[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 122 (Friday, June 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41314-41315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14958]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an Information 
Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks 
comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any 
other aspect of the ICR.

DATES: Comments on this Information Collection Request must be received 
no later than August 23, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N-39, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
draft instruments, email [email protected] or call the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the information request collection title 
for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: Healthy Start Evaluation and 
Quality Improvement OMB No. 0915-0338--Revision.
    Abstract: The National Healthy Start Program, funded through HRSA's 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), has the goal of reducing 
disparities in infant mortality and adverse perinatal outcomes. The 
program began as a demonstration project with 15 grantees in 1991 and 
has expanded over the past 2 decades to 100 grantees across 37 states 
and Washington, DC. Healthy Start grantees operate in communities with 
rates of infant mortality at least 1.5 times the U.S. national average 
and high rates for other adverse perinatal outcomes. These communities 
are geographically, racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse 
low-income areas. Healthy Start covers services during the perinatal 
period (before, during, after pregnancy) and follows the woman and 
infant through 2 years after the end of the pregnancy. The Healthy 
Start program has five approaches, including: (1) Improving women's 
health; (2) promoting quality services; (3) strengthening family 
resilience; (4) achieving collective impact; and (5) increasing 
accountability through quality assurance, performance monitoring, and 
evaluation.
    MCHB seeks to implement a uniform set of data elements for 
monitoring and conducting a mixed-methods evaluation to assess the 
effectiveness of the program on individual, organizational, and 
community-level outcomes. Data collection instruments will include a 
National Healthy Start Program Survey; Community Action Network Survey; 
Healthy Start Site Visit Protocol; Healthy Start Participant Focus 
Group Protocol--these instruments have not been changed. The 
Preconception, Pregnancy and Parenting (3Ps) Information Form will also 
be used as a data collection instrument; however the 3Ps Information 
form has been redesigned from one form into six forms. The six forms 
include: (1) Demographic Intake Form; (2) Pregnancy Status/History; (3) 
Preconception; (4) Prenatal; (5) Postpartum; and (6) Interconception/
Parenting. The purpose of this redesign is to enhance the 3Ps 
Information Form to ensure collected data is meaningful for monitoring 
and evaluation, as well as screening and care coordination, and 
streamline previously separate data systems. The 3Ps Information Form 
was also redesigned to allow questions to be administered in accordance 
with the participant's enrollment/service delivery status and perinatal 
period. In addition to redesigning the 3Ps Information Form, HRSA 
deleted questions that are neither critical for evaluation nor 
programmatic purposes. HRSA also added questions to the 3Ps Information 
Form to allow the Form to be used as an all-inclusive data collection 
instrument for MCHB and Healthy Start grantees. The additional 
questions extend and refine previously approved content, allowing for 
the collection of more granular and/or in-depth information on existing 
topics. Adding these questions allows Healthy Start grantees to better 
assess risk, identify needed services, provide appropriate follow-up 
activities to program participants, and improve overall service 
delivery and quality.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The purpose of the data 
collection instruments is to obtain consistent information across all 
grantees about Healthy Start and its

[[Page 41315]]

outcomes. The data will be used to: (1) Conduct ongoing performance 
monitoring of the program; (2) provide credible and rigorous evidence 
of program effect on outcomes; (3) assess the relative contribution of 
the five program approaches to individual and community-level outcomes; 
(4) meet program needs for accountability, programmatic decision-
making, and ongoing quality assurance; and (5) strengthen the evidence-
base, and identify best and promising practices for the program to 
support sustainability, replication, and dissemination of the program.
    Likely Respondents: Respondents include project directors and staff 
for the National Healthy Start Program Survey; representatives from 
partner organizations for the Community Action Network Survey; program 
staff, providers, and partners for the Healthy Start Site Visit 
Protocol; and program participants for the Healthy Start Participant 
Focus Group Protocol. Respondents for the redesigned 3Ps Information 
Form (i.e., (1) Demographic Intake; (2) Pregnancy Status/History; (3) 
Preconception; (4) Prenatal; (5) Postpartum; and (6) Interconception/
Parenting) is pregnant women and women of reproductive age who are 
served by the Healthy Start program.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide the 
information requested. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this Information Collection Request are summarized in the table below.
    Total Estimated Annualized burden hours:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of       Number of         Total        burden per     Total burden
            Form name               respondents    responses per     responses     response  (in       hours
                                                    respondent                        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3Ps Information Form:...........        * 40,675               1          40,675            0.25          10,169
1. Demographic Intake Form......
2. Pregnancy Status/History.....          40,675               1          40,675            0.42          17,084
3. Preconception................        * 20,337               1          20,337             1.5          30,506
4. Prenatal.....................          20,337               1          20,337            2.00          40,674
5. Postpartum...................          20,337               1          20,337             1.8          37,285
6. Interconception/Parenting....          20,337               1          20,337            2.00          40,674
National Healthy Start Program                88               1              88            2.00             176
 Web Survey.....................
CAN member Web Survey...........             225               1             225            0.75             169
Healthy Start Site Visit                      15               1              15            6.00              90
 Protocol.......................
Healthy Start Participant Focus              180               1             180            1.00             180
 Group Protocol.................
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................          61,520  ..............          61,520  ..............         177,007
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The same individuals (40,675) complete the Demographic Intake and Pregnancy Status/History forms, and a subset
  of these same individuals (20,337) also complete the Preconception, Prenatal, Postpartum, and Interconception/
  Parenting forms for total of 61,520 respondents and responses.

    HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected, and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.

Jason E. Bennett,
Director, Division of Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2016-14958 Filed 6-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P