Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 38397-38399 [2011-16213]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices
delivery, please call (800) 444–6472 in
advance to schedule delivery.
The Office of Minority Health strongly
encourages commenters to submit
comments via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal. Comments received, including
any personal information, will be posted
without change to the docket at https://
www.regulations.gov as they are
submitted, usually within 1 week after
submission. While the comment period
remains open, individuals may also
provide comments in response to
already submitted comments that have
been posted to the docket.
The submission of comments in
response to this notice should not
exceed 5 pages, not including
appendices and supplemental
documents. Any information you
submit will be made public.
Consequently, do not send proprietary,
commercial, financial, business
confidential, trade secret, or personal
information that you do not wish to be
made public.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rochelle Rollins, PhD, MPH, Office of
Minority Health, 1101 Wootton
Parkway, Suite 600, Rockville, MD
20852; Phone (800) 444–6472; E-mail
ACASection4302@hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Introduction
DHHS reports, dating back to the
landmark 1985 Secretary’s Task Force
on Black and Minority Health, note the
critical importance of rich data systems
and culturally competent research to
understand and reduce health
disparities among population
subgroups. Such disparities reflect the
interactive effects of multiple social,
economic, behavioral, and
environmental determinants of health,
including access to high quality health
care services. Data improvement efforts
enhance the ability of the public health
and healthcare systems to identify and
track disparities in health and health
care, and facilitate greater accountability
for reducing them. Although there have
been government-wide standards for the
collection of race and ethnicity for many
years, the lack of standards related to
data collection on population subgroups
defined by other characteristics—such
as primary language and disability—
remains a challenge for reporting and
tracking data on health disparities.
Overview of Section 4302 of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act includes
multiple provisions aimed at
eliminating health disparities in
America. Section 4302 (Understanding
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38397
health disparities: Data collection and
analysis) of the Affordable Care Act
focuses on the standardization,
collection, analysis, and reporting of
health disparities data. While data alone
will not reduce disparities, it can be
foundational to our efforts to
characterize the disparities, design
effective responses, and evaluate our
progress.
Section 4302 begins by requiring the
Secretary of DHHS to establish data
collection standards for race, ethnicity,
sex, primary language, and disability
status. The law requires that, once
established, these data collection
standards be used, to the extent
practicable, in HHS national population
health surveys. The law also requires
that any DHHS data standards be in
compliance with standards created by
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), such as those for race and
ethnicity. As such, OMB’s standards are
not the subject of comment in this
notice.
The focus of this announcement is for
data collection standards related to race,
ethnicity, primary language, sex, and
disability status, as outlined in Section
4302 of the Affordable Care Act. The
law also requires that these data
collection standards be used for the
purposes of measuring quality and
reporting for any federally sponsored,
federally conducted, or supported
health care or public health program,
activity, or survey. Additional
subsections of the law relate to data
collection standards require the
Department to develop data collection
standards for access to care for persons
with disabilities. The law also gives the
Secretary the authority to require that
additional demographic data be
collected on all Departmental surveys
and to develop appropriate data
collection standards. The full text of
Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act
can be found at minorityhealth.hhs.gov/
section4302.
purposes and methods of population
health surveys for self-reported data.
The proposed data collection
standards and rationale are for race,
ethnicity, primary language, sex, and
disability status and pertain only to selfreported data. These proposed data
collection standards represent the first
round of implementation of Section
4302 of the Affordable Care Act related
to race, ethnicity, sex, primary language
and disability status. Implementation
efforts related to additional subsections
of Section 4302 of the Affordable Care
Act continue.
The Department is also in the process
of developing and validating standard
approaches for collecting data about
sexual orientation and gender identity.
With this notice, the Office of
Minority Health requests comment from
the public and interested stakeholders
on the proposed data collection
standards for race, ethnicity, sex,
primary language, and disability status.
The text of the proposed data
standards is available in HTML and PDF
formats through the Office of Minority
Health Web site at
minorityhealth.hhs.gov/section4302 and
the https://www.regulations.gov, docket
ID number HHS–OMH–2011–0013. The
full text of Section 4302 of the
Affordable Care Act can be found at
minorityhealth.hhs.gov/section4302. For
those who may not have Internet access,
a hard copy can be requested from the
point of contact, Rochelle Rollins, PhD,
MPH, Office of the Minority Health,
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 600,
Rockville, MD 20852; Phone (800) 444–
6472; E-mail ACASection4302@hhs.gov.
