Attachment B_60 Day FR Notice -- Technical Assistance for HIT

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 34 / Wednesday, February 20, 2008 / Notices

respondents will have the option to
complete the survey as a web-based
electronic survey. Healthy People 2010
(HP2010) is an important Federal
initiative that establishes national
health promotion and disease
prevention goals. HP2010 represents the
third of a series of publications by HHS
that specifies ten-year health objectives
for the nation. Its overarching goals are
to increase the quality and years of
healthy life and eliminate health
disparities.

HP2010 consists of 28 primary focus
areas and 467 measurable health
objectives designed to identify the most
significant preventable threats to health
and to establish public health priorities.
The central theme of HP2010 focuses on
the role of communities and community
partnerships in promoting healthy
living in the U.S. HP2010 is a powerful
force in the effort to promote health and
prevent disease in the U.S. The agenda
reflects extensive consultation with over

350 national organizations, 250 state
agencies, health experts, and the public.
HHS is eager to document the
utilization of HP2010, and to seek input
from key users on how the next iteration
of the initiative, Healthy People 2020,
could be improved to encourage greater
involvement. This study will identify
examples of effective strategies and
approaches to using HP2010, and,
where possible, the short-term results of
those efforts.

ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN TABLE
Number of
respondents

Type of respondent

Average
burden per
response
(in hrs)

Total burden
hours

State Healthy People Coordinators (Frame A) ................................................
State Chronic Disease Program Directors (Frame A) .....................................
Local Health Organizations (Frame B) ............................................................
Tribal Health Organizations (Frame C) ...........................................................

51
51
300
100

1
1
1
1

15/60
15/60
15/60
15/60

13
13
75
25

Total ..........................................................................................................

502

........................

........................

126

Dated: February 6, 2008.
Terry Nicolosi,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction
Act Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E8–3102 Filed 2–19–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150–32–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality

‘‘Technical Assistance for Health IT and
Health Information Exchange in
Medicaid and SCHIP’’

Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

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:
Technical Assistance for Health IT and
Health Information Exchange in
Medicaid and SCHIP. 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.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by April 21, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at doris.lefkowitz@ahrq.hhs.gov.

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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
e-mail at doris.lefkowitz@ahrq.hhs.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project

Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request

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Number of
responses per
respondent

AHRQ proposed a three year project
to (1) assess the challenges facing
Medicaid and State Children’s Health
Insurance Programs (SCHIP) agencies
nationwide as they plan and implement
health information technology (health
IT) and health information exchange
(HIE) programs and (2) provide the
agencies with technical assistance to
help them overcome these challenges.
Health IT refers to the set of electronic
tools and methods used for managing
information about the health and health
care of individuals, groups of
individuals, and communities. HIE
refers to organized efforts at the local,
state, or regional levels to establish the
necessary policy, business, operating,
and technical mechanisms and
structures that allow, support, and
promote the exchange of health care
information electronically across
organizations. Health IT and HIE hold
great promise for improving the quality
and efficiency of health care in the

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United States. Medicaid and SCHIP
agencies, which receive federal and
state funding, serve the most medically
and financially vulnerable populations.
More than sixty percent of Medicaid
beneficiaries have one or more chronic
or disabling diseases. In addition,
Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries
frequently experience gaps in eligibility
for benefits that cause beneficiaries to
seek care from multiple settings, which
compromises the accuracy and
completeness of their health care
records. These populations have much
to gain from the coordination of care
that can be realized from the adoption
of health IT and HIE. Furthermore, as
the largest health care purchaser in the
United States, Medicaid can influence
the adoption of health IT and HIE by
providers of care. However, Medicaid
and SCHIP agencies face considerable
challenges in the implementation of
health IT and HIE (Alfreds ST, Tutty M,
Savageau JA, Young S. Himmelstein J
(2006–2007). ‘‘Clinical Health
Information Technologies and the Role
of Medicaid.’’ Health Care Financing
Review Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 11–20.).
A needs assessment of the Medicaid
and SCHIP agencies in all fifty six states
and territories, including the District of
Columbia, will be conducted to gauge
the need for technical assistance. The
needs assessment will be updated in the
second year of the project to assure that
the program of technical assistance that
is developed will be of maximum utility
to the Medicaid and SCHIP agencies.
AHRQ will develop and provide a
wide range of technical assistance

