[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 147-148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-33128]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-11-11BM]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-5960 
and send comments to Carol E. Walker, Acting CDC Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail 
to [email protected].
    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. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Healthcare System Surge Capacity at the Community Level--New--
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, 
(NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Healthcare Preparedness Activity, Division of Healthcare 
Quality Promotion (DHQP) at the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) works with other Federal agencies, State governments, 
medical societies and other public and private organizations to promote 
collaboration amongst healthcare partners, and to integrate healthcare 
preparedness into Federal, State and local public health preparedness 
planning. The goal of the Activity is to help local communities' 
healthcare delivery and public health sectors effectively and 
efficiently prepare for and respond to urgent and emergent threats.
    Surge is defined as a marked increase in demand for resources such 
as personnel, space and material. Health care providers manage both 
routine surge (predictable fluctuations in demand associated with the 
weekly calendar, for example) as well as unusual surge (larger 
fluctuations in demand caused by rarer events such as pandemic 
influenza). Except in extraordinary cases, providers are expected to 
manage surge while adhering to their existing standards for quality and 
patient safety. Currently, health care organizations are expected to 
prepare for and respond to surges in demand ranging from a severe 
catastrophe (for example, a nuclear detonation) to more common, less 
severe events (for example, a worse-than-usual influenza season). The 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Federal agencies 
have dedicated considerable funding and technical assistance towards 
developing and coordinating community-level responses to surges in 
demand, but it remains a difficult task.
    While there is extensive research on managing collaborations during 
times of extraordinary pressure where response to surge takes 
precedence over other activities, less is known about developing and 
maintaining integrated collaborations during periods where the system 
must respond to unusual surge but also continue the routine provision 
of health care. In particular, studies have not explored how these 
collaborations can build on sustainable relationships between a broad 
range of stakeholders (including primary care providers) in communities 
with different market structures and different degrees of investment in 
public health.
    This study aims to generate information about the role of 
community-based collaborations in disaster preparedness that the CDC 
can use to develop its programs guiding and supporting these 
collaborations. This project will explore barriers and facilitators to 
coordination on surge response in ten communities, eight of which have 
been studied longitudinally since the mid-1990s as part of the Center 
for Studying Health System Change's (HSC's) Community Tracking Study 
(CTS). Interviews of local healthcare stakeholders will be conducted at 
10 sites.
    Interviews will be conducted at a total of 63 organizations over 
the two years of this project. Within each of the ten communities 
studied, two emergency practitioner respondents (one from a safety-net 
hospital and one from a non-safety-net hospital), two primary care 
providers (one from a large practice and one from a small practice) and 
two local preparedness experts (one from the County or local public 
health agency, and one coordinator or collaboration leader) will be 
interviewed. In three sites (Phoenix, Greenville and Seattle) an 
additional respondent will be identified from an outlying rural area to 
offer the perspective of providers in those communities. There is no 
cost to respondents except their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
               Respondent category                   Number of     responses per   response (in    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)        (in hours)
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Emergency Department: Private, non-safety net...              10               1               1              10
Emergency Department: Public/safety net.........              10               1               1              10
Primary Care: Larger practice...................              10               1               1              10
Primary Care: Solo/2 physician practice.........              10               1               1              10
Preparedness: Public/Department of Health.......              10               1               1              10
Preparedness: Health care preparedness                        10               1               1              10
 coordinator/collaboration leader...............
Rural (Greenville, Phoenix, Seattle only:                      3               1               1               3
 Clinician-leader at rural site (ED or PC)......
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    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............              63
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    Dated: December 27, 2010.
Carol E. Walker,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-33128 Filed 12-30-10; 8:45 am]
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