Implementation of Section 4302 of the
Affordable Care Act
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
The Department proposed data
collection standards for race, ethnicity,
sex, primary language and disability
status were guided by existing federal
data standards, the results of studies
and public reports, consultation with
statistical agencies and programs, and
the expertise of subject matter experts
who have leadership roles with
collecting and analyzing this type of
data. The focus was to develop data
collection standards for race, ethnicity,
sex, primary language and disability
status that are appropriate for the
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality
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June 24, 2011.
Garth Graham,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority
Health, Office of Assistant Secretary for
Health .
[FR Doc. 2011–16435 Filed 6–29–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4151–05–P
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
This notice announces the
intention of the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request
that the Office of Management and
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices
Budget (OMB) approve the proposed
information collection project: ‘‘Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance
Component 2012–2013.’’ 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 August 29, 2011.
Written comments should
be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at doris.lefkowitz@AHRO.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
e-mail at
doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
ADDRESSES:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—
Insurance Component 2012–2013
Employer-sponsored health insurance
is the source of coverage for 85 million
current and former workers, plus many
of their family members, and is a
cornerstone of the U.S. health care
system. The Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey—Insurance Component (MEPS–
IC) measures the extent, cost, and
coverage of employer-sponsored health
insurance on an annual basis. These
statistics are produced at the National,
State, and sub-State (metropolitan area)
level for private industry. Statistics are
also produced for State and Local
governments.
This research has the following goals:
(1) To provide data for Federal
policymakers evaluating the effects of
National and State health care reforms;
(2) To provide descriptive data on the
current employer-sponsored health
insurance system and data for modeling
the differential impacts of proposed
health policy initiatives; and
(3) To supply critical State and
National estimates of health insurance
spending for the National Health
Accounts and Gross Domestic Product.
This study is being conducted by
AHRQ through an interagency
agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau
and pursuant to AHRQ’s statutory
authority to conduct surveys to collect
data on the cost, use and quality of
health care, including the types and
costs of private health insurance. 42
U.S.C. 299b–2(a).
Method of Collection
To achieve the goals of this project the
following data collections for both
private sector and state and local
government employers will be
implemented:
(1) Prescreener Questionnaire—The
purpose of the Prescreener
Questionnaire, which is collected via
telephone, varies depending on the
insurance status of the establishment
contacted. (Establishment is defined as
a single, physical location in the private
sector and a governmental unit in state
and local governments.) For
establishments that do not offer health
insurance to their employees, the
prescreener is used to collect basic
information such as number of
employees. Collection is completed for
these establishments through this
telephone call. For establishments that
do offer health insurance, contact name
and address information is collected
that is used for the mailout of the
establishment and plan questionnaires.
Obtaining this contact information helps
ensure that the questionnaires are
directed to the person in the
establishment best equipped to
complete them.
(2) Establishment Questionnaire—The
purpose of the mailed Establishment
Questionnaire is to obtain general
information from employers that
provide health insurance to their
employees. Information such as total
active enrollment in health insurance,
other employee benefits, waiting
periods, and retiree health insurance is
collected through the establishment
questionnaire.
(3) Plan Questionnaire—The purpose
of the mailed Plan Questionnaire is to
collect plan-specific information on
each plan (up to four plans) offered by
establishments that provide health
insurance to their employees. This
questionnaire obtains information on
total premiums, employer and employee
contributions to the premium, and plan
enrollment for each type of coverage
offered—single, employee-plus-one, and
family—within a plan. It also asks for
information on deductibles, copays, and
other plan characteristics. This
information is needed in order to
provide the tools for Federal, State, and
academic researchers to evaluate current
and proposed health policies and to
support the production of important
statistical measures for other Federal
agencies.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated
annualized burden hours for the
respondent’s time to provide the
requested data. The Prescreener
questionnaire will be completed by
31,552 respondents and takes about 51⁄2
minutes to complete. The Establishment
questionnaire will be completed by
25,839 respondents and takes about 23
minutes to complete. The Plan
questionnaire will be completed by
23,230 respondents and will require an
average of 2.1 responses per respondent.
