[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 212 (Friday, October 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64954-64955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25836]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: ``AHRQ Healthcare Innovations Exchange Innovator Interview and 
AHRQ Healthcare Innovations Exchange Innovator E-mail Submission 
Guidelines.'' 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.
    This proposed information collection was previously published in 
the Federal Register on August 2008 and allowed 60 days for public 
comment. One comment was received. The purpose of this notice is to 
allow an additional 30 days for public comment.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by December 1, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by e-mail at 
[email protected]. Copies of the proposed collection plans, 
data collection instruments, and specific details on the estimated 
burden can be obtained from the AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project

``AHRQ Healthcare Innovations Exchange Innovator Interview and AHRQ 
Healthcare Innovations Exchange Innovator E-mail Submission 
Guidelines''

    To support its objective of accelerating the diffusion and adoption 
of innovative health care delivery changes, see, e,g, 42 U.S.C. 299b-
5(a), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is 
launching the AHRQ Healthcare Innovations Exchange web site 
(Innovations Exchange). The Innovations Exchange will make profiles of 
health care service innovations accessible to the public. These 
innovations must meet the following six criteria: (1) The innovation 
focuses directly or indirectly on patient care; (2) the innovation is 
intended to improve one or more domains of health care quality; (3) the 
activity is truly innovative in the context of its setting or target 
population; (4) information about the innovation is publicly available; 
(5) the innovator (or a representative) is willing and able to 
contribute information to the Health Care Innovations Exchange; and (6) 
there is reason to believe that the innovation will be effective. These 
are minimum requirements. The ultimate decision to publish a detailed 
profile of the innovation will depend on several factors, including an 
evaluation by AHRQ, AHRQ's priorities, and the number of similar ideas 
in the Innovations Exchange. AHRQ's priorities include identifying and 
highlighting innovations that will help reduce disparities in health 
care and health status, that will have significant impact on the 
overall value of health care, where the innovators have a strong 
interest in participating, and that have received support from AHRQ.
    A purposively selected group of 825 health care innovations will be 
selected to be considered for the profiles that will be published on 
the Innovations Exchange. These 825 innovations will be selected to 
ensure that innovations included in the Innovations Exchange cover a 
broad range of health care settings, care processes, priority 
populations, and clinical conditions. To collect the information 
required for these profiles, approximately 825 health care innovators 
associated with these innovations will submit information on their 
innovation using the AHRQ Healthcare Innovations Exchange E-mail 
Submission Guidelines or be contacted by project staff. Innovators will 
be interviewed by telephone about their innovative activities.

Method of Collection

    Approximately 825 innovators associated with innovations selected 
for consideration will either submit their innovation through e-mail 
for consideration or be contacted by telephone and asked to 
participate. Once their agreement to participate is secured, the 
innovators will be interviewed by telephone as needed (e-mail 
submitters will be instructed to provide specific information about 
their innovation in their initial submissions and may require only 
abbreviated telephone interviews) about the following aspects of their 
innovation: health care problem addressed, impetus for the innovation, 
goals of the innovation, description of the innovation, evaluation 
results for the innovation, setting for the innovation, history of 
planning and implementation for the innovation, and lessons learned 
concerning the implementation of the innovation. If the innovation is 
approved, a draft profile will be developed based on the information 
and sent by e-mail to the innovator for review and approval to publish. 
After the profile is published, on a yearly basis, innovators will be 
asked to review and update their profiles. No assurances of 
confidentiality will be made to the innovator.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the 
respondents. Approximately 275 innovators will participate in the 
initial data collection each year for a total of 825 over the three 
year period. Of the 275 respondents per year we estimate that 
approximately 15% (41) will submit information via e-mail and will thus 
be interviewed for a shorter period of time. The remaining 234 
respondents that did not submit information via e-mail will be 
interviewed more extensively to capture the information required. The 
estimated annualized hours for the respondents' time to participate in 
the project is 401 hours.
    Based on a review of materials from potential innovations we 
estimate that approximately 10% of the candidate innovations either 
will not meet the inclusion criteria or their innovators will decide 
not to continue their participation. Therefore, about 90% (750) of the 
original 825 profiles will move into the publication stage.
    For the 750 published profiles, annual follow-up interviews will be 
conducted to update the information about the innovation, which will 
average 30 minutes. Because the profiles will be prepared on a rolling 
basis over three

[[Page 64955]]

years, the average number of yearly follow-up reviews per innovator 
will vary:
     One third (250) of the profiles will be prepared in the 
first year and will have 2 annual reviews;
     One third (250) of the profiles will be prepared in the 
second year and will have 1 annual review; and,
     One third (250) of the profiles will be prepared in the 
third year and will have 0 annual reviews.

Approximately 750 follow-up interviews will be conducted over the 3 
years of this project resulting in an annualized average of 250 follow-
up interviews per year, even though no follow-up interviews will be 
conducted in the first year.

                                  Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of
                    Form name                        Number of     responses per     Hours per     Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email submission................................              41               1           30/60              21
Health care innovator interview--following email              41               1           30/60              21
 submission.....................................
Health care innovator interview--without email               234               1               1             234
 submission.....................................
Annual follow-up interview......................             250               1           30/60             125
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................             566  ..............  ..............             401
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden for the 
respondents. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average 
hourly wage for ``healthcare practitioner and technical occupations'' 
in the United States was $29.82 in May 2006. An estimate of $30 per 
hour allows for inflation and represents a conservative estimate of the 
wages of the respondents. Therefore, the total estimated cost burden 
for respondents is $12,030, based on the total estimated annualized 
burden of 401 hours.

                                   Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Number of     Total burden   Average hourly    Total cost
                    Form name                       respondents        hours       wage rate \*\      burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email submission................................              41              21             $30            $630
Health care innovator interview--following email              41              21              30             630
 submission.....................................
Health care innovator interview--without email               234             234              30           7,020
 submission.....................................
Annual follow-up interview......................             250             125              30           3,750
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................             566             401  ..............          12,030
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ Based upon the average wages, ``National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, May
  2006,'' U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government

    The total cost to the Government is approximately $3,349,560 over 
three years (on average, $1,116,520 per year). These costs cover the 
total editorial and content development processes associated with the 
project; which include developing an on-line authoring tool for 
preparing the profiles, identifying innovation leads, reviewing e-mail 
submissions, contacting the innovators, conducting interviews, 
preparing the draft profiles, securing innovator approval, and 
publishing the profiles on the Innovations Exchange Web site.

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 health care research, quality improvement and information 
dissemination functions, including whether the information will have 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of AHRQ's estimate of burden 
(including hours and costs) of the proposed collection(s) 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: October 20, 2008.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. E8-25836 Filed 10-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M