Notice2025-22531
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
December 11, 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 without change of the previously approved information collection project "Surveys on Patient Safety Culture Hospital Database" (OMB No. 0935-0162). This information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2025, and allowed 60 days for public comment. AHRQ received one comment from the public that was not responsive. 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 236 (Thursday, December 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 236 (Thursday, December 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57469-57471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22531]
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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 without change of
the previously approved information collection project ``Surveys on
Patient Safety Culture Hospital Database'' (OMB No. 0935-0162). This
information collection was previously published in the Federal Register
on September 15, 2025, and allowed 60 days for public comment. AHRQ
received one comment from the public that was not responsive. The
purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public
comment.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by January 12, 2026.
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#adffe8fde2fff9feeee1e8ecffece3eee8e2ebebe4eee8ffedccc5dfdc83c5c5de83cac2db"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1a485f4a55484e4959565f5b485b54595f555c5c53595f485a7b72686b34727269347d756c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project
Surveys on Patient Safety Culture Hospital Database
Project Overview
The Surveys on Patient Safety Culture[supreg] (SOPS[supreg])
Hospital Survey is designed to enable hospitals to assess provider and
staff perspectives about patient safety issues, medical error, and
error reporting. In 2004, Version 1.0 of the survey, which includes 42
items that measure 12 composites of patient safety culture, was
released on the AHRQ website. AHRQ made the survey publicly available
along with a Survey User's Guide and other toolkit materials. In 2019,
an updated version of the survey, Version 2.0, was released on the AHRQ
website. This version includes a total of 40 items: 32 items across 10
composite measures, 2 single-item measures, and 6 background questions.
The AHRQ SOPS Hospital Database consists of data from the AHRQ SOPS
Hospital Survey 2.0 and may include reportable, non-required
supplemental items. Hospitals in the U.S. can voluntarily submit data
from the survey to AHRQ, through its contractor, Westat. The SOPS
Hospital Database (OMB NO. 0935-0162, last approved on October 18,
2022) was developed by AHRQ in 2006 in response to requests from
hospitals interested in tracking their own survey results.
Organizations submitting data receive a feedback report, as well as a
report of the aggregated, de-identified findings of the other hospitals
submitting data. These reports are used to assist hospital staff in
their efforts to improve patient safety culture in their organizations.
AHRQ requests that OMB approve the extension, without change, of
AHRQ's collection of information for the AHRQ SOPS Hospital Database;
OMB NO. 0935-0162, last approved on October 18, 2022.
The SOPS Hospital Database seeks to answer the following research
questions:
1. What is the current state of patient safety culture in
hospitals?
2. Has there been a change in patient safety culture scores since
the previous database?
[[Page 57470]]
3. Are there differences in scores based on staff position and
unit/work area?
This research has the following goals:
1. Produce aggregated results from hospitals that voluntarily
submit their data; and
2. Provide feedback reports to hospitals that voluntarily submit
their data to help them identify their strengths and areas for
improvement in patient safety culture.
This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor,
Westat, 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 quality, effectiveness,
efficiency, appropriateness and value of healthcare services and with
respect to surveys and database development [42 U.S.C 299a(a)(1) and
(8)].
Method of Collection
1. Hospital Eligibility and Registration Form--The hospital point-
of-contact (POC) completes several data submission forms, beginning
with the completion of an online Eligibility and Registration Form. The
purpose of this form is to collect basic demographic information about
the hospital and initiate the registration process.
2. Hospital Site Information--The purpose of the site information
form, also completed by the hospital POC, is to collect background
characteristics of the hospital. This information will be used to
analyze data collected with the SOPS Hospital Survey.
3. Data Use Agreement--The purpose of the data use agreement,
submitted by the hospital POC, is to state how data submitted by
hospitals will be used and to provide privacy assurances.
4. SOPS Hospital Data File(s) Submission--The hospital POC uploads
their data file(s), using the SOPS Hospital Survey data file
specifications to ensure that users submit their data in a standardized
way (e.g., variable names, order, coding, formatting). The number of
submissions to the database is likely to vary from submission period to
submission period because hospitals do not administer the survey and
submit data every year. Data submission is typically handled by one POC
who is either a patient safety manager in the hospital or a survey
vendor who contracts with a hospital to collect and submit their data.
On average, hospital POCs submit data on behalf of 3 hospitals because
many hospitals are part of a health system that includes many
hospitals, or the POC is a vendor that is submitting data for multiple
hospitals.
Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the
respondents' time to participate in the database. An estimated 165
POCs, each representing an average of 3 individual hospitals, will
complete the database submission steps and forms annually. Each POC
will submit the following:
1. Hospital Eligibility and Registration Form--Completed once by
165 hospital POCs. The form takes about 3 minutes to complete.
2. Hospital Site Information--Completed an average of three
times by the 165 hospital POCs. The form takes 5 minutes to
complete.
3. Data Use Agreement--Completed once by 165 hospital POCs. The
form takes about 3 minutes to complete.
4. SOPS Hospital Survey Data File(s) Submission--Each of the 165
POCs will submit their SOPS Hospital Survey Data. The data
submission requires an hour on average to complete.
The total annual burden hours are estimated to be 222 hours.
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden based on the
respondents' time to submit their data. The cost burden is estimated to
be $31,880 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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1. Hospital Eligibility/Registration Form....... 165 1 3/60 8
2. Hospital Site Information.................... 165 3 5/60 41
3. Data Use Agreement........................... 165 1 3/60 8
4. SOPS Hospital Survey Data File(s) Submission. 165 1 1 165
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Total....................................... N/A N/A N/A 222
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Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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Number of
Form name respondents/ Total burden Average hourly Adjusted Total cost
POCs hours wage rate * hourly rate ** burden
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1. Hospital Eligibility/ 165 8 $71.80 $143.60 $1,149
Registration Form..............
2. Hospital Site Information.... 165 41 71.80 143.60 5,888
3. Data Use Agreement........... 165 8 71.80 143.60 1,149
4. SOPS Hospital Survey Data 165 165 71.80 143.60 23,694
File(s) Submission.............
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Total....................... N/A N/A N/A N/A 31,880
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* Mean hourly wage of $71.80 for Medical and Health Services Managers (SOC code 11-9111) was obtained from the
May 2024 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates NAICS 622000--Hospitals,
located at <a href="https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/622000">https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/622000</a>.
** 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
[[Page 57471]]
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 1, 2025.
Mamatha Pancholi,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2025-22531 Filed 12-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P
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