[Federal Register: April 23, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 79)]
[Notices]
[Page 22044-22045]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ap04-74]
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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) allow the proposed information collection
project: ``CAHPS II Reports Laboratory Experiment''. This experiment
will assess the impact of improved data displays on consumers'
understanding and use of reports of health care quality. In accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), AHRQ
invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.
This proposed information collection was previously published in
the Federal Register on February 19, 2004 and allowed 60 days for
public comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this
notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by June 22, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Cynthia D.
McMichael, Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, 5640 Gaither Road, Suite
5022, Rockville, MD 20850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia D. McMichael, AHRQ, Reports
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1651.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project ``CAHPS II Reports Laboratory Experiment''
CAHPS II Reports Laboratory Experiment is designed to assess the
impact of improved data displays on consumers' understanding and use of
reports of health care quality and tests the impact of alternative
design features.
Getting consumers to pay attention to and use comparative quality
information continues to be a major challenge to CAHPS and other
quality reporting efforts, including efforts by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Committee for
Quality Assurance (NCQA), and others. We need to learn more about ways
to maximize the likelihood that consumers of health services will look
at and pay attention to quality information, understand and interpret
it accurately, use the information appropriate, and make ``effective''
choices based on the information.
This study will test the impact of alternative design features on
user comprehension of available health care quality information and on
its saliency to user decision-making. The study will assess ease of
navigation of alternative approaches and consumers' stated preferences
among the choices offered.
[[Page 22045]]
Study participants will be persons between 25-70 years old who have
health insurance and have had a visit to a doctor in the last 12
months. The quality information presented to study participants in this
laboratory experiment evaluating design alternatives will consist of
mock data on consumers' assessments of the care provided by their
physicians. The quality information will contain measures of physician
performance, with candidate measures including how well the doctor
scored on (1) listening carefully to patients; (2) giving explanations
that are easy to understand; (3) spending enough time with patients;
and (4) treating patients with courtesy and respect. The quality
information also will include ratings of doctor's staff, for example,
office staff that are as helpful as they should be and office staff who
treat patients with courtesy and respect.
Finally, the quality information will include measures of access to
care, such as being able to make appointments as soon as needed, a
reasonable amount of time waiting in the doctor's office, and access to
extended hours of service. The exact quality measures on which we will
present information will be determined during preliminary testing.
Data Confidentiality Provisions
To protect subject confidentiality, the following procedures will
be employed:
Upon arriving at the testing location and prior
to participation, each subject will receive and sign the consent form,
approved by the grantee's Institutional Review Boards, that contains
information about their rights as a subject and the measures being
taken to safeguard confidentiality. A test administrator will verbally
repeat and explain the information in the form at the beginning of the
testing session. Subjects will be informed that their participation is
voluntary and that they have the right to refuse to answer any
questions or to stop participating at any point during the testing
session.
All subject materials will be marked with a
unique ID number, rather than the subject's names. Subjects' names will
never be linked with their individual answers. Any information linking
subject names and ID numbers will be kept in a secure location and will
be accessible only to members of the project team. Subject names will
not be shares with anyone outside of the project team.
All information will be aggregated and reported
at the group, rather than the individual, level.
During portions of the testing session that will
be video-taped (i.e., the taping of the ``choose a doctor'' and
comprehension questions to gather timing data), we will refer to the
subjects by first name only. The videotapes will be marked with subject
ID numbers and will be stored in a secure location. The tapes will be
used only for analysis purposes by project team members.
Subjects will be informed that participation is
voluntary.
All completed subject materials (e.g.,
recruitment screeners, questionnaires, tapes, consent forms, incentive
receipt forms) will be kept in a secure location accessible only to
members of the project team.
All completed questionnaires, video tapes and
other subject materials will be destroyed no later than 12 months
following the end of the CAHPS II project.
Methods of Collection
The data will be collected using a pencil and paper.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
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Estimated time Estimated Estimated
Survey Number of per respondent total burden annual cost to
respondents hours hours the government
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A. Potential participants who did not enroll in 100 .10 10 $1000
study..........................................
B. Potential participants who did enroll in 350 .25 62.5 6250
study..........................................
C. Actual number of participants in laboratory 210 2.0 420 39500
experiment (subset of B).......................
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Total (A+B)................................. 350 1.4 492.5 46,750
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Request for Comments
In accordance with the above cited Paperwork Reduction Act
legislation, 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
functions of AHRQ, including whether the information will have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of AHRQ's estimate of burden
(including ours and cost) 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 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 request for OMB approval of the proposed
information collection. All comments will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: April 2, 2004.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director
[FR Doc. 04-9191 Filed 4-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M