Each Plan questionnaire takes about 11
minutes to complete. The total
annualized burden hours are estimated
to be 21,440 hours.
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated
annualized cost burden associated with
the respondents’ time to participate in
this data collection. The annualized cost
burden is estimated to be $614,256.
EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS
Number of
respondents
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Form name
Number of
responses per
respondent
Hours per
response
Total burden
hours
Prescreener Questionnaire ..............................................................................
Establishment Questionnaire ...........................................................................
Plan Questionnaire ..........................................................................................
31,552
25,839
23,230
1
1
2.1
0.09
0.38
0.18
2,840
9,819
8,781
Total ..........................................................................................................
80,621
na
na
21,440
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices
EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN
Number of
respondents
Form name
Total burden
hours
Average hourly wage rate*
Total cost
burden
Prescreener Questionnaire ..............................................................................
Establishment Questionnaire ...........................................................................
Plan Questionnaire ..........................................................................................
31,552
25,839
23,230
2,840
9,819
8,781
28.65
28.65
28.65
$81,366
281,314
251,576
Total ..........................................................................................................
80,621
21,440
na
$614,256
* Based upon the mean hourly wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists occupation code 13–1141, at https://www.bls.gov/
oes/current/oes_nat.htm#13-0000 (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.)
Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal
Government
The total cost over the 2 years of this
clearance is $22,954,000.
Exhibit 3 shows the estimated
annualized cost of this data collection.
EXHIBIT 3—ESTIMATED TOTAL AND ANNUALIZED COST
[$ thousands]
Cost component
Total cost
Annualized
cost
Project Development .......................................................................................................................................................
Data Collection Activities .................................................................................................................................................
Data Processing and Analysis .........................................................................................................................................
Project Management ........................................................................................................................................................
Overhead .........................................................................................................................................................................
$3,338
7,789
7,789
2,925
1,113
$1,669
3,895
3,895
1,463
557
Total ..........................................................................................................................................................................
$22,954
$11,477
NOTE: Components may not sum to Total due to rounding.
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 healthcare
research and healthcare 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: June 17, 2011.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2011–16213 Filed 6–29–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160–90–M
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
[Docket Number CDC–2011–0008]
Assessing the Current Research,
Policy, and Practice Environment in
Public Health Genomics
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice; establishment of docket;
request for comments, data and
information.
AGENCY:
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), located
within the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) is announcing
the opening of a docket to solicit
comments, data, and other information
helpful to assess the current research,
policy, and practice environment in
public health genomics. HHS/CDC is
currently leading a process to assess the
most important steps for public health
genomics in the next five years.
DATES: Electronic or written comments
must be received on or before August 1,
2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments to the following address:
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
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Office of Public Health Genomics,
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE.,
MS–E61, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, Attn:
Docket No. CDC–2011–0008.
You may also submit comments
electronically to https://
www.regulations.gov, Docket No. CDC–
2011–0008. Please follow directions at
https://wwww.regulations.gov to submit
comments. All relevant comments
received will be posted publicly without
change, including any personal or
proprietary information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Katherine Kolor, PhD, Office of Public
Health Genomics, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton
Road, NE., MS–E61, Atlanta, GA 30333,
e-mail genetics@cdc.gov, phone 404–
498–0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Since 1997, the Office of Public
Health Genomics (OPHG) of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has worked to integrate genomics
into public health research, policy, and
programs, which could improve
interventions designed to prevent and
control the country’s leading chronic,
infectious, environmental, and
occupational diseases. OPHG’s efforts
focus on conducting population-based
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38397-38399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16213]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
[[Page 38398]]
Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project:
``Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component 2012-2013.'' 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 August 29, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by e-mail at
doris.lefkowitz@AHRO.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 e-mail at
doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component 2012-2013
Employer-sponsored health insurance is the source of coverage for
85 million current and former workers, plus many of their family
members, and is a cornerstone of the U.S. health care system. The
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey--Insurance Component (MEPS-IC)
measures the extent, cost, and coverage of employer-sponsored health
insurance on an annual basis. These statistics are produced at the
National, State, and sub-State (metropolitan area) level for private
industry. Statistics are also produced for State and Local governments.
