services.

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) approve the proposed information collection 
project ``Voluntary Questionnaire and Data Collection Testing to 
Pretest Home Health Care CAHPS Questions and Methodology.'' This 
activity is being conducted under AHRQ's generic pre-testing clearance 
OMB 0935-0125. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. Sec.  3506(c)(2)(A)), AHRQ 
invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by January 7, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice should be submitted electronically 
to both AHRQ and to OMB. Comments should be submitted to Doris 
Lefkowitz, Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ at 
[email protected] and to AHRQ's OMB Desk Officer by fax at 
(202) 395-6974 (attention: AHRQ'S desk officer) or by e-mail at [email protected] (attention: AHRQ's desk officer). 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: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ, Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey (CAHPS) program was 
initiated in 1995 to develop a survey and report on consumers' 
perspectives on the quality of their health plans. Since that time the 
CAHPS program, in partnership with CMS and others, has expanded its 
scope and developed surveys and reports regarding patient assessments 
of care received from individual clinicians, group practices, in-center 
hemodialysis services, nursing homes and hospitals. Now, CMS has asked 
the CAHPS team to develop a survey to obtain the consumer's perspective 
on home health care and services.
    One of the top priorities of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services is to increase the transparency in healthcare by providing 
quality and cost information to the public. A critical component 
missing from the current measurement set for home health agencies is 
information from the consumer perspective on the quality of care 
provided. The information collection proposed here will be a field test 
of a preliminary instrument designed to obtain consumer assessments of 
home health agency care.

Methods of Collection

    This field test will use a two stage sampling approach. The first 
stage is a convenience sample of Medicaid and/or Medicare certified 
Home Health Agencies (HHA) and the second stage is a probability sample 
of each selected HHA's eligible patients. Thirty-six HHA's across 
multiple states and home health agency operators will be recruited to 
participate. The sample of HHAs will vary by size, financial ownership 
and organizational type (chain or independent). AHRQ anticipates 
sampling an average of 138 patients per agency.
    Each selected patient will be mailed the questionnaire and cover 
letter. To maximize response rates, follow up activities will include 
an additional request for participation by mail and by phone call. 
Individuals contacted will be assured of the confidentiality of their 
replies under Section 934(c) of the Public Health Service Act.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    The survey will be distributed to 4,968 patients with a projected 
completion rate of 40 percent for a total of 1,987 returned surveys. 
Responses are estimated at 20 minutes per survey.

[[Page 68885]]

Therefore the estimate of total burden of the survey is 663 hours.

                                  Exhibit 1.--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                Number of
                Form name                     Number of       responses per       Hours per       Total burden
                                             respondents       respondent         response            hours
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Mail survey with mail and telephone                  1,987                 1             20/60               663
 follow up..............................
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    Total...............................             1,987                 1             20/60               663
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                                  Exhibit 2.--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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                                              Number of       Total burden     Average hourly      Total cost
                Form name                    respondents          hours          wage rate*          burden
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Mail survey with mail and telephone                  1,987               663            $20.00           $13,260
 follow up..............................
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    Total...............................             1,987               663             20.00            13,260
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* Based upon the average wages, ``National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, June
  2006,'' U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (http://www.bls.gov/ncs/home.htm. Last viewed
  August 27, 2007.)

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government

    The total cost to the Government for developing this survey is 
approximately $880,000. The contracted costs include approximately 
$600,000 for survey development, $110,000 for data collection and 
$90,000 for analysis of field test results. Total costs also include 
$80,000 in AHRQ staff costs.

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 
AHRQ healthcare research and healthcare dissemination functions, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of AHRQ's estimate of burden (including the hours and costs) 
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 Agency's subsequent request for OMB approval of the 
proposed information collection. All comments will become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: November 29, 2007.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 07-5949 Filed 12-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M