[Federal Register: November 15, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 220)]
[Notices]               
[Page 64229-64230]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15no07-79]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-08-0728]

 
Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-5960 or send an e-mail 
to omb@cdc.gov. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-6974. 
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    The National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS)--
Extension--National Center for Public Health Informatics (NCPHI), 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC is responsible for the 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). Since April 1984, CDC Epidemiology Program Office (EPO) has been 
working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists 
(CSTE) to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of computer 
transmission of surveillance data between CDC and the state health 
departments.
    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 (OMB numbers 0920-0447 and 0920-0007).
    Beginning in 1999, CDC, Epidemiology Program Office (EPO) worked 
with CSTE, state and local public health system staff, and other CDC 
disease prevention and control program staff to identify information 
categories and information technology standards to support integrated 
disease surveillance. That effort is now focused on development and 
completion of the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System 
(NEDSS), coordinated by CDC's National Center for Public Health 
Informatics, Division of Integrated Surveillance Systems and Services 
(DISSS).
    States will continue to use portions of NETSS to transmit data to 
CDC. One of the reasons for providing NETSS to NEDSS data mapping is to 
identify what data elements in NETSS correspond to data elements in 
NEDSS. Those elements mapped from NETSS to NEDSS were collected in OMB 
number 0920-0007.
    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 
includes 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 has developed an information system, the 
NEDSS Base System (NBS), which uses NEDSS technical and information 
standards. The NBS is currently deployed to 16 states, including AL, 
AR, ID, MD, ME, MT, NE, NM, NV, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, and WY.
    CDC is requesting a three-year OMB clearance extension of 
collecting the NEDSS data. There are no costs to respondents other than 
their time. The average total annualized burden for the Weekly 
Morbidity Reports and the Annual Summary Report is 9,384 hours.

[[Page 64230]]



                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                    Number of     Average burden
                          Respondents                               Number of     responses per    per response
                                                                   respondents     respondent       (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Weekly Reporting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
States.........................................................              50              52              3
Territories....................................................               5              52              1.5
Cities.........................................................               2              52              3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Annual Reporting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
States.........................................................              50               1             16
Territories....................................................               5               1             10
Cities.........................................................               2               1             16
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    Dated: November 8, 2007.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
 [FR Doc. E7-22315 Filed 11-14-07; 8:45 am]

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