[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 83 (Monday, May 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23366-23369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09138]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

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

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 ``The AHRQ Safety Program for Methicillin-Resistant 
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Prevention.''

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 2, 2021.

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 email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project

The AHRQ Safety Program for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus 
(MRSA) Prevention

    As part of the HHS HAI National Action Plan (NAP), AHRQ has 
supported the implementation and adoption of the Comprehensive Unit-
based Safety Program (CUSP) to reduce Central-Line Associated 
Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) and Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract 
Infections (CAUTI), and subsequently applied CUSP to other clinical 
challenges, including reducing surgical site infections and improving 
care for mechanically ventilated patients. As part of the National 
Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB NAP), the 
HHS HAI National Action Plan, and Healthy People 2030 goals, AHRQ will 
now apply the principles and concepts that have been learned from these 
HAI reduction efforts to the prevention of MRSA invasive infections.
    Healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs, are a highly significant 
cause of

[[Page 23367]]

illness and death for patients in the U.S. At any given time, HAIs 
affect one out of every 31 hospital inpatients. More than a million of 
these infections occur across our health care system every year. This 
leads to significant patient harm and loss of life, and costs billions 
of dollars each year in medical and non-medical costs. In addition, the 
3 million Americans currently residing in U.S. nursing homes experience 
a staggering 2-3 million HAIs each year.
    Particular concern has arisen related to the persistent prevalence 
of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This bacterium 
affects both communities and healthcare facilities, but the majority of 
morbidity and mortality occurs in critically and chronically ill 
patients. While MRSA was rare in the US through the 1970s, its 
prevalence in US health care facilities began rising in the 1980s and 
had continued to do so. In 2000, MRSA was responsible for 133,510 
hospitalizations in children and adults. This number more than doubled 
by 2005, with 278,203 hospitalizations along with 56,248 septic events 
and 6,639 deaths being attributed to MRSA. MRSA has become a major form 
of hospital associated Staphylococcus aureus infection.
    For various patient safety initiatives, AHRQ has promoted the 
implementation and adoption of the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety 
Program (CUSP) approach which combines clinical and cultural (i.e., 
technical and adaptive) intervention components to facilitate the 
implementation of technical bundles to improve patient safety. For MRSA 
prevention, it is likely that a combination of technical approaches is 
indicated, including decolonization along with classic infection 
control practices such as hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, general 
HAI prevention, and contact precautions/isolation. Implementation of 
these technical approaches would benefit greatly from the cultural and 
behavioral interventions incorporated in CUSP. AHRQ expects that this 
approach, which includes a focus on teamwork, communication, and 
patient engagement, will enhance the effectiveness of interventions to 
reduce MRSA infection that will be implemented and evaluated as part of 
this project.
    This project will assist hospital units and long-term care 
facilities in adopting and implementing technical approaches to reduce 
MRSA infections. It will be implemented in four cohorts:
     At least 400 ICUs
     at least 400 non-ICUs
     at least 300 hospital surgical services
     at least 300 long-term care facilities.
    The goals of this project are to (1) develop and implement a 
program to prevent MRSA invasive infection in intensive care units 
(ICUs), non-ICUs, inpatient surgery, and long-term care facilities, (2) 
assess the adoption of CUSP for MRSA Prevention, and (3) evaluate the 
effectiveness of the intervention in the participating units. AHRQ is 
requesting a 3-year clearance to perform the data collection activities 
needed to assess the adoption of the program and evaluate its 
effectiveness in the participating units and facilities.
    The project is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor, 
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and JHU's subcontractor, NORC at the 
University of Chicago. The project is being undertaken pursuant to 
AHRQ's mission to enhance the quality, appropriateness, and 
effectiveness of health services, and access to such services, through 
the establishment of a broad base of scientific research and through 
the promotion of improvements in clinical and health systems practices, 
including the prevention of diseases and other health conditions (42 
U.S.C. 299).

