60712 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 199 / Monday, October 16, 2006 / Notices 

consumer surveys and reports regarding 

consumer perspectives on individual 

clinicians, group practices, in-center 

hemodialysis services, nursing homes 

and hospitals. AHRQ determined that 

the CAHPS team should develop a 

survey to obtain consumer perspectives 

on cultural awareness of healthcare 

professionals. 

The vision of the Agency for 

Healthcare Research and Quality is to 

foster health care research that helps the 

American health care system provide 

access to high-quality, cost-effective 

services; be accountable and responsive 

to consumers and purchasers; and 

improve health status and quality of life. 

The CAHPS program was developed as 

a result of AHRQ’s vision. One of the 

components missing from the current 

measurement set is an assessment of 

patients’ perspective on cultural 

awareness of healthcare professionals. 

Submission Criteria 

Instruments submitted should focus 

on patient perspectives on the quality of 

care and services provided by 

healthcare professionals in the context 

of cultural awareness demonstrated by 

those healthcare professionals. 

AHRQ is interested in measures that: 

(a) Capture patients’ experiences of 

quality of received health care in the 

context of healthcare professionals’

cultural awareness and (b) demonstrate 

a high degree of reliability and validity. 

Accordingly, each submission should 

include, in addition to the name of the 

pertinent instrument, domains 

included, and the language(s) the 

instrument is available in, the following 

information: Evidence of cultural/cross 

group comparability, if any; instrument 

reliability (internal consistency, testretest, etc.); validity (content, construct, 

criterion-related); response rates; 

methods and results of cognitive testing 

and field-testing as well as descriptions 

of sampling strategies (including payer 

type) and data collection protocols, 

including such elements as mode of 

administration, use of advance letters, 

timing and frequencies of contacts. 

Evidence addressing these criteria 

should be demonstrated through 

submission of peer-reviewed journal 

article(s) or through the best evidence 

available at the time of submission. 

In addition, a list of where the 

instrument has been fielded should also 

be included in the submission. 

Submission of copies of existing report 

formats developed to disclose findings 

to consumers and providers is desirable, 

but not required. Additionally, 

information about existing database(s) 

for the instrument(s) submitted is 

helpful, but not required for submission. 

Submitters’ willingness to grant to 

AHRQ the right to use and authorize 

others to use their instrument or item 

and accompanying explanatory material 

means that the CAHPS trademark will 

be applied to a new instrument which 

will combine the best features of the 

submissions as well as any ideas that 

may develop from reviewing them. It 

also ensures free access to this 

instrument and the instrument’s 

supportive/administrative information. 

AHRQ, in collaboration with CAHPS 

grantees, will evaluate all submitted 

instruments or items. As the CAHPS 

instrument is constructed, one or more 

items may be selected for use, either in 

whole or in part, or modified, prior to 

testing them. AHRQ will assume 

responsibility for the final instruments 

as well as any future modifications. 

The final instrument will bear the 

CAHPS trademark and it will be made 

available without charge for use by all 

interested parties. Submitters will have 

relinquished ownership of any items 

that appear in the final instrument. 

However, item ownership will be 

protected during testing of the survey. 

As a matter of quality control, there will 

be warnings that the CAHPS trademark 

or identification may not be used if any 

changes are made to the instrument or 

final measure set without review and 

permission of the Agency. 

Dated: October 5, 2006. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 06–8674 Filed 10–13–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Request for Measures of Consumers’

Health Information Delivery 

Experiences 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), DHHS. 

ACTION: Notice of request for measures. 

SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) is 

soliciting the submission of instruments 

or items that measure how well health 

plans, hospitals, clinicians, and group 

practices address health literacy issues. 

Based on a literature review and an 

assessment of currently available 

questionnaires, AHRQ identified the 

need to develop a new health literacy 

module of the CAHPS survey. The 

intent of the planned module is to 

examine patients’ perspectives on how 

well health information is 

communicated to them by healthcare 

professionals in greater detail than 

before. The intent of the new module is 

to provide information to health plans, 

hospitals, clinicians, group practices, 

and other interested parties regarding 

quality of health information delivered 

to patients. 

