[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26013-26014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10591]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Request for Information on Guidance for the Specification of a 
Secure, Online Reporting System for Streamlining Programmatic, Fiscal, 
and Other Data From DHHS-Funded HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care 
Services Grantees

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is seeking 
to identify interest and obtain information relevant to the design, 
deployment, operations, maintenance, and future enhancement of a 
centralized, secure, flexible data reporting system to streamline the 
collection, processing, and sharing of programmatic, funding, and other 
data reported to DHHS Operating Divisions (OpDivs) by grantees funded 
to provide HIV prevention, treatment, and care services.

DATES: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of 
the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m. EST on May 17, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Electronic responses are strongly preferred and may be 
addressed to [[email protected]]. Written responses should be 
addressed to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Room 443-H, 
200 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20201. Attention: HIV Open 
Data Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew D. Forsyth Ph.D. or Vera 
Yakovchenko, MPH, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy 
(OHAIDP), (202) 205-6606.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    In July 2010, the White House released the National HIV/AIDS 
Strategy (NHAS) for the United States that outlined four key goals: (1) 
Reduce the number of people who become infected with HIV; (2) increase 
access to care and optimize health outcomes for people living with HIV; 
(3) reduce HIV-related health disparities; and (4) achieve a more 
coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic in the United 
States.\1\ Central to the latter goal were two related directives. The 
first was to develop improved mechanisms to monitor, evaluate, and 
report on progress toward achieving national goals. And the second was 
to simplify grant administration activities by standardizing data 
collection and reducing undue grantee reporting requirements for 
federal HIV programs.
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    \1\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/nhas.
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    In December 2009, the White House also released its Open Government 
Directive,\2\ which seeks to improve access to government data in a 
manner that enhances transparency, fosters participation through the 
public's contribution of ideas and expertise to decision-making, and 
enhances collaboration through new partnerships within the federal 
government and between public and private institutions. Notwithstanding 
existing clearance requirements or legitimate reasons to protect 
information, the Directive highlighted the need for the following: (1) 
Timely and accessible online publication of government information; (2) 
improved quality of government information; (3) creation of a culture 
of open government; and (4) establishment of a policy framework for 
Open Government. The release of the Directive was followed shortly 
thereafter by the DHHS Open Government Plan,\3\ which seeks to build 
upon the White House's emphasis on transparency, collaboration, and 
collaboration to ensure that the government works better for all 
Americans.
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    \2\ http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive.
    \3\ http://www.hhs.gov/open/plan/opengovernmentplan/transparency/dashboard.html.
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    An important contribution of the DHHS Open Government Plan is its 
reference to new technological developments that make it possible to 
streamline the collection, sharing, and processing of programmatic and 
fiscal data in a manner that facilitates greater transparency, 
participation, and collaboration, even in such critical and sensitive 
areas as the DHHS investment in HIV prevention, treatment, and care 
services. At present, DHHS OpDivs that fund these services use a 
mixture of non-interoperable information processing systems to collect 
programmatic, fiscal, and other data from grantees. Moreover, these 
systems often utilize different indicators to monitor the progress of 
HIV/AIDS programs that vary in their specifications (e.g., numerators, 
denominators, time frames) and other key parameters. As a result, many 
required HIV/AIDS data elements are inconsistent, impede evaluation and 
monitoring of all relevant DHHS-funded services, and add undue burden 
to HIV services grantees charged with reporting obligations often from 
multiple DHHS OpDivs.
    Under consideration at DHHS is the design, deployment, operations, 
maintenance, and future enhancement of a centralized, secure, flexible 
data reporting information system to compile programmatic, funding, and 
other data reported to DHHS OpDivs by grantees funded to provide HIV 
prevention, treatment, and care services. In effect, DHHS is exploring 
the possibility of establishing a single data reporting tool for 
funders, grantees, and sub-grantees that builds upon or shares many of 
the features of the Health Resources and Services Administration's 
(HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Services Report (RSR), which is a secure, 
online, data collection system for programmatic and fiscal data. 
Similarly, such a system might share features central to the National 
Institutes of Health's Electronic Research Administration (ERA), which 
offers a one-stop solution ``to manage the receipt, processing, review, 
award and monitoring of over $30 billion in research and non-research 
grants'' (see http://era.nih.gov). Moreover, such a system would offer 
a secure data solution that permits internal and external access to 
data, eliminates paper-based reporting, and streamlines the process of 
data collection and sharing in a manner that advances the DHHS Open 
Government Plan.
    The HIV Open Data Project envisioned might offer several benefits, 
such as: (1) Improve mechanisms to monitor, evaluate, and report on 
progress toward achieving NHAS goals; (2) ensure more coordinated 
program administration; (3) utilize a common protocol for establishing 
patient identifiers to protect confidentiality and de-identify client 
data; (4) reduce

[[Page 26014]]

administrative and infrastructural costs associated with reporting to 
or maintaining independent data systems; (5) streamline and standardize 
data collection; (6) facilitate data sharing among federal and non-
federal partners; (7) reduce bottlenecks and redundant data entry to 
different data systems; (8) integrate with electronic health record 
systems; (9) improve accountability and tracking of grantees with 
multiple funding streams; (10) facilitate data standardization and 
deployment of common core indicators that could form the basis of 
performance dashboards; (11) identify services gaps and unmet need; and 
(12) enhance transparency, participation, and collaboration around key 
public policy decisions relevant to the DHHS investment in HIV 
prevention, treatment, and care services.
    Accordingly, this request for information seeks public comment on 
several key dimensions of such a project, including but not limited to 
the following:
    1. In evaluating the feasibility of such a centralized data system, 
what specific steps would be critical to the design, deployment, 
operations, maintenance, and enhancement of such a system, particularly 
in light of addressing interoperability issues of existing data systems 
operated by DHHS OpDivs that support HIV prevention, treatment, or care 
services (e.g., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HRSA, 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Indian 
Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)?
    2. What existing systems currently in use to monitor health grants 
offer the features desired and what are the strengths and challenges of 
(a) designing an entirely new online resource or (b) adopting an 
existing resource (e.g., HRSA's RSR or others)?
    3. What are the greatest challenges encountered in reporting data 
(describe your reporting obligations, if applicable) and what specific 
solutions have DHHS grantees implemented to streamline divergent, non-
interoperable reporting systems?
    4. And what data would prove most useful for different stakeholders 
to receive from such a centralized system?
    5. What costs, benefits, and risks need to be given careful 
consideration in development of such a resource? What are the estimated 
costs and return on investment of each component?
    6. What technological resources and expertise would be needed to 
design, deploy, operate, maintain, and enhance such a system and what 
extant models exist for achieving the goal of a secure electronic 
resource capable of achieving the benefits noted above?
    7. What system architecture do you recommend for the project, 
particularly considering the government's desire to keep the project 
simple and streamlined (i.e. using as few different software packages 
and tools as possible)? What architecture, expertise, and other 
components are indispensible to the success of the design, deployment, 
operations, maintenance, and enhancement of such a system?
    8. What would a phased implementation plan consist of? If a modular 
or phased approach is recommended, what is a realistic timeframe for 
the completion of the project?
    9. What additional information not specifically addressed elsewhere 
in this RFI that would be important for the government to bear in mind 
in developing such a system?

    Dated: April 25, 2012.
Ronald O. Valdiserri,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Infectious Diseases), Office of 
HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012-10591 Filed 5-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-28-P