[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71932-71935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24569]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration (SAMHSA) will publish periodic summaries of 
proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects 
or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the 
SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are 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

[[Page 71933]]

respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: National Evaluation of the Addiction Technology 
Transfer Centers (ATTC)--NEW

    In recognition that systematic evaluation of this and other 
government programs are part of good management and accountability and 
will inform program improvement efforts, the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment 
(CSAT) will conduct an independent evaluation of the ATTC Program. The 
purpose of the ATTC Program is to develop and strengthen the workforce 
that provides addictions treatment services to 23 million Americans age 
12 and older who need treatment for alcohol or illicit drug problems. 
In partnership with Single State Authorities (SSAs), treatment provider 
associations, addictions counselors, multidisciplinary professionals, 
faith and recovery community leaders, addiction educators, and other 
stakeholders, the ATTCs assess the training and development needs of 
the substance use disorders workforce, and develop and conduct training 
and technology transfer activities to meet these needs. Particular 
emphasis is on raising awareness of and improving skills in using 
evidence-based and promising treatment/recovery practices in recovery-
oriented systems of care.
    The goals of the evaluation are to: (1) Identify the successes of 
technology transfer efforts and build upon them in the future; (2) 
share lessons learned across ATTC regions for the enhancement of all 
regions' activities; and (3) identify region-specific and cross-
regional processes and outcomes. The evaluation will consist of three 
studies. The Planning and Partnering Study will collect data on the 
processes and procedures related to the planning, partnering, and 
provision of ATTC services/activities. The Customer Satisfaction and 
Benefit Study will collect data on the extent to which ATTC services/
activities are satisfactory and to meet the needs of identified 
partners and other program stakeholders. The Change in Practice Study 
will collect data to determine the extent to which ATTCs have enhanced 
the competencies, including cultural competencies, of specialty 
addictions treatment practitioners, paraprofessionals, and 
multidisciplinary professionals to strengthen the workforce and whether 
the ATTCs have provided these individuals with new skills that have led 
to changes in treatment practice.
    This will be the first independent, national evaluation of the ATTC 
Program since the program was first funded by SAMHSA in 1993. The 
evaluation approach will be formative and participatory, and the 
national evaluation team will collaborate with the ATTCs, CSAT, and 
other program stakeholders to implement the planned data collection 
activities. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups will be conducted 
over a three-year period with eight (8) main stakeholder groups who use 
or are among the target audiences for the ATTCs' services or are 
otherwise associated with the ATTC program (e.g., as ATTC partners): 
ATTC directors and staff; customers/recipients of ATTC services/
activities; ATTC Advisory Board members; partners who collaborate with 
ATTCs in planning and delivering ATTC services/activities; directors of 
state substance abuse agencies; directors of treatment provider and 
recovery organizations and directors of provider associations; 
addiction educators; and cultural leaders involved in addictions 
treatment. The data collection instruments have been constructed to 
include information related to each stakeholder group, as identified 
above, and are expected to yield diverse perspectives related to the 
processes and outcomes of the ATTC Program. As a condition of their 
grant, each ATTC was required to budget .25 FTE to participate in data 
collection for the national evaluation.
    The evaluation will collect new data that is necessary for the 
evaluation and will also use data and information collected under 
existing program requirements. (Each ATTC is required to submit GPRA 
data at the end of each ATTC training and technical assistance event 
and meeting/conference and 30 days after each event; each ATTC will 
conduct a workforce survey; and each ATTC also submits an annual 
report. None of the new data collection activities will be redundant 
with these existing reporting requirements.) CSAT plans the following 
new data collection activities:
    (1) Semi-structured interviews with ATTC directors and other ATTC 
staff (e.g., co-directors, ATTC technology transfer specialists, ATTC 
evaluator) that are conducted during site visits to each ATTC. The 
purpose of the interviews will be to collect information on:
    a. Goals and objectives of the ATTC
    b. Regional priorities and needs for technology transfer services
    c. Processes used to plan ATTC programs and services
    d. Collaborative relationships with organizations within and 
outside the ATTC region
    e. Organizational structure and staffing of the ATTC
    f. ATTC funding and leveraging of resources
    g. Efforts to coordinate services with other providers of training, 
technical assistance, or technology transfer services within the region
    h. Technology transfer strategies and services implemented by the 
ATTC to promote adoption of culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and 
promising practices
    i. Implementation and use of workforce surveys
    j. Participation in cross-regional and Network-wide activities
    k. Background characteristics of the respondent
    (2) Focus groups with ATTC staff (including field staff who are 
assigned to work with specific states and may work in different 
locations throughout the ATTC region), to include information on:
    a. Regional priorities and needs for technology transfer services
    b. Processes used to plan ATTC programs and services
    c. Efforts to coordinate services with other providers of 
technology transfer services within the region
    d. Technology transfer strategies and services implemented by the 
ATTC to promote adoption of culturally appropriate, evidence-based and 
promising practices
    e. Background characteristics of focus group participants
    (3) Telephone interviews with a sample of stakeholders of the ATTC 
program, including state substance abuse directors (SSAs), ATTC 
Advisory Board members, addiction educators, directors of treatment 
provider associations, cultural leaders, and leaders of recovery 
associations. The purpose of the interviews will be to collect 
information on:
    a. Collaboration with ATTCs for program planning and service 
delivery
    b. Awareness of ATTC activities and services
    c. Utilization of ATTC services
    d. Quality of ATTC services
    e. Changes in awareness, skills, practices, or systems as a result 
of ATTC services
    f. Gaps in ATTC service delivery
    g. Background characteristics of the respondent
    (4) Survey of ATTC Regional Advisory Board members to include 
questions related to:

