Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2016)
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2016)
Notices
Pages 17714-17715
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2016-07118
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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: ``Survey of Hospital Quality Leaders.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 31, 2016.
Page 17715
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
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 doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Survey of Hospital Quality Leaders
The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPSsupreg) Hospital Survey (HCAHPS) was first implemented on a voluntary basis in 2006 to assess patients' experiences with care. Today, hospitals subject to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) annual payment update provisions are required to collect and submit HCAHPS data in order to receive their full annual payment update. In addition, HCAHPS performance was added to the calculation of the value-based incentive payment in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (Hospital VBP) program, beginning with discharges in October 2012. The FY 2015 Hospital VBP program links 30% of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System hospitals' payment from CMS to HCAHPS performance.
Despite the high stakes associated with HCAHPS scores, little is known about the ways in which hospitals are using HCAHPS data and supplemental information about patient experience to understand and improve their patients' experiences.
This research has the following goals:
(1) To characterize the role of HCAHPS in hospitals' efforts to improve patient experiences
(2) to identify the types of quality improvement activities that hospitals implement to improve their HCAHPS scores
(3) to describe hospitals' perspectives on HCAHPS
(4) to determine the types of information collected by hospitals beyond those required for Hospital VBP
This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor, the RAND Corporation, pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and support research on health care and on systems for the delivery of such care, including activities with respect to the quality, effectiveness, efficiency, appropriateness and value of health care services and with respect to quality measurement and improvement. 42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(1) and (2).
Method of Collection
Survey of Hospital Quality Leaders: This survey will elicit information from approximately 500 hospital quality leaders in a variety of hospital settings, including high- and low-performing hospitals, facilities of varying sizes, and hospitals representing all nine geographic Census divisions. Hospital quality leaders will be asked to provide information about the use of HCAHPS in their hospital, with questions addressing all of the substantive areas identified in the goals section above.
Characterizing hospitals' use of HCAHPS data will provide important insight into the activities hospitals conduct to improve patient experience scores. This information may be useful in supporting hospitals that lag behind their peers, learning from hospitals with outstanding records of patient experience, and providing recommendations that may be used to refine HCAHPS survey content.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Table 1 shows the estimated annualized burden and cost for the respondents' time to participate in this data collection. These burden estimates are based on tests of data collection conducted on nine or fewer entities. As indicated below, the annual total burden hours are estimated to be 294 hours. The annual total cost associated with the annual total burden hours is estimated to be $14,708.
Table 1 shows the estimated annualized burden for the respondents' time to participate in this data collection. The Survey of Hospital Quality Leaders will be administered to 500 individuals. Prior work suggests that 3-5 items can typically be completed per minute, depending on item complexity and respondent characteristics, (Hays & Reeve, 2010; Berry, 2009). We have calculated our burden estimate using a conservative estimate of 4.5 items per minute. The survey contains 159 items and is thus estimated to require an average administration time of 35 minutes. As indicated below, the annual total burden hours are estimated to be 294 hours.
Table 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours and Cost
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Number of Average
Collection task Number of responses per Hours per Total burden hourly wage Total cost
respondents respondent response hours rate * burden
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Survey of Hospital Quality Leaders...................... 500 1 .59 294 $49.96 $14,708
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Totals.............................................. .............. .............. .............. 294 .............. $14,708
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* Based upon mean hourly wages, ``National Compensation Survey: All United States December 2009-January 2011,'' U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
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 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.
Sharon B. Arnold,
Acting Director.
FR Doc. 2016-07118 Filed 3-29-16; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