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 34 / Wednesday, February 20, 2008 / Notices
through workshops and web-based
seminars to assist Medicaid and SCHIP
agencies to adopt, implement and
evaluate health IT and HIE to improve
the quality of care for Medicaid and
SCHIP beneficiaries. Based on the
results of the needs assessment,
workshops and web-based seminars,
AHRQ will develop additional tools and
resources, such as printed technical
materials, to further facilitate the
adoption of health IT and HIE among
Medicaid and SCHIP agencies.

systems and planned or current health
IT or HIE programs. The content of the
needs assessment will be the same
whether it is conducted by telephone or
in person, and will be pre-populated to
the extent possible with information
gathered from other sources to reduce
the burden on respondents, who can
then simply verify that the information
is correct. Workshop and seminar
participants will be asked to complete a
short evaluation of the material
presented.

Method of Collection
The needs assessments will be
conducted by telephone or in-person
interviews with the directors of each
Medicaid and SCHIP agency or with the
persons designated by the director as
most knowledgeable about their IT

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
Exhibit 1 shows the estimated
annualized burden for this three-year
project. The needs assessment will be
conducted with an average of thirty
agencies per year and will require
approximately four hours and ten

minutes per agency. Approximately
seven workshops will be conducted
each year with five agencies
participating in each. The workshop
evaluations will take approximately fifty
minutes to complete. An average of ten
web-based seminars will be conducted
each year with twenty-five agencies
participating in each. The seminar
evaluations will take approximately
twenty-five minutes to complete. The
total annual burden for the respondents
to provide the requested information is
260 hours.
Exhibit 2 shows the estimated
annualized cost burden to the
respondents for their time to provide the
requested information. The total
annualized cost burden is estimated to
be $10,506.

EXHIBIT 1.—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN
Number of
respondents
(agencies)

Data collection

Number of
responses per
respondent

Average
burden hours
per
response

Total
burden hours

Needs Assessment ..........................................................................................
Workshop evaluations .....................................................................................
.
Web-based seminar evaluations .....................................................................

30
5

1
7

410/60
50/60

125
30

25

10

25/60

105

Total ..........................................................................................................

60

na

na

260

EXHIBIT 2.—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN
Number of
respondents
(agencies)

Form name

Total
burden hours

Hourly wage
rate

Total cost
burden

Needs Assessment ..........................................................................................
Workshop evaluations .....................................................................................
Web-based seminar evaluations .....................................................................

30
5
25

125
30
105

40.41
40.41
40.41

$5,051
1,212
4,243

Total ..........................................................................................................

60

260

........................

10,506

* Based upon the mean hourly wage estimate for NAICS 999000—Federal, State, and Local Government (OES designation) occupation 11–
1021 General and Operations Managers, Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal
Government
The projected total cost to the Federal
Government for this project is
$2,990,592 over a three-year period. The
projected annual average cost is
$996,864. The projected annual cost to
design and implement the needs
assessment is $180,799. The projected
annual cost to develop and implement
with workshops is $271,254. The
projected annual cost to develop and
implement the seminars is $98,187. The
projected annual cost to analyze the
data and report findings is $132,005.
The projected annual administrative
cost is $41,973, and the projected
annual cost for other technical
assistance support is $272,645.

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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

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collection of information to be collected;
and (d) ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on he
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: February 8, 2008.
Carolyn M. Clancy, MD
Director
[FR Doc. 08–737 Filed 2–19–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160–90–M

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