Based on prior work, there are several 

functional areas that the planned 

instrument could address. These 

include the clarity and usability of 

provided health information related to: 

(a) Preventive services (e.g., risk and 

benefits of the service, explanation of 

screening results; (b) health problems/ 

concerns (e.g., information on how to 

stay healthy or prevent illness); (c) 

treatment choices, instructions, or goals 

(e.g., pros and cons of each treatment 

option); and (d) medications (e.g., 

reason for taking medications, 

instructions on how to take 

medications, possible side effects). 

AHRQ is especially interested in 

measures of patients’ assessments of 

written communications (e.g., 

instructions for self-care, health 

promotion materials), and the use and 

effectiveness of educational techniques 

to ensure patient’s comprehension of 

health information (e.g., allowing time 

for questions, repeating information, 

using visual aids, employing health 

educators to review treatment plans and 

follow-up). AHRQ is also interested in 

measures that assess the quality of 

services supporting health information 

delivery such as language assistance 

(e.g., availability and timeliness of 

interpreter services, availability of 

patient education materials in other 

language), and administrative assistance 

(e.g., assistance in completing medical 

paperwork). 

DATES: Please submit instruments or 

individual items and supporting 

information on or before November 15, 

2006. AHRQ will not respond 

individually to submitters, but will 

consider all submitted instruments and 

publicly report the results of the review 

of the submissions in aggregate. 

ADDRESSES: Submissions should include 

a brief cover letter, a copy of the 

instrument or items for consideration 

and supporting information as specified 

under the Submission Criteria below. 

Submissions may be in the form of a 

letter or e-mail, preferably with an 

electronic file as an e-mail attachment. 

Responses of this request should be 

submitted to: Anna Caponiti, Center for 

Quality Improvement and Patient 

Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, 

Rockville, MD 20850, phone: (301) 427–


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 199 / Monday, October 16, 2006 / Notices 60713 

1402, fax: (301) 427–1341, e-mail: 

anna.caponiti@ahrq.hhs.gov. 

To facilitate handling of submissions, 

please include full information about 

the instrument developer or contact; (a) 

Name, (b) title, (c) organization, (d) 

mailing address, (e) telephone number, 

(f) fax number, and (g) e-mail address. 

Also, please submit a copy of the 

instrument or items for consideration as 

well as evidence that they meet the 

criteria below. It would be appreciated 

if each citation of a peer-reviewed 

journal article pertaining to the 

instrument include the title of the 

article, author(s), publication year, 

journal name, volume, issue, and page 

numbers where article appears, but all 

of these details are not required. 

Submitters must also provide a 

statement of willingness to grant to 

AHRQ the right to use and authorize 

others to use submitted measures and 

their documentation as part of a 

CAHPS-trademarked instrument. This 

CAHPS instrument for patients’

perspectives on the quality of health 

information will be made publicly 

available, free of charge. Electronic 

submissions are encouraged. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Anna Caponiti, at the address above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background Information 

The CAHPS program was initiated in 

1995 to develop a survey and report on 

consumers’ perspectives on the quality 

of their health plans. Since that time, 

the CAHPS program, in partnership 

with the Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services (CMS) and others, 

has expanded its scope and developed 

consumer surveys and reports regarding 

consumer perspectives on individual 

clinicians, group practices, in-center 

hemodialysis services, nursing homes 

and hospitals. AHRQ determined that 

the CAHPS teams should develop a 

survey to obtain the consumers’

perspective on the quality of health 

information. 

The vision of the Agency for 

Healthcare Research and Quality is to 

foster health care research that helps the 

American health care system provide 

access to high-quality, cost-effective 

services; be accountable and responsive 

to consumers and purchasers; and 

improve health status and quality of life. 

