[Federal Register: January 29, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 19)]
[Notices]
[Page 4301-4302]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29ja04-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-04-23]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports
Clearance Officer on (404) 498-1210.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection 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 on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E11,
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days
of this notice.
Proposed Project: National Electronic Disease Surveillance System
(NEDSS)--New--Office of the Director (OD), Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
Background
CDC is responsible for the collection and dissemination of
nationally notifiable diseases' information and for monitoring and
reporting the impact of epidemic influenza on mortality, Public Health
Services Act (42 U.S.C. 241). In April 1984, CDC Epidemiology Program
Office (EPO) in cooperation with Cities, State and Territorial
Epidemiologists (CSTE) and epidemiologists in six states began a pilot
project, the Epidemiologic Surveillance Project (ESP), designed to
demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of computer transmission
of surveillance data between CDC and the state health departments. Each
state health department used its existing computerized disease
surveillance system to transmit specific data concerning each case of a
notifiable disease, and CDC technicians developed computer software to
automate the transfer of data from the state to CDC.
In June 1985, CSTE passed a resolution supporting ESP as a workable
system for electronic transmission of notifiable disease case reports
from the states/territories to CDC, and as the program was extended
beyond the original group of states, EPO began to provide software,
training and technical support to state health department staff
overseeing the transition from hard-copy to automated transmission of
surveillance data.
By 1989, all 50 states were using this computerized disease
surveillance system, which was then renamed the National Electronic
Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS) to reflect its
national scope. Core surveillance data are transmitted to CDC by the
states and territories through NETSS. NETSS has a standard record
format for data transmitted and does not require the use of a specific
software program. The ability of NETSS to accept records generated by
different software programs is what made it useful for the efficient
integration of surveillance systems nationwide.
Since 1999, CDC, Epidemiology Program Office (EPO) has worked with
CSTE, state and local public health system staff, and other CDC disease
prevention and control program staff to identify information and
information technology standards to support integrated disease
surveillance. That effort is now focused on development of the National
Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS), coordinated by CDC's
Deputy Director for Integrated Health Information Systems.
NEDSS will electronically integrate and link together a wide
variety of surveillance activities and will facilitate more accurate
and timely reporting of disease information to CDC and state and local
health departments. Consistent with recommendations supported by our
state and local surveillance partners and described in the 1995 report,
Integrating Public Health Information and Surveillance Systems, NEDSS
will include data standards, an internet based communications
infrastructure built on industry standards, and policy-level agreements
on data access, sharing, burden reduction, and protection of
confidentiality. To support NEDSS, CDC is supporting the development of
an information system, the NEDSS Base System (NBS), which will use
NEDSS technical and information standards, (http://www.cdc.gov/od/hissb/doc/NEDSSBaseSysDescription.pdf
). We are requesting a three-year
clearance of the NBS data that is not currently covered by an existing
clearance. There are currently no costs to respondents because their
costs will be covered by a grant from the CDC. However, there may be
future costs associated with their participation in the NBS.
[[Page 4302]]
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Average
No. of No. of burden/ Total
Respondents Activity respondents responses/ response burden
respondent (in hrs) hours
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State Health Departments............ Typing and gathering 16 10,000 2/60 5,333
of the data.
Transmission of the 16 52 1 832
data.
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Total........................... ...................... ........... ........... ........... 6,165
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Dated: January 22, 2004.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-1843 Filed 1-28-04; 8:45 am]
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