[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4990-4991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01383]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-20-0278; Docket No. CDC-2020-0004]


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 the National Hospital Ambulatory 
Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). NHAMCS collects facility and visit 
information on ambulatory care services utilization in non-Federal, 
short stay hospitals in the United States.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before March 30, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
0004 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

    National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) (OMB 
Control No. 0920-0278, Exp. 06/30/2021)--Revision--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 that the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS), acting through NCHS, shall collect statistics on 
``utilization of health care'' in the United States. The National 
Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) has been conducted 
annually since 1992. NCHS is seeking OMB approval to extend this survey 
for an additional three years.
    The target universe of the NHAMCS is in-person visits made to 
emergency departments (EDs) of non-Federal, short-stay hospitals 
(hospitals with an average length of stay of less than 30 days) that 
have at least 6 beds for inpatient use, and with a specialty of general 
(medical or surgical) or children's general.
    NHAMCS was initiated to complement the National Ambulatory Medical 
Care Survey (NAMCS, OMB No. 0920-0234, Exp. Date 05/31/2022), which 
provides similar data concerning patient visits to physicians' offices. 
NAMCS and NHAMCS are the principal sources of data on ambulatory care 
provided in the United States. NHAMCS provides a range of baseline data 
on the characteristics of the users and providers of hospital 
ambulatory medical care. Data collected include patients' demographic 
characteristics, reason(s) for visit, providers' diagnoses, diagnostic 
services, medications, and disposition. These data, together with trend 
data, may be used to monitor the effects of change in the health care 
system, for the planning of health services, improving medical 
education, determining health care work force needs, and assessing the 
health status of the population.
    Starting 2018, NHAMCS was modified to assess only hospital 
emergency departments. The survey components that assessed hospital 
outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery locations were 
discontinued. No substantive changes or supplements are expected for 
the survey for the three years being requested.
    Users of NHAMCS data include, but are not limited to, congressional 
offices, Federal agencies, state and local governments, schools of 
public health, colleges and universities, private industry, nonprofit 
foundations, professional associations, clinicians, researchers, 
administrators, and health planners. There are no costs to the 
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 1,124.

[[Page 4991]]



                                        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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Hospital Chief Executive        Hospital                     410               1           30/60             205
 Officer.                        Induction Data
                                 Collection.
Ancillary Service Executive...  Ambulatory Unit              820               1           15/60             205
                                 Induction (ED
                                 only).
Medical Record Clerk..........  Retrieving                   410             100            1/60             683
                                 Patient Records
                                 (ED only).
Ancillary Service Executive--   Reabstraction                125               1           15/60              31
 Reinterview.                    Telephone
                                 interview (ED
                                 only).
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           1,124
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-01383 Filed 1-27-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P