[Federal Register: March 14, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 51)]
[Notices]
[Page 13900-13901]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14mr08-73]
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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) approve the proposed information collection
project: ``Focus Groups on Consumer Engagement in Developing Electronic
Health Information Systems.'' 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 December 28th, 2007 and allowed 60 days for
public comment. 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 May 13, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by e-mail at
doris.lefkowitz@ahrq.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 email at
doris.letkowitz@ahrq.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project: ``Focus Groups on Consumer Engagement in Developing
Electronic Health Information Systems''
This project will consist of focus groups to gain insights into
healthcare consumers' awareness and perceptions of Health Information
Technology (IT), and how best to engage consumers in the development of
these technologies. AHRQ has so far invested significant resources in
initiatives to promote the planning and development of new Health IT
that should improve healthcare, lower healthcare costs, and improve
patient safety. For such benefits to be maximized, it is important to
understand how consumers view Heath IT and how to engage them in the
design and implementation of future innovations.
AHRQ will conduct 20 focus groups (in addition to two pretest
groups) with healthcare consumers, that is persons who have visited a
healthcare provider (either for their own health or the health of a
family member) in the previous two years. For the most part, the groups
will be homogenous with respect to the presence or absence of either of
the following characteristics: (a) Managing a chronic health condition
(or the condition of a close family member), or (b) Having visited at
least three healthcare providers in the past two years.
Participants will be covered by a range of health insurance plans,
and persons not covered by health insurance will also be recruited.
Some groups will include only persons 2 enrolled in a Health Maintaince
Organization (HMO).
The data to be collected for this project will be in two form a)
answers to a screener questionnaire designed to identify and recruit
eligible participants, and b) verbal reports--i.e., focus group
participants' answers to questions posed by the moderator and reactions
to comments of other group members. The focus group discussions will be
audio-taped with participants' consent and transcribed for analysis
purposes.
Method of Collection
Participants will be screened for eligibility and recruited for the
focus groups by telephone. The focus group sessions will be conducted
in-person with approximately 10 persons per group. The focus group
discussion will take approximately 2 hours, and we have assumed a 20-
minute travel time (each way) per participant. Thus, focus group
participation will require 2.67 hours per response. Estimated Annual
Respondent Burden
[[Page 13901]]
Table 1.--Estimated annualized burden hours
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Number of
Form name Number of responses per Hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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Recruiting Screener Focus Group Discussion...... 2,200 1 5/60 183
Guide........................................... 220 1 2.67 587
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Total....................................... 2,420 na na 770
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Table 2.--Estimated annualized cost burden
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Number of Total burden Average hourly Total cost
Form name respondents hours wage rate* burden
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Recruiting Screener Focus Group Discussion...... 2,200 183 $17 3,111
Guide........................................... 220 587 17 9,979
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Total....................................... 2,420 770 na 13,090
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* Based upon the mean hourly wage of full-time workers, third-quarter of 2007. Current Population Survey, U.S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government
Based on the current budget for the project, the total cost to the
Federal Government is $257,474 ($251, 114 of contractor costs + $6,360
of travel and time cost for AHRQ employees) for the 18-month period
from Oct. 1st, 2007 to March 31st, 2009. The annualized cost is
approximately $171,649. This amount includes all direct and indirect
costs of the design, data collection, analysis, and reporting phases of
the study. The costs of Federal employees for monitoring the contract
are $5,660.
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
AHRQ health care research and health care 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: March 5, 2008.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. E8-4928 Filed 3-13-08; 8:45 am]
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