Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
| Published date | 28 January 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 4985 |
| Record Number | 2020-01385 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality,Health And Human Services Department |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4985-4987]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01385]
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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: ``Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
(CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Database.'' In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this
proposed information collection.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by 60 days after date
of publication.
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
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health
Plan Survey Database
AHRQ requests that OMB reapprove AHRQ's collection of information
for the AHRQ Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
(CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Database: OMB Control number 0935-0165,
expiration May 31, 2020 (the CAHPS Health Plan Database). The CAHPS
Health Plan Database consists of data from the AHRQ CAHPS Health Plan
Survey. Health plans in the U.S. are asked to voluntarily submit data
from the survey to AHRQ, through its contractor, Westat. The CAHPS
Health Plan Database was developed by AHRQ in 1998 in response to
requests from health plans, purchasers, and the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide comparative data to support public
reporting of health plan ratings, health plan accreditation and quality
improvement.
This research has the following goals:
(1) To maintain the CAHPS Health Plan Database using data from
AHRQ's standardized CAHPS Health Plan Survey to provide results to
health care purchasers, consumers, regulators and policy makers across
the country.
(2) To offer several products and services, including aggregated
results presented through an Online Reporting System, summary
chartbooks, custom analyses, and data for research purposes.
(3) To provide data for AHRQ's annual National Healthcare Quality
and Disparities Report.
(4) To provide state-level data to CMS for public reporting on
Medicaid.gov and Data.Medicaid.gov that does not display the name of
the health plans.
Survey data from the CAHPS Health Plan Database is used to produce
four types of products: (1) An annual chartbook available to the public
on the CAHPS Database website (https://www.cahpsdatabase.ahrq.gov/CAHPSIDB/Public/Chartbook.aspx); (2) individual participant reports
that are confidential and customized for each participating
organization (e.g., health plan, Medicaid agency) that submits their
data; (3) a research database available to researchers wanting to
conduct additional analyses; and (4) data tables provided to AHRQ for
inclusion in the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports.
This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor,
Westat, 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 quality, effectiveness,
efficiency, appropriateness and value of healthcare services; quality
measurement and development, and database development. 42 U.S.C.
299a(a)(1), (2) and (8).
[[Page 4986]]
Method of Collection
To achieve the goals of this project the following data collections
will be implemented:
Health Plan Registration Form--The point-of-contact (POC),
often the sponsor from Medicaid agencies and health plans, completes a
number of data submission steps and forms, beginning with the
completion of the online registration form. The purpose of this form is
to collect basic contact information about the organization and
initiate the registration process.
Data Use Agreement--The purpose of the data use agreement,
completed by the participating sponsor organization, is to state how
data submitted by health plans will be used and provide confidentiality
assurances.
Health Plan Information Form--The purpose of this form,
completed by the participating sponsor organization, is to collect
background characteristics of the health plan.
Questionnaire Submission--POCs upload a copy of the
questionnaire used to ensure that it meets CAHPS Health Plan Survey
standards (the survey instrument must include all core questions, not
alter the wording of any core questions, and must not omit any of the
survey items related to respondent characteristics that are used for
case mix adjustment.)
Data Files Submission--POCs upload their data file using
the Health Plan data file specifications to ensure that users submit
standardized and consistent data in the way variables are named, coded,
and formatted.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated burden hours for the respondents to
participate in the database. The burden hours pertain only to the
collection of Medicaid data from State Medicaid agencies and individual
Medicaid health plans because those are the only entities that submit
data through the data submission process (other data are obtained from
CMS). The 85 POCs in Exhibit 1 are a combination of an estimated 75
State Medicaid agencies and individual health plans, and 10 vendor
organizations.
Each State Medicaid agency, health plan or vendor will register
online for submission. The online registration form will require about
5 minutes to complete. Each submitter will also complete a health plan
information form about each health plan, such as the name of the plan,
the product type (e.g., HMO, PPO), and the population surveyed (e.g.,
adult Medicaid or child Medicaid). Each year, the prior year's plan
data are preloaded in the plan table to lessen burden on the POC. The
POC is responsible for updating the plan table to reflect the current
year's plan information. The online health plan information form takes
on average 30 minutes to complete per health plan with each POC
completing the form for four plans on average. The data use agreement
will be completed by the 75 participating State Medicaid agencies or
individual health plans. Vendors do not sign or submit DUAs. The DUA
requires about 5 minutes to sign and upload. Each submitter will
provide a copy of their questionnaire and the survey data file in the
required file format. Survey data files must conform to the data file
layout specifications provided by the CAHPS Health Plan Database. Since
the unit of analysis is at the health plan level, submitters will
upload one data file per health plan. Once a data file is uploaded the
file will be checked automatically to ensure it conforms to the
specifications and a data file status report will be produced and made
available to the submitter. Submitters will review each report and will
be expected to fix any errors in their data file and resubmit if
necessary. It will take about 1 hour to submit the questionnaire and
data for each plan, and each POC will submit data for four plans on
average. The total burden is estimated to be 463 hours annually.
Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Number of
Form name respondents/ responses per Hours per Total burden
POCs POC response hours
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Registration Form............................... 85 1 5/60 7
Health Plan Information Form.................... 75 4 30/60 150
Data Use Agreement.............................. 75 1 5/60 6
Questionnaire and Data Files Submission......... 75 4 1 300
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Total....................................... 310 NA NA 463
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Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden based on the
respondents' time to complete one submission process. The cost burden
is estimated to be $22,083 annually.
Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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Number of Total burden Average hourly Total cost
Form name respondents hours wage rate * burden
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Registration Form............................... 85 7 \a\ 54.68 $383
Health Plan Information Form.................... 75 150 \a\ 54.68 8,202
Data Use Agreement.............................. 75 6 \b\ 96.22 577
Questionnaire and Data Files Submission......... 75 300 \c\ 43.07 12,921
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Total....................................... 310 463 NA 22,083
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* National Compensation Survey: Occupational wages in the United States May 2018, ``U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics.''
\a\ Based on the mean hourly wage for Medical and Health Services Managers (11-9111).
\b\ Based on the mean hourly wage for Chief Executives (11-1011).
\c\ Based on the mean hourly wages for Computer Programmer (15-1131).
[[Page 4987]]
Request for Comments
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
3501-3521, 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.
Dated: January 22, 2020.
Virginia L. Mackay-Smith,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-01385 Filed 1-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