The CAHPS program was developed as 

a result of AHRQ’s vision. One of the 

components not examined in the 

current measurement set is an 

assessment of patients’ perspectives on 

how well health plans, hospitals, 

clinicians, and group practices address 

health literacy issues. 

Submission Criteria 

Instruments submitted should focus 

on patient perspectives on quality of 

health information provided by plans, 

hospitals, clinicians, and/or group 

practices. 

AHRQ is interested in measures that: 

(a) Assess patients’ and their caregivers’

experiences receiving health 

information and (b) demonstrate a high 

degree of reliability and validity. 

Accordingly, each submission should 

include, in addition to the name of the 

pertinent instrument, domains 

included, and the language(s) the 

instrument is available in, the following 

information: Evidence of cultural/cross 

group comparability, if any; instrument 

reliability (internal consistency, testretest, etc.); validity (content, construct, 

criterion-related); response rates; 

methods and results of cognitive testing 

and field-testing and description of 

sampling strategies (including payer 

type); as well as data collection 

protocols, including such elements as 

mode of administration, use of advance 

letters, timing and frequencies of 

contacts. Evidence addressing these 

criteria should be demonstrated through 

submission of peer-reviewed journal 

article(s) or through the best evidence 

available at the time of submission. 

In addition, a list of where the 

instrument has been fielded should also 

be included in the submission. 

Submission of copies of existing report 

formats developed to disclose findings 

to consumers and providers is desirable, 

but not required. Additionally, 

information about existing database(s) 

for the instrument(s) submitted is 

helpful, but not required for submission. 

Submitters’ willingness to grant to 

AHRQ the right to use and authorize 

others to use their instrument or item 

and accompanying explanatory material 

means that the CAHPS trademark will 

be applied to a new instrument which 

will combine the best features of the 

submissions as well as any ideas that 

may develop from reviewing them, and 

also free access to this instrument, and 

free access to the instrument’s 

supportive/administrative information 

will be ensured. AHRQ, in collaboration 

with CAHPS grantees, will evaluate all 

submitted instruments or items. As they 

construct the CAHPS instrument, they 

may select one or more either in whole 

or in part or modify the items prior to 

testing them. AHRQ will assume 

responsibility for the final instruments 

as well as any future modifications. 

The final instruments will bear the 

CAHPS trademark and it will be made 

available without charge for use by all 

interested parties. Submitters will have 

relinquished ownership of any items 

that appear in the final instrument. 

However, item ownership will be 

protected during testing of the survey. 

As a matter of quality control, there will 

be warnings that the CAHPS trademark 

or identification may not be used if any 

changes are made to the instrument or 

final measure set without review and 

permission of the agency. 

Dated: October 5, 2006. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 06–8673 Filed 10–13–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

Privacy Act of 1974; Report of a New 

System of Records 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), Department 

of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Notice of a New System of 

Records (SOR). 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, 

we are proposing to establish a new 

system titled, ‘‘Competitive Bidding for 

Clinical Laboratory Services (CBCLS), 

System No. 09–70–0589.’’ The 

demonstration project is mandated by 

section 302(b) of the Medicare 

Prescription Drug Improvement, and 

Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) 

(Public Law (Pub. L.) 108–173), which 

was enacted into law on December 8, 

2003, and amended Title XVIII of the 

Social Security Act (the Act). The 

CBCLS demonstration and evaluation 

seek to determine whether competitive 

bidding can be used to provide quality 

laboratory services at prices below 

current Medicare reimbursement rates. 

Independent, hospital, and physician 

office laboratories providing non-patient 

Medicare Part B laboratory services will 

be required to participate in the 

demonstration. 

The purpose of this system is to 

collect and maintain demographic and 

health related data on the target 

population of Medicare beneficiaries 

who reside in the demonstration area 

and providers and/or suppliers that are 

potential participants in the 

demonstration who provide Medicare 

Part B clinical laboratory services to 

such beneficiaries. Information retrieved 

from this system may be disclosed to: 

(1) Support regulatory, reimbursement, 

and policy functions performed within 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES