[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 89 (Thursday, May 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27225-27226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09724]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection 
project ``Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Social and Health 
Experiences Self-Administered Questionnaire.''

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by 60 days after date 
of publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at 
[email protected].
    Copies of the proposed collection plans, data collection 
instruments, and specific details on the estimated burden can be 
obtained from the AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by emails at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project

``Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Social and Health Experiences 
Self-Administered Questionnaire.''

    The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) consists of the 
following three components and has been conducted annually since 1996:
     Household Component: A sample of households participating 
in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in the prior calendar 
year are interviewed 5 times over a 2 and one-half (2.5) year period. 
These 5 interviews yield two years of information on use of, and 
expenditures for, health care, sources of payment for that health care, 
insurance status, employment, health status and health care quality.
     Medical Provider Component: The MEPS-MPC collects 
information from medical and financial records maintained by hospitals, 
physicians, pharmacies and home health agencies named as sources of 
care by household respondents.
     Insurance Component (MEPS-IC): The MEPS-IC collects 
information on establishment characteristics, insurance offerings and 
premiums from employers. The MEPS-IC is conducted by the Census Bureau 
for AHRQ and is cleared separately.
    This request is for the MEPS-HC only. The OMB Control Number for 
the MEPS-HC and MPC is 0935-0118, which was last approved by OMB on 
November 8, 2019, and will expire on November 30, 2022.
    The purpose of this request is to integrate the new self-
administered questionnaire (SAQ) entitled, ``Social and Health 
Experiences,'' into the MEPS. This SAQ will include questions in a dual 
mode (web and paper) self-administered questionnaire about social and 
behavioral determinants of health including questions about housing 
affordability and quality, neighborhood characteristics, food security, 
transportation needs, financial strain, smoking and physical activity, 
and experiences with discrimination, social support, general well-
being, personal safety, and adverse circumstances in childhood. The 
information collected will be used to examine the relationship between 
measures of the social determinants of health and measures of health 
status, and the use and expense of health care services. The goal of 
this survey is to help understand the relationship between social 
determinants of health and health care need in order to ultimately 
improve health care and health.
    This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractors, 
Westat and RTI International, pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to 
conduct and support research on healthcare and on systems for the 
delivery of such care, including activities with respect to the cost 
and use of health care services and with respect to health statistics 
and surveys. 42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(3) and (8); 42 U.S.C. 299b-2.

Method of Collection

    Data collection will be for adults (aged 18 and over). AHRQ 
proposes a mixed-mode (web and paper) primarily to further protect 
respondents' privacy due to the sensitive nature of some of the items. 
Web completion will be the main mode with paper offered to those with 
barriers to internet access.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden hours for 
respondents' time to participate in this research. The Social and 
Health Experiences SAQ will be completed during Round 1, Panel 26, 
Round 3, Panel 25, and Round 5, Panel 24, by each person in the 
Reporting Unit (RU) that is 18 years old and older, an estimated 27,059 
persons, and takes about 7 minutes to complete. The total annualized 
burden is estimated to be 3,157 hours.
    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated 
with respondents' time to participate in this research. The total cost 
burden is estimated to be $81,198 annually.

                                  Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of
                    Activity                         Number of     responses per     Hours per     Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       response          hours
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Social and Health Experiences SAQ; Adult SAQ--            27,059               1            7/60           3,157
 Year 2021......................................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          27,059             n/a             n/a           3,157
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[[Page 27226]]


                                   Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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                                                     Number of     Total burden   Average hourly    Total cost
                    Activity                        respondents        hours        wage rate *       burden
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Social and Health Experiences SAQ (SDOH); Adult           27,059           3,157          $25.72         $81,198
 SAQ--Year 2021.................................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          27,059           3,157             n/a          81,198
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* Mean hourly wage for All Occupations (00-0000).
Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States,
  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000.

Request for Comments

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ's 
information collection are requested with regard to any of the 
following: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of AHRQ's health care research and 
health care information dissemination functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of AHRQ's 
estimate of burden (including hours and costs) of the proposed 
collection(s) of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information upon the 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and included in the Agency's subsequent request for OMB approval of the 
proposed information collection. All comments will become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: May 1, 2020.
Virginia L. Mackay-Smith,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-09724 Filed 5-6-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4160-90-P