Method of Collection

    The evaluation will utilize a pre-post design, using quarterly data 
collected over a 12-month baseline period and an 18-month 
implementation period for a total of 4 baseline data points and 6 
implementation data points. In addition to a pre-post-intervention 
analysis, we plan to make use of the multiple baseline observations to 
conduct an interrupted time-series analysis for each of the four 
healthcare settings (ICU, non-ICU, surgical services, and long-term 
care).
    The primary data collection includes the following:
    (1) Unit or Facility-level clinical outcome change data: During 
each quarter of the program for ICU, non-ICU and surgical settings, 
each participating unit will be asked to submit clinical measures 
related to MRSA prevention through a secure online portal; long-term 
care settings will submit this information on a monthly basis. Units 
from all settings will also provide retrospective data for the 12 
months prior to the start of the intervention period. These data will 
be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the AHRQ Safety Program for 
MRSA Prevention program.
    (2) Survey of Patient Safety Culture: The NORC/JHU team will 
administer AHRQ Surveys of Patient Safety Culture to all eligible AHRQ 
Safety Program for MRSA Prevention staff at the participating units or 
facilities at the beginning and end of the intervention. We will 
administer the Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) in the 
ICU, non-ICU, and surgical cohorts, and the Nursing Home Survey on 
Patient Safety Culture (NHSOPS) in the long term care cohort. These 
surveys ask questions about patient safety issues, medical errors, and 
event reporting in the respective setting. NORC/JHU will request that 
all staff on the unit or facility that is implementing the AHRQ Safety 
Program for MRSA Prevention complete the survey. As unit and facility 
size vary, we estimate the average number of respondents to be 25 for 
each unit.
    (3) Gap Analysis: The NORC/JHU team will administer the Gap 
Analysis during the first month of the intervention to an Infection 
Preventionist and one of the unit's team leaders (most likely a nurse). 
Information on current practices in MRSA prevention on the unit will be 
collected.
    (4) Implementation Assessments--Team Checkup Tool: The 
implementation assessments will be conducted to monitor the program's 
progress and determine what the participating sites have learned 
through participating in the program. The Team Checkup Tool will be 
requested monthly, and we anticipate participation from approximately 1 
staff (most commonly a nurse) per unit. The program will use the Team 
Checkup Tool to monitor key actions of staff members. The Tool asks 
about use of safety guidelines, tools, and resources throughout three 
different phases: Assessment (1), Planning, Training, and 
Implementation (2), and Sustainment (3).
    This data collection effort will be part of a comprehensive 
evaluation strategy to assess the adoption of the Comprehensive Unit-
Based Safety Program (CUSP) for MRSA Prevention in ICUs, non-ICUs, 
surgical services, and long-term care settings; and measure the 
effectiveness of the interventions in the participating facilities or 
units. The evaluation has four main goals:
    1. Program participation: Assess the ability of sites to 
successfully encourage full participation of unit/facility staff in 
educational activities.
    2. Implementation and adoption: Assess the implementation and 
adoption of CUSP for MRSA prevention.
    3. Program effectiveness: Measure the effectiveness of the CUSP for 
MRSA prevention bundle.

[[Page 23368]]

    4. Causal pathways: Describe the characteristics of teams that are 
associated with successful implementation and improvement outcomes.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 shows the total estimated annualized burden hours for the 
data collection efforts. All data collection activities are expected to 
occur within the three-year clearance period. The total estimated 
annualized burden is 13,151 hours.

