Notice2025-17323
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
September 10, 2025
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 reinstatement with change of the currently approved information collection project "Online Application Order Form for Products from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)," OMB #0935-0206. This information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on April 30, 2025 and allowed 60 days for public comment. AHRQ received no comments from members of the public. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 173 (Wednesday, September 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43611-43613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17323]
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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 reinstatement with change of
the currently approved information collection project ``Online
Application Order Form for Products from the Healthcare Cost and
Utilization Project (HCUP),'' OMB #0935-0206. This information
collection was previously published in the Federal Register on April
30, 2025 and allowed 60 days for public comment. AHRQ received no
comments from members of the public. The purpose of this notice is to
allow an additional 30 days for public comment.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by October 10, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 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: Margie Shofer, AHRQ Reports Clearance
Officer, 301-427-1696 or by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#722037223d202621313e373320333c31373d34343b31372032131a00035c1a1a015c151d04"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5a081f0a15080e0919161f1b081b14191f151c1c13191f081a3b32282b74323229743d352c">[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 is a vital resource
helping AHRQ 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 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 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.
This project has the following goal:
<bullet> Allow restricted access public release and tracking of the
eight HCUP databases.
To achieve this goal the following data collections and activities
are required:
1. HCUP DUA Training Course--All purchasers and users of HCUP data
must complete this training prior to signing the DUA. This Web-based
training course outlines important terms of the DUA. The purpose of the
course is to emphasize the importance of data protection, reduce the
risk of inadvertent violations, and describe an individual's
responsibility when using HCUP data. After completing the training
course, an HCUP DUA Training Course certification code is received.
This code is required to purchase or gain access to HCUP data.
2. HCUP DUA for the Nationwide Databases--The HCUP Nationwide
databases include the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS),
Kids' Inpatient Database (KID), Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample
(NASS), Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS), and Nationwide
Readmissions Database (NRD). Any person seeking permission from AHRQ to
access HCUP Nationwide Databases must sign and submit this Agreement to
AHRQ.
3. HCUP DUA for the State Databases--The HCUP State databases
include the State Inpatient Databases (SID), State Ambulatory Surgery
and Services Databases (SASD), and State Emergency Department Databases
(SEDD). Any person seeking permission from AHRQ to access HCUP State
Databases must sign and submit this Agreement to AHRQ.
[[Page 43612]]
4. Online Application Form--The application form collects relevant
applicant information, shipping and billing address, and the payment
method.
This project is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractors,
National Opinion Research Center and TurningPoint-DS Federal J.V.,
L.L.C., pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and support
research on health care 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).
Proposed Revisions:
Revisions include a redesigned HCUP application form and reducing
the number of DUAs to one state and one nationwide version. The current
expiration date for 0935-0206 was 5/31/2025 and AHRQ is requesting a
new expiration date, 3 years from approval of this information
collection request.
Method of Collection
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. To complete the ordering
process, each of these persons will complete the HCUP DUA Training
Course, review and sign both DUAs, and complete the HCUP Data Purchase
Ordering Form. The total burden to complete these four steps to
purchase HCUP data is estimated to be 1,050 hours annually.
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated
with the applicants' time to purchase HCUP data. There are changes in
the total burden cost as per Exhibit 2 in the 60 Day FRN due to a
transcription error, a new requirement to base cost burden on adjusted
hourly wages and updating wages to the most recent available estimates
(from May 2023 to May 2024). These changes resulted in the cost burden
increasing from $78,252 to $102,921.
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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1. HCUP DUA Training Course......................... 1,800 1 15/60 450
2. HCUP DUA for the Nationwide Databases............ 1,800 1 5/60 150
3. HCUP DUA for the State Databases................. 1,800 1 5/60 150
4. HCUP Data Purchase Ordering Form................. 1,800 1 10/60 300
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Total........................................... 1,800 NA NA 1,050
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Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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Average Adjusted
Total hourly wage hourly wage Total cost
burden hours rate * rate ** burden
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1. HCUP DUA Training Course......................... 450 $49.01 $98.02 $44,109
2. HCUP DUA for the Nationwide Databases............ 150 49.01 98.02 14,703
3. HCUP DUA for the State Databases................. 150 49.01 98.02 14,703
4. HCUP Data Purchase Ordering Form................. 300 49.01 98.02 29,406
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Total........................................... 1,050 NA NA 102,921
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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 2024 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
United States, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. <a href="https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/000000">https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/000000</a> 000000.
** The Adjusted Hourly Rate was estimated at 200% of the hourly wage.
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.
[[Page 43613]]
Dated: September 5, 2025.
Mamatha Pancholi,
Deputy Director.C
[FR Doc. 2025-17323 Filed 9-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
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