[[Page 71934]]

    a. Composition of the Advisory Board
    b. Stakeholder representation and representation of the diversity 
within the region on the Advisory Board
    c. Role of the ATTC Advisory Board
    d. Frequency of meetings and other communications (e.g., conference 
calls)
    e. Characteristics of communications and interactions between the 
ATTC and Advisory Board members
    f. Processes to assess regional needs and priorities
    g. Consideration/utilization of Advisory Board recommendations by 
the ATTC
    h. Satisfaction with ATTC planning and priority setting processes
    i. Background characteristics of the respondent
    (5) Collection of information about ATTC activities, events, and 
products, as well as research dissemination and communications with 
partners and other ATTCs, in an electronic (web-based) ATTC Activity 
Log, for the purpose of understanding the full scope of ATTC 
activities, collaboration with partners, cross-ATTC activities and 
coordination. Each ATTC will be asked to enter the following data into 
the Log:
    a. General activity descriptors (Date, Event Code (if GPRA event), 
activity/event type, activity/event title, mode of delivery)
    b. Related events (pull down menu populated with previous entries), 
if applicable
    c. How the activity or event or product was initiated (self-
initiated; client-initiated; initiated by partner; Federally-initiated)
    d. Key Federal, state, and local partners (populated with prior 
entries; including ATTCs), if applicable
    e. Funding source (ATTC funds; external funds)
    f. Client/recipient information
    g. Description of need (community; regional, state, Federal)
    h. ATTC objective type (e.g., awareness raising; skill building; 
change in practice)
    i. Trainer/consultant used (if applicable)
    j. Materials used (populated with prior entries) (if applicable)
    (6) Survey of ATTC customers (Customer Satisfaction and Benefit 
Survey) to include questions related to:
    a. Background characteristics of ATTC customers/respondents
    b. Participation in different types of ATTC activities (e.g., 
training, technical assistance, meetings/conferences, product 
development, etc.)
    c. Participation in ATTC activities focusing on specific topics 
(e.g., evidence-based practices, clinical supervision, workforce 
development)
    d. Perceived objective of each ATTC activity (awareness raising, 
skill building, change in practice)
    e. Satisfaction with and knowledge gained from ATTC activities
    f. Changes in awareness, skills, or practices as a result of 
participation in ATTC activities
    (7) Evidence-Based Practices Critical Action Surveys of a sample of 
individuals who participated in ATTC initiatives related to Clinical 
Supervision, Motivational Interviewing, and Treatment Planning MATRS. 
The web-based surveys will collect information on:
    a. Prior training related to the evidence-based practice
    b. Prior experience using the evidence-based practice
    c. Implementation experience/changes in practice
    d. Level of proficiency related to the evidence-based practice
    e. Factors impacting ability to change practice
    (8) Telephone interviews (Success Case Interviews) with 
participants in the Evidence-Based Critical Action Surveys who report 
the greatest and least amount of success in implementing the new 
evidence-based practice. The interviews will collect information on:
    a. Application of what was learned in clinical or organizational 
practice
    b. Illustrative examples of what occurred as a result of changes in 
practice
    c. Characteristics of the training that made it useful
    d. Barriers to application of what was learned
    (9) A Clinician Self-Assessment of the extent to which the 
clinician has incorporated the skills associated with Motivational 
Interviewing into their clinical practice, to include information on:
    a. Motivational Interviewing style
    b. Extent to which the clinician has implemented Motivational 
Interviewing skills
    c. Background characteristics of the respondent
    (10) Survey of directors of addictions treatment provider 
organizations (Survey of Organizational Readiness) who participated in 
the Evidence-Based Critical Action Survey related to the Treatment 
Planning MATRS initiative, to collect information on:
    a. Characteristics of the treatment provider unit or organization
    b. Issues for which the organization needs external technical 
assistance or guidance
    c. Issues for which the staff needs external technical assistance 
or guidance
    d. Source of current pressures for making organizational change
    e. Background characteristics of the respondent
    The burden estimate for conducting the data collection activities 
for the national evaluation of the ATTC Program is as follows:

