40534 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 145 / Tuesday, July 29, 1997 / Notices

supplemental literature in connection

with their sale and, in addition,

procedures for evaluation of label

claims. The Commission is evaluating

how best to provide truthful,

scientifically valid, and non-misleading

information to consumers in order that

they may make informed health care

choices for themselves and their

families. The Commission’s study report

may include recommendations on

legislation, if appropriate and necessary.

The Commission made a draft of its

report available for public comment on

June 24, 1997. The purpose of meeting

#9 is to review comments and

information received from the public

and to discuss preparation of the

Commission’s final report.

The Commission meeting agenda will

include approval of minutes of the

previous meeting, review of comments

and information submitted by the

public, and discussion of possible

revisions of the draft report and

procedures for final report completion.

The open meeting may be recessed for

short time periods on Thursday

afternoon, August 14, 1997, and on

Friday morning, August 15, 1997, at the

call of the Chair, to allow members of

the Commission to redraft portions of

the report. Following such recesses, if

any, the revisions will be presented to

the full Commission in its open

meeting.

The meeting is open to the public,

however seating is limited. If you will

require a sign language interpreter,

please call Sandra Saunders (202) 690–

7102 by 4:30 p.m. E.S.T. on August 4,

1997.

Dated: July 17, 1997.

Susanne A. Stoiber,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health,

(Disease Prevention and Health Promotion),

U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services.

[FR Doc. 97–19909 Filed 7–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–17–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

[30DAY–16–97]

Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork

Reduction Act Review

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of

information collection requests under

review by the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) in compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35). To request a copy of these

requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance

Office on (404) 639–7090. Send written

comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human

Resources and Housing Branch, New

Executive Office Building, Room 10235;

Washington, DC 20503. Written

comments should be received within 7

days of this notice.

Proposed Project

1. The National Home and Hospice

Care Mail Survey (NHHCMS)—(0920–

0298)—Revision—The National Center

for Health Statistics (NCHS) is

requesting an emergency review and

clearance of the above named data

collection in 1997. The use of the

regular clearance process for this survey

would preclude collection of home

health care data in 1997, thereby

disrupting the provisions of annual

trend data for this dynamic sector in the

health care delivery system. A decision

regarding this request is needed by

August 8, 1997. The National Home and

Hospice Care Survey was conducted in

1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. It is part of

the Long-Term Care component of the

National Health Care Survey. Section

306 of the Public Health Service Act

states that the National Center for

Health Statistics ‘‘shall collect statistics

on health resources * * * (and)

utilization of health care, including

utilization of * * * services of

hospitals, extended care facilities, home

health agencies, and other institutions.’’

NCHS data are used to examine this

most rapidly expanding sector of the

health care industry. Data from the

NHHCS are widely used by the health

care industry and policy makers for

such diverse analyses as the need for

various medical supplies; minority

access to health care; and planning for

the health care needs of the elderly. The

NHHCS also reveals detailed

information on utilization patterns, as

needed to make accurate assessments of

the need for and costs associated with

such care. Data from earlier NHHCS

collections have been used by the

Congressional Budget Office, the Bureau

of Health Professions, the Maryland

Health Resources Planning Commission,

the National Association for Home Care,

and by several newspapers and journals.

Additional uses are expected to be

similar to the uses of the National

Nursing Home Survey. The mail survey

version is an abbreviated form used to

collect basic trend data in years in

which the full NHHCS is not in the

field. NHHCMS data cover: baseline

data on the characteristics of home

health agencies and hospices including

number of patients served, ownership,

Medicare and Medicaid certification,

and services provided. Data collection is

planned for the period October 1997–

January 1998. Survey design is in

process now. The total annual burden

hours are 200.

Respondents Number of

respondents

Number of

responses/

respondent

Average

burden/response (in

hours)

Hospices and Home Health Care Agencies ............................................................................................ 1,200 1 0.166
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 145 / Tuesday, July 29, 1997 / Notices 40535

Wilma G. Johnson,

Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning

And Evaluation, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 97–19892 Filed 7–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

[30DAY–17–97]

Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork

Reduction Act Review

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of

information collection requests under

review by the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) in compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35). To request a copy of these

requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance

Office on (404) 639–7090. Send written

comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human

Resources and Housing Branch, New

Executive Office Building, Room 10235,

Washington, DC 20503. Written

comments should be received within 30

days of this notice.

