[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 185 (Wednesday, September 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59809-59810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20979]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Document Identifier: OS-0990-xxxx]


Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and 
Human Services, is publishing the following summary of a proposed 
collection for public comment.

DATES: Comments on the ICR must be received on or before November 23, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or by calling 
(202) 795-7714.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the document identifier 0990-New-60D, and 
project title for reference, to Sherrette Funn, the Reports Clearance 
Officer, [email protected], or call 202-795-7714.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested persons are invited to send 
comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (1) 
The necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for 
the proper performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of 
the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology to minimize the information collection burden.
    Title of the Collection: HHS Teletracking COVID-19 Portal (U.S. 
Healthcare COVID-19 Portal).
    Type of Collection: In use without an OMB number.
    OMB No.: 0990-XXXX OS/OCIO.
    Abstract: The data collected through this ICR informs the Federal 
Government's understanding of disease patterns and furthers the 
development of policies for prevention and control of disease spread 
and impact related to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). One of the 
most important uses of the data collected through this ICR is to 
determine critical allocations of limited supplies (e.g., protective 
equipment and medication). For instance, this collection has been used 
to distribute Remdesivir, a vital therapeutic that HHS distributes to 
the American healthcare system, via distinct data calls on regular 
intervals. As of July 10, HHS reduced the number requests for data from 
hospitals to support allocations of Remdesivir. HHS has stopped sending 
out one-time requests for data to aid in the distribution of Remdesivir 
or any other treatments or supplies. This consolidated daily reporting 
is the only mechanism used for the distribution calculations, and daily 
reports are needed to ensure accurate calculations.
    Type of Respondent: We acknowledge the burden placed on many 
hospitals, including resource constraints, and have allowed for some 
flexibilities, such as back-submissions or submitting every business 
days, with the understanding that respondents may not have sufficient 
staff working over the weekend. It is our belief that collection of 
this information daily is the most effective way to detect outbreaks 
and needs for Federal assistance over time, by hospital and 
geographical area, and to alert the appropriate officials for action. 
It's requested that 5,500 hospitals, submit data daily on the

[[Page 59810]]

number of patients tested for COVID-19, as well as information on bed 
capacity and requirements for other supplies.
    The HHS Teletracking COVID-19 Portal (U.S. Healthcare COVID-19 
Portal) includes some data that were initially submitted by hospitals 
to HHS through CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) COVID-19 
Module (OMB Control No. 0920-1290, approved 03/26/2020). Over the last 
several months time, the guidance for which data elements should be 
sent to HHS and through which method was updated at the request of the 
White House Coronavirus Task Force and other leaders to better inform 
the response.

                                          Annualized Burden Hour Table
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                                                                      Number      Average burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)         hours
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Hospitals.....................  HHS Teletracking           5,500             365             1.5       3,011,250
                                 COVID-19 Portal
                                 (U.S.
                                 Healthcare
                                 COVID-19
                                 Portal).
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............       3,011,250
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    Dated: September 15, 2020.
Sherrette A. Funn,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-20979 Filed 9-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-04-P