[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 231 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86715-86717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28874]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-17-1030; Docket No. CDC-2016-0115]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on the proposed 
extension of the Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health 
Care Surveys, a generic package that includes studies to evaluate and 
improve upon existing survey design and operations, as well as to 
examine the feasibility of, and address challenges that may arise with, 
future expansions of the National Health Care Surveys.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-
0115 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the 
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the 
address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of

[[Page 86716]]

the information collection plan and instruments, contact the 
Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; 
phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they 
conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies 
to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each 
proposed collection of information, including each new proposed 
collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    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; (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-
up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services 
to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. 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.

Proposed Project

    Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health Care Surveys 
(OMB No. 0920-1030, expires 10/31/2017)--Extension--National Center for 
Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Section 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 
242k), as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS), acting through the Division of Health Care Statistics 
(DHCS) within NCHS, shall collect statistics on the extent and nature 
of illness and disability of the population of the United States.
    The DHCS conducts the National Health Care Surveys, a family of 
nationally representative surveys of encounters and health care 
providers in inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings. This 
information collection request (ICR) is for the extension of a generic 
clearance to conduct developmental studies to improve this family of 
surveys. This three year clearance period will include studies to 
evaluate and improve upon existing survey design and operations, as 
well as to examine the feasibility of, and address challenges that may 
arise with, future expansions of the National Health Care Surveys.
    Specifically, this request covers developmental research with the 
following aims: (1) To explore ways to refine and improve upon existing 
survey designs and procedures; and (2) to explore and evaluate proposed 
survey designs and alternative approaches to data collection. The goal 
of these research studies is to further enhance DHCS existing and 
future data collection protocols to increase research capacity and 
improve health care data quality for the purpose of monitoring public 
health and well-being at the national, state and local levels, thereby 
informing the health policy decision-making process. The information 
collected through this generic ICR will not be used to make 
generalizable statements about the population of interest or to inform 
public policy; however, methodological findings may be reported.
    This generic ICR would include studies conducted in person, via the 
telephone or internet, and by postal or electronic mail. Methods 
covered would include qualitative (e.g., usability testing, focus 
groups, ethnographic studies, and respondent debriefing questionnaires) 
and/or quantitative (e.g., pilot tests, pre-tests and split sample 
experiments) research methodologies. Examples of studies to improve 
existing survey designs and procedures may include evaluation of 
incentive approaches to improve recruitment and increase participation 
rates; testing of new survey items to obtain additional data on 
providers, patients, and their encounters while minimizing 
misinterpretation and human error in data collection; testing data 
collection in panel surveys; triangulating and validating survey 
responses from multiple data sources; assessment of the feasibility of 
data retrieval; and development of protocols that will locate, 
identify, and collect accurate survey data in the least labor-intensive 
and burdensome manner at the sampled practice site.
    To explore and evaluate proposed survey designs and alternative 
approaches to collecting data, especially with the nationwide adoption 
of electronic health records, studies may expand the evaluation of data 
extraction of electronic health records and submission via continuity 
of care documentation to small/mid-size/large medical providers and 
hospital networks, managed care health plans, prison-hospitals, and 
other inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings that are 
currently either in-scope or out-of-scope of the National Health Care 
Surveys. Research on feasibility, data quality and respondent burden 
also may be carried out in the context of developing new surveys of 
health care providers and establishments that are currently out-of-
scope of the National Health Care Surveys.
    Specific motivations for conducting developmental studies include: 
(1) Within the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), new 
clinical groups may be expanded to include dentists, psychologists, 
podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists), mid-level providers (e.g., 
physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners, 
certified nurse midwives) and allied-health professionals (e.g., 
certified nursing aides, medical assistants, radiology technicians, 
laboratory technicians, pharmacists, dieticians/nutritionists). Current 
sampling frames such as those from the American Medical Association may 
be obtained and studied, as well as frames that are not currently in 
use by NAMCS, such as state and organizational listings of other 
licensed providers. (2) Within the National Study of Long-Term Care 
Providers, additional new frames may be sought and evaluated and data 
items from home care agencies, long-term care hospitals, and facilities 
exclusively serving individuals with intellectual/developmental 
disability may be tested. Similarly, data may be obtained from lists 
compiled by states and other organizations. Data about the facilities

[[Page 86717]]

as well as residents and their visits will be investigated. (3) In the 
inpatient and outpatient care settings, the National Hospital Care 
Survey (NHCS) and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 
(NHAMCS) may investigate the addition of facility and patient 
information especially as it relates to insurance and electronic 
medical records.
    The National Health Care Surveys collect critical, accurate data 
that are used to produce reliable national estimates--and in recent 
years (when budget allows), state-level estimates--of clinical services 
and of the providers who delivered those services in inpatient, 
outpatient, ambulatory, and long-term care settings. The data from 
these surveys are used by providers, policy makers and researchers to 
address important topics of interest, including the quality and 
disparities of care among populations, epidemiology of medical 
conditions, diffusion of technologies, effects of policies and practice 
guidelines, and changes in health care over time. Research studies need 
to be conducted to improve existing and proposed survey design and 
procedures of the National Health Care Surveys, as well as to evaluate 
alternative data collection approaches particularly due to the 
expansion of electronic health record use, and to develop new sample 
frames of currently out-of-scope providers and settings of care. There 
is no cost to respondents other than their time to participate. Average 
burdens are designed to cover 15-40 min interviews as well as 90 minute 
focus groups, longer on-site visits, and situations where organizations 
may be preparing electronic data files.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Health Care Providers and       Interviews,                6,667               1               1           6,667
 Business entities.              surveys, focus
                                 groups,
                                 experiments (in
                                 person, phone,
                                 internet,
                                 postal/
                                 electronic
                                 mail).
Health Care Providers, State/   Interviews,                  167               1             2.5             418
 local government agencies,      surveys, focus
 and business entities.          groups,
                                 experiments (in
                                 person, phone,
                                 internet,
                                 postal/
                                 electronic
                                 mail).
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           7,085
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Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-28874 Filed 11-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P