[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 236 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63513-63515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26637]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-19-0017; Docket No. CDC-2018-0109]


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.

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

SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled Application for Training (OMB 
Control No. 0920-0017). The Training and Continuing Education Online 
(TCEO) system is used in the management of the accreditation

[[Page 63514]]

process for non-federal educators who develop public health and 
healthcare educational activities and for non-federal health 
professionals who seek continuing education necessary to maintain 
professional licensures and certifications. This request for revision 
is to add new questions to the TCEO New Participant Registration, a new 
TCEO Post-Course Evaluation, and a new TCEO Follow-up Evaluation. Both 
new evaluation tools will improve the quality of educational 
activities. Each TCEO tool ensures compliance with accreditation 
requirements.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before February 8, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2018-
0109 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Acting Lead, 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. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments 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 the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffery M. Zirger, 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 the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Application for Training (OMB Control No. 0920-0017, Exp 06/30/
2019)--Revision--Division of Scientific Education and Professional 
Development (DSEPD), Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and 
Laboratory Services (CSELS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    DSEPD requests a three-year Revision to the Training and Continuing 
Education Online (TCEO) system, which will comprise four data 
collection and management tools. Requested revisions are (1) to add 
questions to the existing TCEO New Participant Registration and (2) to 
introduce a Post-Course Evaluation and a Follow-Up Evaluation. No 
changes are requested for the existing TCEO Proposal Tool.
    TCEO provides access to CDC educational activities that offer 
continuing education to public health and healthcare professionals 
(learners) to maintain their professional licensures and 
certifications. Licensures and certifications are mandatory for certain 
health professionals to provide services that prevent and mitigate 
illness and save lives. Employees of hospitals, universities, medical 
centers, state and local health departments, and federal agencies 
participate in CDC's accredited educational activities to learn about 
current public health and healthcare practices. CDC is accredited by 
seven accreditation organizations to provide continuing education for 
public health and healthcare professionals.
    CDC and CDC-funded educational activities include classroom study, 
conferences, and electronic learning (e-learning). The TCEO Proposal 
expedites submission, review, and accreditation processes for these CDC 
and CDC-funded educational activities. The information collected from 
educational developers provides CDC with the information necessary to 
meet accreditation requirements. CDC reviews proposals to ensure 
compliance with requirements and awards continuing education when 
activities meet accreditation standards. The educational activities 
that can offer continuing education are then added to TCEO for learners 
to access.
    Accreditation organizations require a method of tracking learners 
who complete an educational activity and some require collection of 
profession-specific data, among other requirements. CDC requires health 
professionals who seek continuing education to establish an account by 
completing the TCEO New Participant Registration. CDC relies on this 
electronic form to collect information needed to coordinate learner 
registrations for educational activities.
    The proposed inclusion of two new evaluation tools is required by 
accreditation organizations to ensure compliance with accreditation 
standards. Public health professionals will be required to take the 
TCEO Post-course Evaluation after they have participated in an 
educational activity and before they can earn continuing education. 
Health professionals who have received continuing education for the 
activity will be encouraged to complete the TCEO Follow-up Evaluation 
when a link is sent to them from TCEO by email. Reports on responses to 
both tools will be submitted to accreditation organizations when they 
conduct audits or when CDC requests renewal of accreditation. Both new 
tools provide information to help CDC improve the quality of its 
educational activities.
    Proposed changes not only ensure that CDC is in compliance with 
accreditation requirements, changes will improve the quality of 
educational activities, while continuing to offer accredited 
educational activities at no cost to learners. Because of the 
increasing demand for accredited educational activities that offer free 
CE for licensures and certifications, TCEO experiences a continued 
increase in educational activities completed each year by registered 
learners. Every year, the number of times learners complete steps to 
earn continuing education increases by approximately 15%. The

[[Page 63515]]

two new evaluation tools will be shared with all learners who complete 
educational activities in TCEO, causing the annual burden estimate to 
increase significantly. The annual burden table has been updated to 
reflect the new TCEO Post-course Evaluation (66,667 burden hours) and 
the new TCEO Follow-up Evaluation (2,000 burden hours), for a total of 
85,934 burden hours that include all four TCEO tools. There are no 
costs to respondents other than their time.

                                        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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Educational Developers (Health  TCEO Proposal...             120               1               5             600
 Educators).
Public Health and Health Care   TCEO New                 200,000               1            5/60          16,667
 Professionals (Learners).       Participant
                                 Registration.
Public Health and Health Care   TCEO Post-course         200,000               2           10/60          66,667
 Professionals (Learners).       Evaluation.
Public Health and Health Care   TCEO Follow-up            20,000               2            3/60           2,000
 Professionals (Learners).       Evaluation.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................         420,120  ..............  ..............          85,934
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Acting Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 2018-26637 Filed 12-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P