Notice2021-28441
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 3, 2022
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Abstract
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 "Online Application Order Form for Products from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)."
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 1 (Monday, January 3, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87-89]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28441]
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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 (AHRQ), 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
[[Page 88]]
information collection project ``Online Application Order Form for
Products from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP).''
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by March 4, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#02666d706b712c6e6764696d756b767842434a50532c6a6a712c656d74"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c68637e657f2260696a67637b6578764c4d445e5d2264647f226b637a">[email protected]</span></a>.
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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dcb8b3aeb5aff2b0b9bab7b3abb5a8a69c9d948e8df2b4b4aff2bbb3aa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cbafa4b9a2b8e5a7aeada0a4bca2bfb18b8a83999ae5a3a3b8e5aca4bd">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Online Application Order Form for Products From the Healthcare Cost and
Utilization Project (HCUP).
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP, pronounced ``H-
Cup'') is a vital resource helping the Agency achieve its research
agenda, thereby furthering its goal of improving the delivery of health
care in the United States. HCUP is a family of health care databases
and related software tools and products developed through a Federal-
State-Industry partnership and sponsored by AHRQ. HCUP includes the
largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United
States, with all-payer, encounter-level information beginning in 1988.
The HCUP databases are annual files that contain anonymous information
from hospital discharge records for inpatient care and certain
components of outpatient care, such as emergency care and ambulatory
surgeries. The project currently releases eight types of databases
created for research use on a broad range of health issues, including
cost and quality of health services, medical practice patterns, access
to health care programs, and outcomes of treatments at the national,
State, and local market levels. HCUP also produces a large number of
software tools to enhance the use of administrative health care data
for research and public health use. Software tools use information
available from a variety of sources to create new data elements, often
through sophisticated algorithms, for use with the HCUP databases.
HCUP's objectives are to:
<bullet> Create and enhance a powerful source of national, state,
and all-payer health care data.
<bullet> Produce a broad set of software tools and products to
facilitate the use of HCUP and other administrative data.
<bullet> Enrich a collaborative partnership with statewide data
organizations (that voluntarily participate in the project) aimed at
increasing the quality and use of health care data.
<bullet> Conduct and translate research to inform decision making
and improve health care delivery.
This project is being conducted by AHRQ through its primary
contractor and subcontractor, IBM Watson Health and Pantheon Software,
pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and support research
on healthcare and on systems for the delivery of such care, including
activities with respect to the outcomes, cost, cost-effectiveness, and
use of health care services and access to such services. 42 U.S.C.
299a(a)(3).
Method of Collection
The project currently creates eight types of restricted access
public release databases and related files that are released to
authorized users under the terms of the HCUP Data Use Agreement (DUA).
These HCUP databases and files are used by researchers for a broad
range of health issues, including cost and quality of health services,
medical practice patterns, access to health care programs, and outcomes
of treatments at the national, State, and local market levels.
HCUP achieves the restricted access public release and tracking of
the HCUP databases through the Online Application Form for HCUP
Products (<a href="https://www.distributor.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/SpecialPages/Shoppingcart.aspx">https://www.distributor.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/SpecialPages/Shoppingcart.aspx</a>). To access the eight types of database, HCUP users
are required to complete the Online Application Form for HCUP Products
which includes three components, the application, HCUP DUA training
(<a href="https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/DUA/dua/index.html">https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/DUA/dua/index.html</a>) and signing a HCUP
DUA. Users are required to sign one of two DUAs: (1) Nationwide or (2)
state (hereafter referred to collectively as the HCUP DUA) after they
complete the HCUP DUA training.
Information collected in the HCUP Online Application Form process
will be used for two purposes only:
1. Business Transaction: In order to deliver the HCUP databases to
the applicants, contact information is necessary for shipping the data
on disk (or any other media used in the future) and payment collection.
2. Enforcement of the HCUP Data Use Agreement (DUA): The HCUP DUA
contains several restrictions on use of the data. Most of these
restrictions have been put in place to safeguard the privacy of
individuals and establishments represented in the data. For example,
data users can only use the data for research, analysis, and aggregate
statistical reporting and are prohibited from attempting to identify
any persons in the data. Contact information on HCUP DUAs is retained
in the event that a violation of the HCUP DUA takes place requiring
legal remedy.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden associated with the
applicants' time to order any of the HCUP databases. An estimated 1,800
persons will order HCUP data annually. Each of these persons will
complete Online Application Order Form for HCUP products (30 minutes).
The total burden for the Online Application Order Form is estimated to
be 900 hours annually.
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated
with the applicants' time to order HCUP data. The total cost burden is
estimated to be $39,879 annually.
Exhibit 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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Total for the HCUP Data Purchase Ordering 1,800 1 30/60 900
Form.......................................
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[[Page 89]]
Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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Number of Total burden Average hourly Total cost
respondents hours wage rate * burden
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Total....................................... 1,800 900 $44.31 $39,879
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* Based upon the mean of the average wages for Life Scientists, All Other (19-1099), National Compensation
Survey: Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
United States, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#19-0000">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#19-0000</a>.
Request for Comments
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520, 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's 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: December 28, 2021.
Marquita Cullom,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-28441 Filed 12-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
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