[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69649-69651]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26561]


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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 (AHRQ), 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 ``AHRQ's National Nursing Home COVID-19 Coordinating Center.''

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by February 7, 2022.

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

AHRQ's National Nursing Home COVID-19 Coordinating Center

    As of June 13, 2021, nursing homes have reported 656,336 confirmed 
cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 
infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in over 
132,000 COVID-19-related deaths. The U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS) has distributed funds to nursing homes and 
launched several initiatives to improve nursing home safety and 
infection control. AHRQ's National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network 
(https://www.ahrq.gov/nursing-home/about/index.html) (the Network) is a 
cornerstone of HHS's response, intended to provide training and 
assistance to nursing homes on best practices to minimize transmission 
of SARS-CoV-2. The Network expands AHRQ's programmatic efforts to 
address quality and safety in long-term care, and aligns with other 
agency efforts to provide COVID-19 guidance to nursing homes. As the 
pandemic continues, nursing homes require easy access and 
implementation support for up-to-date best practices on SARS-CoV-2 
infection control, COVID-19 care and management, and safety measures to 
protect residents and staff.
    AHRQ's National Nursing Home COVID-19 Coordinating Center plays a 
complementary role to the Network, serving as a bridge between AHRQ's 
Network initiatives and the nursing home quality improvement (QI) 
community. The Coordinating Center is tasked with (1) coordinating 
engagement with scientific and policy stakeholders to identify safety 
needs and best practices, (2) ensuring coordinated development and 
dissemination of QI tools and other resources, and (3) assessing the 
effectiveness of the Network in providing training and mentorship to 
support nursing homes in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    As part of the Coordinating Center activities, AHRQ seeks to 
conduct an assessment of whether and how the Network activities aided 
the nursing homes' efforts to mitigate the challenges posed by the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The goals of the performance assessment are to:
    1. Assess the reach, retention, and engagement of the Network;
    2. study the implementation approach, gaps and barriers;
    3. study the long-term impact, sustainability, and replicability of 
the training program and Network activities.
    This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its Coordinating 
Center contractor, NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC), pursuant 
to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and support training and 
technical assistance on health care and on systems for the delivery of 
such care. 42 U.S.C. 299a.

Method of Collection

    To further achieve the goals of this performance assessment, AHRQ 
is requesting OMB approval for new data collection. More specifically, 
the new data collection activities intend to collect systematic 
information from nursing homes on the following:
     Motivations for participation and non-participation in the 
Network.
     Context of participation (including state and local 
context, and participation in other COVID-19 related-initiatives).
     Perceptions on recruitment, engagement, and retention, 
including facilitators and barriers of engagement and retention.
     Perceptions on the Network training and mentorship 
resources, including access to and utility of the Network training and 
resources.

[[Page 69650]]

     Gaps in knowledge, skills, and resources required for 
identifying residents and staff infected with COVID-19.
     Impacts on the prevention and spread of SARS-CoV-2, 
implementation of best practice safety measures; improvement of quality 
of care for residents with mild and asymptomatic cases; and reduction 
of social isolation for residents, families, and staff.
    The primary data collection includes the following activities:
    Survey of all (approximately 15,000) nursing homes eligible for the 
COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund. Separate survey instruments will be used 
for Network participants (``Participant Survey'') and non-participants 
(``Non-Participant Survey''). The Participant Survey will be conducted 
primarily via a secure web-based platform. The Non-Participant Survey 
will be conducted via web and telephone.
    Key informant interviews with up to 96 individuals from 32 nursing 
homes participating in the Network across all assessment domains, 
conducted virtually on a secure platform.
    Information collected will inform whether and how the Network 
activities aided the nursing homes' efforts to mitigate the challenges 
posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This data collection effort will also 
provide information on why nursing homes may not have been able to 
participate in the Network (Non-Participant Survey). Findings from the 
assessment will allow AHRQ to:
     Assess the Network's reach and the effectiveness of the 
retention and engagement strategies;
     Study implementation of the Network's training sessions, 
mentorship and technical assistance activities, and dissemination of 
the safety and quality improvement tools;
     Study the Network's impact on ensuring availability of 
protective equipment, rapid identification of nursing home residents 
and staff infected with SARS-CoV-2, entry and transmission of COVID-19, 
and improving health outcomes; and
     Study the long-term impact, sustainability, and 
replicability of the training program and Network activities to address 
other patient safety and quality improvement priorities.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Survey. The nursing home survey will have two survey instruments:

--Participant Survey for nursing home facilities that participated in 
the Network
--Non-Participant Survey for nursing homes that did not participate in 
the Network

    For the Participant Survey we expect that 1,804 participants (20% 
response rate) will agree to participate on behalf of their facilities 
and that the survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. For the 
Non-Participant Survey, we expect that 1,264 participants will agree to 
participate (20% response rate) on behalf of their facilities and that 
the survey will take about 5 minutes to complete. This estimate is 
based on prior provider survey experience and the response rate for an 
earlier customer satisfaction survey, which was approximately 20%.
    Key Informant Interviews. Key informant interviews will be 
conducted with up to 32 nursing homes (up to 3 staff from each nursing 
home in each interview, for a total of 96 staff) involved in the 
Network. All interviews are expected to last 30 minutes, including time 
for respondents to provide verbal consent for participation and ask any 
questions at the start.
    The total annual burden hours for the survey and key informant 
interviews are estimated to be 744 hours, as shown in Exhibit 1.

                                  Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of     Total burden    Total burden
                            Form name                               respondents        hours           hours
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Survey instrument--participant..................................           1,804            0.33             595
Survey instrument--nonparticipant...............................           1,264            0.08             101
Nursing Home Key Informant Interview (Management)...............              96            0.50              48
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           3,164  ..............             744
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    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annual cost burden associated with 
the respondents' time to participate in this information collection, 
which comes to $45,242.64.

                                   Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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                                                                                  Average hourly
                    Form name                        Number of     Total burden    wage rate **     Total cost
                                                    respondents        hours            ($)         burden ($)
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Survey instrument--participant..................           1,804             595       \1\ 60.81       36,181.95
Survey instrument--nonparticipant...............           1,264             101       \1\ 60.81        6,141.81
Nursing Home Key Informant Interview                          96              48       \1\ 60.81        2,918.88
 (Management)...................................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           3,164             744  ..............       45,242.64
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** Wage rates were calculated using the mean hourly wage from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
  Statistics, May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for the United States, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm.
\1\ Average rate for Nursing Care Facilities: Management Occupations.
\2\ Average rate for Nursing Care Facilities: All Occupations.


[[Page 69651]]

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: December 2, 2021.
Marquita Cullom,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-26561 Filed 12-7-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P