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[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 19 (Friday, January 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5660-5661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2006]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-09-0234]

Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports 
Clearance Officer at 404-639-5960 or send comments to CDC/ATSDR 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, 
Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection 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 on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) (OMB No. 0920-
0234)--Revision--National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Section 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 
242k), as amended, authorizes that the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS), acting through NCHS, shall collect statistics on 
``utilization of health care'' in the United States. NAMCS was 
conducted annually from 1973 to 1981, again in 1985, and resumed as an 
annual survey in 1989. The purpose of NAMCS is to meet the needs and 
demands for statistical information about the provision of ambulatory 
medical care services in the United States. NCHS is seeking OMB 
approval to extend this survey for three years.
    Ambulatory services are rendered in a wide variety of settings, 
including physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency 
departments. The NAMCS target universe consists of all office visits 
made by ambulatory patients to non-Federal office-based physicians 
(excluding those in the specialties of anesthesiology, radiology, and 
pathology) who are engaged in direct patient care.
    In 2006, physicians and mid-level providers (i.e., nurse 
practitioners, physician assistants, and nurse midwives) practicing in 
community health centers (CHCs) were added to the NAMCS sample, and 
these data will continue to be collected. To complement NAMCS data, 
NCHS initiated the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 
(NHAMCS, OMB No. 0920-0278) in 1992 to provide data concerning patient 
visits to hospital outpatient and emergency departments. NAMCS and 
NHAMCS are the principal sources of data on ambulatory care provided in 
the United States.
    NAMCS provides a range of baseline data on the characteristics of 
the users and providers of ambulatory medical care. Data collected 
include the patients' demographic characteristics, reason(s) for visit, 
provider diagnoses, diagnostic services, medications, and visit 
disposition. In addition, information on cervical cancer screening 
practices in physician offices will continue to be collected through 
the Cervical Cancer Screening Supplement (CCSS), which was added in 
2006. It will allow CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease 
Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) to evaluate cervical cancer 
screening methods and the use of Human Papillomavirus DNA tests.
    A supplemental mail survey on the adoption and use of electronic 
medical records (EMRs) in physician offices was added to NAMCS in 2008, 
and will continue. These data were requested by the Office of the 
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), 
Department of Health and Human Services, to measure progress toward 
goals for EMR adoption. The mail survey will collect information on 
characteristics of physician practices and the capabilities of EMRs 
used in those practices.
    In 2009, NAMCS will include an additional sample of 70 physicians 
to pretest additional questionnaire items on laboratory values. These 
new items were requested by the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke 
Prevention within NCCDPHP to better understand the extent to which 
ambulatory health care providers identify and control abnormal values 
before and after cardiovascular disease.
    Users of NAMCS data include, but are not limited to, Congressional 
offices, Federal agencies, state and local governments, schools of 
public health, colleges and universities, private industry, nonprofit 
foundations, professional associations, clinicians, researchers, 
administrators, and health planners.
    There is no cost to respondents other than their time to 
participate.

[[Page 5661]]

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
                      Form                          respondents    responses per   response (in        hours
                                                                    respondent         hrs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Induction Interview--Physicians/CHC Providers...           3,480               1           28/60           1,624
Patient Record Form.............................           1,388              30            6/60           4,164
CCSS............................................             464               1           15/60             116
EMR Mail Survey.................................           1,143               1           16/60             305
CHC Induction Interview--Facility...............             104               1           18/60              31
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           6,240
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    Dated: January 23, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Science Officer, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1
 [FR Doc. E9-2006 Filed 1-29-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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