[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11888-11889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03894]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60-Day-13-0853]


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 404-639-7570 or 
send comments to Ron Otten, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 
30333 or send an email 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

    Asthma Information Reporting System (AIRS) (0920-0853, Expiration 
06/30/2013)--Extension--National Center for Environmental Health 
(NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC is seeking a three-year extension of OMB approval for the AIRS 
information collection. In 1999, the CDC began developing its National 
Asthma Control Program, a population-based, public health approach to 
addressing the burden of asthma. The program supports the goals and 
objectives of ``Healthy People 2020'' for asthma and is based on the 
public health principles of surveillance, partnerships, and 
interventions. Through AIRS, the information collection request has and 
will continue to provide NCEH with routine information about the 
activities and performance of the state and territorial grantees funded 
under the National Asthma Control Program http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/nacp.htm.
    The primary purpose of the National Asthma Control Program is to 
develop program capacity to address asthma from a public health 
perspective to bring about: (1) A focus on asthma-related activity 
within states; (2) an increased understanding of asthma-related data 
and its application to program planning and evaluation through the 
development and maintenance of an ongoing asthma surveillance system; 
(3) an increased recognition, within the public health structure of 
states, of the potential to use a public health approach to reduce the 
burden of asthma; (4) linkages of state health agencies to other 
agencies and organizations addressing asthma in the population; and (5) 
implementation of interventions to achieve positive health impacts, 
such as reducing the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency 
department visits, school or work days missed, and limitations on 
activity due to asthma.
    The AIRS management information system is comprised of multiple 
components that enable the electronic reporting of three types of data/
information from state asthma control programs: (1) Information that is 
currently collected as part of interim (semi-annual) and end-of-year 
progress reporting, (2) Aggregate level reports of surveillance data on 
long-term program outcomes, and (3) Specific data indicative of 
progress made on: Partnerships, surveillance, interventions, and 
evaluation.
    Prior to implementation of AIRS, data were collected on an interim 
(semi-annual) basis from state asthma control programs as part of 
regular reporting of cooperative agreement activities. States reported 
information such as progress-to-date on accomplishing intended 
objectives, programmatic changes, changes to staffing or management, 
and budgetary information.
    Regular reporting this information is a requirement of the 
cooperative agreement mechanism utilized to fund state asthma control 
programs. States are asked to submit interim (semi-annual) and year-end 
progress report information into AIRS, thus this type of programmatic 
information on activities and objectives will continue to be collected 
twice per year (interim report and end-of-year report).
    The National Asthma Control Program at CDC has access to and 
analyzes national-level asthma surveillance data (http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthmadata.htm). With the exception of data from the Behavioral 
Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), state level analyses cannot be 
performed. Therefore, as part of AIRS, state asthma control programs 
submit aggregate surveillance data to allow calculation of state asthma 
surveillance indicators across all funded states (where data is 
available) in a standardized manner. Data requests through this system 
regularly include: hospital discharges (with asthma as first listed 
diagnosis), and emergency department visits (with asthma as first 
listed diagnosis). Under AIRS, participating states annually submit 
this information to the AIRS system in conjunction with an end-of-year 
report describing state activities

[[Page 11889]]

that meet project objectives described above.
    National and state asthma surveillance data provide information 
useful to examine progress on long-term outcomes of state asthma 
programs. To identify appropriate indicators of program implementation 
and short-term outcomes for AIRS, CDC previously convened and 
facilitated workgroups comprised of state asthma control program 
representatives to generated specific questions to collect data on key 
features of state asthma control programs: partnerships, surveillance, 
interventions, and evaluation.
    Since implementation in 2010 AIRS, and technical assistance 
provided by NCEH staff, has provided states with uniform data reporting 
methods and linkages to other states' asthma programs and data. Thus, 
AIRS has saved state resources and staff time when they embark on 
asthma activities similar to those being done elsewhere. Also, the AIRS 
system has been similarly helpful in linking states together on 
occasions when a given state seeks to report their results at national 
meetings or publish their findings and program results either in 
scholarly journals. For example, with CDC staff, three state programs 
co-presented on a panel regarding evaluations of their asthma 
partnerships at the November, 2012 American Evaluation Association's 
Evaluation 2012 conference.
    In addition, CDC staff have regularly made requests from AIRS to 
obtain standardized summaries of state programs to obtain data 
summaries regarding such activities as the number of states meeting 
staffing requirements, number and timeliness of state strategic 
evaluation plans, topics for individual evaluation selected by states, 
types and targets of interventions, and use of asthma surveillance data 
in state programs.
    Furthermore, access to standardized AIRS surveillance and 
programmatic data allows CDC to provide timely and accurate responses 
to the public and Congress regarding the NCEH asthma program (e.g., how 
many states have asthma interventions targeting schools, how many 
children are treated in emergency departments, etc.).
    There will be no cost for respondents, other than their time, to 
participate in AIRS. The total estimated annual burden hours are 288.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Health Departments......  Interim report                36               1               2              72
                                 on activities
                                 and objectives.
                                End-of-year                   36               1               6             216
                                 report on
                                 activities,
                                 objectives and
                                 aggregate
                                 surveillance.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             288
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: February 12, 2013.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI), Office of the Associate 
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-03894 Filed 2-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P