Notice2023-18221
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
August 24, 2023
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: "Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Database." In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 163 (Thursday, August 24, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 163 (Thursday, August 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57954-57956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18221]
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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: ``Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
(CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Database.'' In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, AHRQ invites the public to comment on this
proposed information collection.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by October 23, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9efaf1ecf7edb0f2fbf8f5f1e9f7eae4dedfd6cccfb0f6f6edb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8eeae1fce7fda0e2ebe8e5e1f9e7faf4cecfc6dcdfa0e6e6fda0e9e1f8">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#eb8f84998298c5878e8d80849c829f91abaaa3b9bac5838398c58c849d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6d2d9c4dfc598dad3d0ddd9c1dfc2ccf6f7fee4e798dedec598d1d9c0">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health
Plan Survey Database
AHRQ requests that OMB reapprove AHRQ's collection of information
for the AHRQ Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
(CAHPS) Health Plan Survey Database: OMB Control number 0935-0165,
expiration November 30, 2023 (the CAHPS Health Plan Database). The
CAHPS Health Plan Database consists of data from the AHRQ CAHPS Health
Plan Survey. Health plans in the U.S. are asked to voluntarily submit
data from the survey to AHRQ, through its contractor, Westat. The CAHPS
Health Plan Database was developed by AHRQ in 1998 in response to
requests from health plans, purchasers, and the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide comparative data to support public
reporting of health plan ratings, health plan accreditation and quality
improvement.
This research has the following goals:
(1) To maintain the CAHPS Health Plan Database using data from
AHRQ's standardized CAHPS Health Plan Survey to provide results to
health care purchasers, consumers, regulators and policy makers across
the country.
(2) To offer several products and services, including aggregated
results presented through an Online Reporting System, summary
chartbooks, custom analyses, and data for research purposes.
(3) To provide data for AHRQ's annual National Healthcare Quality
and Disparities Report.
(4) To provide state-level data to CMS for public reporting on
<a href="http://Medicaid.gov">Medicaid.gov</a> and <a href="http://Data.Medicaid.gov">Data.Medicaid.gov</a> that does not display the name of
the health plans.
Survey data from the CAHPS Health Plan Database is used to produce
four types of products: (1) An annual chartbook available to the public
on the CAHPS Database website (<a href="https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/cahps/cahps-database/2022-hp-chartbook.pdf">https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/cahps/cahps-database/2022-hp-chartbook.pdf</a>)); (2)
individual participant reports that are confidential and customized for
each participating organization (e.g., health plan, Medicaid agency)
that submits their data; (3) a research database available to
researchers wanting to conduct additional analyses; and (4) data tables
provided to AHRQ for inclusion in the National Healthcare Quality and
Disparities Reports.
This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor,
Westat,
[[Page 57955]]
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 quality, effectiveness, efficiency,
appropriateness and value of healthcare services; quality measurement
and development, and database development. 42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(1), (2)
and (8).
Method of Collection
To achieve the goals of this project the following activities and
data collections will be implemented:
<bullet> Registration Form--The point-of-contact (POC), often the
sponsor from Medicaid agencies and health plans, completes a number of
data submission steps and forms, beginning with the completion of the
online registration form. The purpose of this form is to collect basic
contact information about the organization and initiate the
registration process.
<bullet> Health Plan Information Form--The purpose of this form,
completed by the participating sponsor organization, is to collect
background characteristics of the health plan.
<bullet> Data Use Agreement--The purpose of the data use agreement,
completed by the participating sponsor organization, is to state how
data submitted by health plans will be used and provide confidentiality
assurances.
<bullet> Data Files Submission--POCs upload their data file using
the Health Plan data file specifications to ensure that users submit
standardized and consistent data in the way variables are named, coded,
and formatted.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated burden hours for the respondent to
participate in the database. The burden hours pertain only to the
collection of Medicaid data from State Medicaid agencies and individual
Medicaid health plans because those are the only entities that submit
data through the data submission process. The 125 POCs in Exhibit 1 are
a combination of an estimated 115 State Medicaid agencies and
individual health plans (Sponsors), and 10 vendor organizations.
Each sponsor, which is made up of State Medicaid agencies and
individual health plans, and vendor will register online for
submission. The online Registration form will require about 5 minutes
to complete. Each sponsor will also complete a Health Plan information
form of information about each Health Plan such as the name of the
plan, the product type (e.g., HMO, PPO), the population surveyed (e.g.,
adult Medicaid or child Medicaid). Each year, the prior year's plan
data are preloaded in the plan table to lessen burden on the Sponsor.
The Sponsor is responsible for updating the plan table to reflect the
current year's plan information. The online Health Plan Information
form takes on average 30 minutes to complete per health plan with each
POC completing the form for four plans on average. The Data Use
Agreement (DUA) will be completed by the 115 participating State
Medicaid agencies or individual health plans. Vendors do not sign or
submit DUAs. The DUA requires about 5 minutes to sign and upload. Each
submitter will provide a copy of their questionnaire and the survey
data file in the required file format. Survey data files must conform
to the data file layout specifications provided by the CAHPS Database.
Submitters will upload one data file per health plan. Once a data file
is uploaded the file will be checked automatically to ensure it
conforms to the specifications and a data file status report will be
produced and made available to the submitter. Submitters will review
each report and will be expected to fix any errors in their data file
and resubmit if necessary. It will take about 1 hour to submit the data
for each plan, and each POC will submit data for four plans on average.
The total burden is estimated to be 710 hours annually.
Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Number of
Form name respondents/ responses per Hours per Total burden
POCs POC response hours
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Registration Form............................... 125 1 5/60 10
Health Plan Information Form.................... 115 4 30/60 230
Data Use Agreement.............................. 115 1 5/60 10
Data Files Submission........................... 115 4 1 460
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Total....................................... 470 NA NA 710
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Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden based on the
respondents' time to complete one submission process. The cost burden
is estimated to be $36,222 annually.
Exhibit 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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Registration Form............................... 125 10 \a\ 57.61 $576
Health Plan Information Form.................... 115 230 \a\ 57.61 13,250
Data Use Agreement.............................. 115 10 \b\ 102.41 1,024
Data Files Submission........................... 115 460 \c\ 46.46 21,372
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Total....................................... 470 710 NA 36,222
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* National Compensation Survey: Occupational wages in the United States May 2021, ``U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics.''
\a\ Based on the mean hourly wage for Medical and Health Services Managers (11-9111).
\b\ Based on the mean hourly wage for Chief Executives (11-1011).
\c\ Based on the mean hourly wages for Computer Programmers (15-1251).
[[Page 57956]]
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: August 21, 2023.
Marquita Cullom,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-18221 Filed 8-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
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