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                                                                    Number of       Responses per                         Hours per       Total burden
                 Name of instrument/respondent                     respondents       respondent      Total responses      response            hours
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Site Visit Interview Protocol:
    ATTC Directors............................................                15                 1                15                 2                30
    ATTC Staff................................................                38                 1                38                 1                38
Focus Group Protocol:
    ATTC Field Staff..........................................                35                 1                35                 2                70
Key Informant Interview Protocol:
    SSA Directors.............................................                55                 1                55                 1                55
    ATTC Advisory Board Members...............................                45                 1                45                 1                45
    Provider Association Directors............................                43                 1                43                 1                43
    Addiction Educators.......................................                70                 1                70                 1                70
    Treatment Agency Directors................................                42                 1                42                 1                42
    Other Key Advisors........................................                42                 1                42                 1                42
Collaborative Functioning Survey:
    ATTC Advisory Board Members...............................               450                 2               900             \1/2\               450
ATTC Activity Log:
    ATTC Staff................................................                15               240             3,600                 1             3,600
Customer Satisfaction and Benefit Survey:
    SSA Directors.............................................                55                 1                55             \1/2\                28

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    Provider Association Directors............................                43                 1                43             \1/2\                22
    Addiction Educators.......................................               158                 1               158             \1/2\                79
    Treatment Agency Directors................................               700                 1               700             \1/2\               350
    ATTC Activity Participants................................             3,000                 1             3,000             \1/2\             1,500
    Other Unique Regional Partners............................               168                 1               168             \1/2\                84
Evidence-Based Critical Action Surveys:
    ATTC Clinical Supervision Training Participants...........               240                 1               240             \1/2\               120
    ATTC Motivational Interviewing Training Participants......               360                 1               360             \1/2\               180
    ATTC Treatment Planning MATRS Treatment Participants                     240                 1               240             \1/2\               120
     (Treatment Agency Directors).............................
Success Case Interview Protocols:
    ATTC Clinical Supervision Training Participants...........                48                 1                48                 1                48
    ATTC Motivational Interviewing Training Participants......                72                 1                72                 1                72
    ATTC Treatment Planning MATRS Training Participants                       48                 1                48                 1                48
     (Treatment Directors)....................................
Clinician Self-Assessment Form on Motivational Interviewing...                72                12               864             \1/2\               432
Survey of Organizational Readiness:
    Treatment Agency Directors................................               240                 1               240             \1/2\               120
        TOTAL.................................................             6,294  ................            11,121  ................             7,688
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    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 7-1044, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857AND e-mail her a 
copy at [email protected]. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: December 12, 2007.
Elaine Parry,
Acting Director, Office of Program Services.
[FR Doc. E7-24569 Filed 12-18-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P