[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3918-3920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01052]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-20-1030; Docket No. CDC-2020-0003]


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 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 Developmental Studies to Improve 
the National Health Care Surveys. The purpose of this generic 
information collection request is to conduct developmental studies on 
survey design and data collection activities that are part of the 
National Health Care Surveys (NHCS).

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before March 23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
0003 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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 Jeffrey 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

    Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health Care Surveys 
(OMB Control No. 0920-1030, Exp. 04/30/2020)--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, ambulatory, 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

[[Page 3919]]

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, ambulatory, 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 
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.
    Projects under development or in the planning stages include two 
projects related to opioid use: One that will investigate adding 
questions to NAMCS on physician understanding of guidelines for opioid 
use and one that will test the validation of an algorithm for 
identifying opioid-involved hospital visits. Another study will develop 
a Hospital-Based Victim Services Frame.
    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, 
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. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 7,085.

                                        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,                  418               1             2.5             418
 local government agencies,      surveys, focus
 and business entities.          groups,
                                 experiments (in
                                 person, phone,
                                 internet,
                                 postal/
                                 electronic
                                 mail).
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           7,085
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[[Page 3920]]

Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-01052 Filed 1-22-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P