                                  Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of
                    Form name                        Number of     responses per     Hours per     Total burden
                                                   respondents +    respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Survey of Patient Safety Culture
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HSOPS (25 respondents per unit, pre- and post-             9,167               2            0.25           4,584
 intervention for ICU (400), non-ICU (400), and
 surgical (300) cohorts, 1,100 units total).....
NHSOPS (25 respondents per facility, one                   2,500               2            0.25           1,250
 response per pre- and post-intervention for LTC
 cohort, 300 facilities total)..................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Infrastructure Assessment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gap Analysis (1 assessment per unit or facility,             467               2               1             934
 pre and post-intervention for all four cohorts,
 1,400 sites total).............................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Implementation Assessments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Checkup Tool (1 checklist conducted monthly             367              18            0.17           1,123
 during the 18 months of intervention for ICU,
 non-ICU, and Surgical cohorts, 1,100 units
 total).........................................
Team Checkup Tool (1 checklist conducted monthly             100              18            0.17             306
 per facility during the 18 month intervention
 period for LTC cohort, 300 facilities total)...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Electronic Health Record (EHR) Extracts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial datapull--(once at baseline for ICU and              267               1               9           2,403
 non-ICU cohorts, 800 units total)..............
Initial datapull--(once at baseline for Surgical             100               1             0.5              50
 cohort, 300 settings total)....................
Initial datapull--(once at baseline for LTC                  100               1               5             500
 cohort, 300 facilities total)..................
Quarterly data--(quarterly during 18 months of               367               6             0.5           1,101
 intervention for ICU, non-ICU, and Surgical
 cohorts, 1,100 units total)....................
Monthly data--(monthly per facility during 18                100              18             0.5             900
 months of intervention for LTC cohort, 300
 facilities total)..............................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          13,535  ..............  ..............          13,151
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ The number of respondents per data collection effort is calculated by multiplying the number of respondents
  per unit by the total number of units. The result is divided by three to capture an annualized number.

    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden based on the 
respondents' time to complete the data collection activities. The total 
annualized cost burden is estimated to be $596,597.83.

                                   Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                    Form name                        Number of     Total burden     hourly wage     Total cost
                                                    respondents        hours           rate           burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Survey of Patient Safety Culture
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HSOPS (Attachment N) (25 respondents per unit,             9,167           4,584        * $51.53     $236,187.76
 pre- and post-intervention for ICU (400), non-
 ICU (400), and surgical (300) cohorts, 1,100
 units total)...................................
NHSOPS (Attachment O) (25 respondents per                  2,500           1,250         * 51.53       64,412.50
 facility, one response per pre- and post-
 intervention for LTC cohort, 300 facilities
 total).........................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Infrastructure Assessment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gap Analysis (Attachments B-D) (1 assessment per             467             934         * 51.53       48,129.02
 unit or facility, pre and post-intervention for
 all four cohorts, 1,400 sites total)...........
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Implementation Assessments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Checkup Tool (Attachments H and I) (1                   367           1,123         * 51.53       57,868.19
 checklist conducted monthly during 3 months of
 ramp-up and 15 months of intervention periods
 for ICU, non-ICU, and Surgical cohorts, 1,100
 units total)...................................

[[Page 23369]]

 
Team Checkup Tool (Attachment J) (1 checklist                100             306         * 51.53       15,768.18
 conducted monthly per facility during 18 months
 of intervention for LTC cohort, 300 facilities
 total).........................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Electronic Health Record (EHR) Extracts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial data pull (Attachment P)--(once at                   267           2,403         _ 35.17       84,513.51
 baseline for ICU and non-ICU cohorts, 800 units
 total).........................................
Initial data pull (Attachment Q)--(once at                   100              50         _ 35.17        1,758.50
 baseline for Surgical cohort, 300 settings
 total).........................................
Initial data pull (Attachment R)--(once at                   100             500         _ 35.17       17,585.00
 baseline for LTC cohort, 300 facilities total).
Quarterly data (Attachments P and Q)--(quarterly             367           1,101         _ 35.17       38,722.17
 during 18 months of intervention for ICU, non-
 ICU, and Surgical cohorts, 1,100 units total)..
Monthly data (Attachment R)--(monthly per                    100             900         _ 35.17       31,653.00
 facility during 18 months of intervention for
 LTC cohort, 100 facilities total)..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          13,535          13,151  ..............      596,597.83
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* This is an average of the average hourly wage rate for physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician's
  assistant, and nurse's aide from the May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, United
  States, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000).
- This is an average of the average hourly wage rate for nurse and IT specialist from the May 2019 National
  Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, United States, U.S. 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, 44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520, 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: April 27, 2021.
Marquita Cullom,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-09138 Filed 4-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P