This research has the following goals:
(1) To provide data for Federal policymakers evaluating the effects
of National and State health care reforms;
(2) To provide descriptive data on the current employer-sponsored
health insurance system and data for modeling the differential impacts
of proposed health policy initiatives; and
(3) To supply critical State and National estimates of health
insurance spending for the National Health Accounts and Gross Domestic
Product.
This study is being conducted by AHRQ through an interagency
agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau and pursuant to AHRQ's statutory
authority to conduct surveys to collect data on the cost, use and
quality of health care, including the types and costs of private health
insurance. 42 U.S.C. 299b-2(a).
Method of Collection
To achieve the goals of this project the following data collections
for both private sector and state and local government employers will
be implemented:
(1) Prescreener Questionnaire--The purpose of the Prescreener
Questionnaire, which is collected via telephone, varies depending on
the insurance status of the establishment contacted. (Establishment is
defined as a single, physical location in the private sector and a
governmental unit in state and local governments.) For establishments
that do not offer health insurance to their employees, the prescreener
is used to collect basic information such as number of employees.
Collection is completed for these establishments through this telephone
call. For establishments that do offer health insurance, contact name
and address information is collected that is used for the mailout of
the establishment and plan questionnaires. Obtaining this contact
information helps ensure that the questionnaires are directed to the
person in the establishment best equipped to complete them.
(2) Establishment Questionnaire--The purpose of the mailed
Establishment Questionnaire is to obtain general information from
employers that provide health insurance to their employees. Information
such as total active enrollment in health insurance, other employee
benefits, waiting periods, and retiree health insurance is collected
through the establishment questionnaire.
(3) Plan Questionnaire--The purpose of the mailed Plan
Questionnaire is to collect plan-specific information on each plan (up
to four plans) offered by establishments that provide health insurance
to their employees. This questionnaire obtains information on total
premiums, employer and employee contributions to the premium, and plan
enrollment for each type of coverage offered--single, employee-plus-
one, and family--within a plan. It also asks for information on
deductibles, copays, and other plan characteristics. This information
is needed in order to provide the tools for Federal, State, and
academic researchers to evaluate current and proposed health policies
and to support the production of important statistical measures for
other Federal agencies.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the
respondent's time to provide the requested data. The Prescreener
questionnaire will be completed by 31,552 respondents and takes about
5\1/2\ minutes to complete. The Establishment questionnaire will be
completed by 25,839 respondents and takes about 23 minutes to complete.
The Plan questionnaire will be completed by 23,230 respondents and will
require an average of 2.1 responses per respondent. Each Plan
questionnaire takes about 11 minutes to complete. The total annualized
burden hours are estimated to be 21,440 hours.
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated
with the respondents' time to participate in this data collection. The
annualized cost burden is estimated to be $614,256.
Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of
Form name Number of responses per Hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prescreener Questionnaire....................... 31,552 1 0.09 2,840
Establishment Questionnaire..................... 25,839 1 0.38 9,819
Plan Questionnaire.............................. 23,230 2.1 0.18 8,781
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total....................................... 80,621 na na 21,440
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 38399]]
Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Total burden Average hourly Total cost
Form name respondents hours wage rate* burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prescreener Questionnaire....................... 31,552 2,840 28.65 $81,366
Establishment Questionnaire..................... 25,839 9,819 28.65 281,314
Plan Questionnaire.............................. 23,230 8,781 28.65 251,576
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total....................................... 80,621 21,440 na $614,256
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Based upon the mean hourly wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists occupation code 13-
1141, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#13-0000 (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.)
Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government
Exhibit 3 shows the estimated annualized cost of this data
collection. The total cost over the 2 years of this clearance is
$22,954,000.
Exhibit 3--Estimated Total and Annualized Cost
[$ thousands]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annualized
Cost component Total cost cost
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Development........................... $3,338 $1,669
Data Collection Activities.................... 7,789 3,895
Data Processing and Analysis.................. 7,789 3,895
Project Management............................ 2,925 1,463
Overhead...................................... 1,113 557
-------------------------
Total..................................... $22,954 $11,477
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Components may not sum to Total due to rounding.
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 healthcare research and
healthcare 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: June 17, 2011.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-16213 Filed 6-29-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M
