[Federal Register: November 29, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 229)]
[Notices]
[Page 67595-67596]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29no07-22]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOD-2007-HA-0116]
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health
Affairs, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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In accordance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Health Affairs announces the proposed revision of a public information
collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. 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 information
collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of
the information collection on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received January 28,
2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and
title, by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 1160
Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1160.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request information on this
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments, please write to the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD), TRICARE
Management Activity (TMA), HPA&E, Attn: Richard R. Bannick, Ph.D., 5111
Leesburg Pike, Suite 810, Falls Church, VA 22041-3206.
Title and OMB Number: Surveys on Viability of TRICARE Standard and
TRICARE Extra; OMB Control Number 0720-0031.
Needs and Uses: As mandated by Congress, confidential surveys of
civilian health care providers and beneficiaries who use TRICARE will
be completed in TRICARE market areas within the United States. The
provider survey will be used to determine how many providers accept new
TRICARE Standard patients in each market. area. Surveys will be
conducted in at least 40 locations in the United States each fiscal
year from 2008 to 2011. Twenty locations will be TRICARE PRIME Service
Areas and twenty locations will be geographic areas where TRICARE Prime
is not offered.
Affected Public: Individuals and households.
Annual Burden Hours: 3,333.
Number of Respondents: 40,000.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Average Burden per Response: 5 minutes.
Frequency: On occasion.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Summary of Information Collection
The Health Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate (HPA&E)
under the authority of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
(Health Affairs)/TRICARE Management Activity
[[Page 67596]]
(OASD(HA)/TMA) will undertake an evaluation of the DoD's TRICARE
Standard healthcare option. HPA&E will collect and analyze data that
are necessary to meet the requirements outlined in section 702 of the
Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for
FY2008.
Activities include the collection and analyses of data obtained
confidentially from civilian physicians (M.D.s & D.O.s) and at least
psychologists within U.S. geographic areas. Specifically, mail surveys
with telephone follow-up of civilian providers will be conducted in the
TRICARE market areas to determine how many healthcare providers are
accepting new patients under TRICARE Standard in each market area. The
surveys will be conducted in at least 40 TRICARE geographic areas in
the United States each fiscal year through and including fiscal year
2011. Representatives of TRICARE beneficiaries and selected provider
groups will be consulted to identify potential locations.
In addition, section 702 of the FY 2008 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) requires the Department to conduct annual
surveys of beneficiary access experience and the availability to access
civilian providers under TRICARE Standard and Extra program through FY
2011. These issues address the interests of Congress in reconciliation
of responses of providers and beneficiaries who use TRICARE.
Surveys of civilian healthcare providers (M.D.s and D.O.s) and
beneficiaries eligible for TRICARE Standard/Extra care will be
conducted in at least 40 TRICARE Prime service areas each year. The
objective of this effort is to determine if TRICARE beneficiaries have
difficulty in finding health care providers willing to provide services
under Standard or Extra, and the extent to which providers in the area
participate in Standard/Extra.
Dated: November 15, 2007.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 07-5858 Filed 11-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-M