Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
| Published date | 10 June 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 35425 |
| Record Number | 2020-12565 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality,Health And Human Services Department |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 112 (Wednesday, June 10, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 112 (Wednesday, June 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35425-35427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12565]
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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: ``Generic Clearance for Questionnaire and Data Collection
Testing, Evaluation, and Research for the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality.''
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by 60 days after date
of publication of this notice.
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
Generic Clearance for Questionnaire and Data Collection Testing,
Evaluation, and Research for the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) requests that
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reapprove generic pre-testing
Clearance 0935-0124 for three years to facilitate AHRQ's efforts to (1)
employ evaluation-type methods and techniques to improve AHRQ's current
data collection and estimation procedures, (2) develop new collections
and procedures, including toolkits, and (3) revise existing collections
and procedures. AHRQ believes that developing, testing, and evaluating
data collection and estimation procedures using survey methods and
other techniques in anticipation of agency-sponsored studies can
improve its information collection efforts, and the products it
develops and allow AHRQ to be more responsive to fast-changing
developments in the health care research field. AHRQ uses techniques to
simplify data collection and estimation procedures, reduce respondent
burden, and improve efficiencies to meet the needs of individuals and
small business respondents who may have reduced budgets and staff.
This clearance request is limited to research on data collection,
toolkit development, and estimation procedures and reports and does not
extend to the collection of data for public release or policy
formation. The current Clearance (0935-0124) was granted on November 3,
2017, and expires on November 30, 2020.
This generic clearance will allow AHRQ to draft and test toolkits,
survey instruments and other data collection and estimation procedures
more quickly and with greater lead time, thereby managing project time
more efficiently and improving the quality of the data AHRQ collects.
In some instances, the ability to test and evaluate toolkits, data
collection and estimation procedures in anticipation of work or early
in a project may result in the decision not to proceed with additional
activities, which could save both public and private resources and
eliminate respondent burden.
This generic clearance will facilitate AHRQ's response to a
changing environment. Many of the tools AHRQ develops are made
available to the private sector to assist in improving health care
quality. The health and health care environment changes rapidly and
requires a quick response from AHRQ to provide refined tools.
These preliminary research activities will not be used by AHRQ to
regulate or sanction its customers. They will be entirely voluntary and
the confidentiality of respondents and their responses will be
preserved. Proposed information collections submitted under this
generic clearance will be submitted for review by OMB with a response
expected in 14 days.
[[Page 35426]]
Method of Collection
The information collected through preliminary research activities
under this generic clearance will be used by AHRQ to employ techniques
to (1) improve AHRQ's current data collection and estimation
procedures, (2) develop new collections and procedures, including
toolkits, and (3) revise existing collections and procedures in
anticipation or in response to changes in the health or health care
field. The end result will be improvement in AHRQ's data collections
and procedures and the quality of data collected, a reduction or
minimization of respondent burden, increased agency efficiency, and
improved responsiveness to the public.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated burden hours, over the full three
years of this clearance, for the respondents' time to participate in
the research activities that may be conducted under this generic
clearance. Mail surveys will be conducted with about 6,000 persons
(2,000 per year for three years) and are estimated to average 20
minutes. Mail surveys may also be sent to respondents via email, and
may include a telephone non-response follow-up. Telephone non-response
follow-up for mailed surveys is not counted as a telephone survey in
Exhibit 1. Not more than 600 persons, over three years, will
participate in telephone surveys that will take about 40 minutes. Web-
based surveys will be conducted with no more than 3,000 persons and
will require no more than 10 minutes to complete. About 1,500 persons
will participate in focus groups which may last up to two hours, while
in-person interviews will be conducted with 600 persons and will take
about 50 minutes. Automated data collection will be conducted for about
1,500 persons and could take up to 1 hour. Cognitive testing will be
conducted with about 600 persons and is estimated to take 1\1/2\ hours
to complete. The total burden over three years is estimated to be 8,900
hours (about 2,967 hours per year).
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated cost burden over three years, based
on the respondents' time to participate in these research activities.
The total cost burden is estimated to be $357,869.
Exhibit 1--Estimated Burden Hours Over Three Years
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Number of
Type of information collection Number of responses per Hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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Mail/email \*\.................................. 6,000 1 20/60 2,000
Telephone....................................... 600 1 40/60 400
Web-based....................................... 3,000 1 10/60 500
Focus Groups.................................... 1,500 1 2.0 3,000
In-person....................................... 600 1 1.0 600
Automated \**\.................................. 1,500 1 1.0 1,500
Cognitive Testing \***\......................... 600 1 1.5 900
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Totals...................................... 13,800 na na 8,900
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* May include telephone non-response follow-up in which case the burden will not change
** May include testing of database software, CAPI software or other automated technologies.
*** May include cognitive interviews for questionnaire or toolkit development, or ``think aloud'' testing of
prototype websites.
Exhibit 2--Estimated Cost Burden Over Three Years
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Average
Type of information collection Number of Total burden hourly wage Total cost
respondents hours rate * burden
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Mail/email...................................... 6,000 2,000 $40.21 $ 80,420
Telephone....................................... 600 400 40.21 16,084
Web-based....................................... 3,000 500 40.21 20,105
Focus Groups.................................... 1,500 3,000 40.21 120,630
In-person....................................... 600 600 40.21 24,126
Automated....................................... 1,500 1,500 40.21 60,315
Cognitive Testing............................... 600 900 40.21 36,189
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Totals...................................... 13,800 8,900 na 357,869
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* Bureau of Labor & Statistics on ``Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019'' found at the following URL:
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#b29-0000.htm for the respondents.
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 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.
[[Page 35427]]
Dated: June 5, 2020.
Virginia L. Mackay-Smith,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-12565 Filed 6-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