Proposed Project

1. National Surveillance System for

Hospital Health Care workers (NASH)—

New—CDC has developed a

surveillance system that focuses on

surveillance of exposures and infections

among hospital-based health care

workers (HCWs). This system, modeled

after the National Nosocomial Infections

Surveillance (NNIS) system for patient

infections, includes standardized

methodology for various occupational

health issues (OMB 0920–0012). The

Hospital Infections Program, National

Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID)

has developed this system in

collaboration with the Hepatitis Branch,

Division of Viral and Rickettsial

Diseases, NCID; the Division of

Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination, National

Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention;

the National Immunization Program

(NIP), and the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health

(NIOSH).

The NASH system consists of

modules for collection of data about

various occupational issues. Baseline

information about each HCW such as

demographics, immune-status for

vaccine-preventable diseases, and TB

status is collected when the HCW is

enrolled in the system. Results of

routine tuberculin skin test (TST) are

collected and entered in the system

every time a TST is placed and read. In

the event that an HCW is exposed to

blood/bloodborne pathogen, to a

vaccine-preventable disease, or to a TB

infectious patient/HCW, epidemiologic

data will be collected about the

exposure. For HCWs exposed to a

bloodborne pathogen (i.e., HIV, HCV, or

HBC), follow-up data will be collected

during the follow-up visits. Once a year,

the hospitals will perform a survey to

assess the level of under reporting of

needlesticks (HCW Survey) and will

complete a hospital survey to provide

denominator data. Data will be sent

entered into the software and diskettes

will be sent to CDC. No identifiers of the

HCW will be sent to CDC. This system

is protected by the Assurance of

Confidentiality (308d).

Data collected in this surveillance

system will assist hospitals, HCWs,

HCW organizations, and public health

agencies. This system will allow CDC to

monitor national trends, to identify

newly emerging hazards for HCWs, to

assess the risk of occupational infection,

and to evaluate preventive measures,

including engineering controls, work

practices, protective equipment, and

postexposure prophylaxis to prevent

occupationally acquired infections.

Hospitals who volunteer to participate

in this system will benefit by receiving

technical support and standardized

methodologies, including software, for

conducting surveillance activities on

occupational health.

This system has been developed and

piloted in large teaching hospitals. Prior

to implementation in a nationwide

network of hospitals, an expansion of

this pilot project to include more

medium/small size hospitals is essential

for further refinement of protocols and

software. The first pilot project ran from

October 1994 to September 1996 (RFP–

200–94–0834(P)) and included four

hospitals; the second pilot started in

October 1996 (RFP–200–96–0524(P))

and includes five hospitals. Fifteen

hospitals are expected to participate in

this proposed project, including the five

currently participating. Once the

expanded pilot project is completed, the

system will be made available to all

short-term care hospitals in the United

States who wish to voluntarily

participate in this project. The total

annual burden hours are 14,554.

Respondents Number of

respondents

Number of

responses/

respondents

Average burden/response

(in hours)

Baseline Information Form ..................................................................................................................... 15 1,500 0.3333

TST—Result Form ................................................................................................................................. 15 1,500 0.1666

TST—Evaluation Form ........................................................................................................................... 15 13 0.1666

Exposure to Blood Form ........................................................................................................................ 15 100 0.4166

Exposure to Blood Follow-up Form ....................................................................................................... 15 50 0.25

Exposure to vaccine-prv. dis—Summary Form ..................................................................................... 15 8 0.3333

Exposure to vaccine-prv. dis—HCW Form ............................................................................................ 15 16 0.3333

Exposure to TB Form ............................................................................................................................. 15 3 0.50

Exposure to Non-Infectious Injury Form ................................................................................................ 15 133 0.3333

Exposures to Blood During Surgery Form ............................................................................................. 15 80 0.1666

Exposures to Blood During OB Deliveries Form ................................................................................... 15 80 0.1666

HCW Survey ........................................................................................................................................... 15 500 0.1666

*The same 15 hospitals will be completing the 12 separate forms listed above. The number of respondents includes x number of employees

times each of 15 hospitals.