Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 173 / Monday, September 8, 1997 / Notices 47211

intended to constitute an official

interpretation of the agreement and

proposed Consent Order or to modify in

any way its terms.

Donald S. Clark,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–23680 Filed 9–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6750–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Health Care Policy

and Research, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research’s (AHCPR) intention to request

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) to allow a proposed information

collection of the ‘‘Medical Expenditure

Panel Survey Household Component

(MEPS HC)—Panels 3 and 4.’’ In

accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104–13

(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHCPR

invites the public to comment on this

proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by November 7, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be submitted to: Ruth A. Celtnieks,

Reports Clearance Officer, AHCPR, 2101

East Jefferson Street, Suite 500,

Rockville, MD 20852–4908.

All comments will become a matter of

public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruth A. Celtnieks, AHCPR Reports

Clearance Officer, (301) 594–1406, ext.

1497.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

‘‘Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Household Component (MEPS–HC)—

Panels 3 and 4.’’

The AHCPR intends to conduct an

annual panel survey of U.S. households

to collect information on a variety of

measures related to health status, health

insurance coverage, health care use and

expenditures, and sources of payment

for health services. Each panel consists

of a nationally representative sample of

U.S. households who remain in MEPS

for two consecutive years of data

collection. The first two panels of MEPS

began in 1996 and 1997. Panels 3 and

4 of the MEPS–HC begin in 1998 and

1999, respectively. The MEPS–HC is

jointly sponsored by the AHCPR and the

National Center for Health Statistics

(NCHS). It will be conducted using a

sample of households selected from

households which responded to the

National Health Interview Survey

(NHIS) sponsored by NCHS. The NHIS

is a household survey which collects

health related data from approximately

50,000 households and 110,000 people.

Due to the Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS) efforts to

integrate survey data collection

activities, the NHIS is used as the

sampling frame for the MEPS and

several other surveys.

Data to be collected from each

household include detailed information

on demographics, health conditions,

current health status, utilization of

health care providers, charges and

payments for health care services,

medications, employment and health

insurance. Subject to AHCPR and NCHS

confidentiality statutes, data will be

made available through publications,

articles in major journals as well as

public use data files. The data are

intended to be used for purposes such

as:

• Generating national estimates of

individual and family health care use

and expenditures, private and public

health insurance coverage, and the

availability, costs and scope of private

health insurance benefits among

Americans;

• Examining the effects of changes in

how chronic care and disability are

managed and financed;

• Evaluating the growing impact of

managed care and of enrollment in

different types of managed care plans;

and

• Examining access to and costs of

health care for common diseases and

conditions, prescription drug use, and

other health issues.

Statisticians and researchers will use

these data to make important

generalizations on the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the

United States, as well as to conduct

research in which the family is the unit

of analysis.

Method of Collection

The data will be collected using a

combination of modes. For example, the

AHCPR intends to introduce study

participants to the survey through

advance mailings. The first contact will

provide the household with information

regarding the importance and uses of

the information obtained. The AHCPR

will then conduct five (in-person)

interviews with each household to

obtain health care use and expense data.

Lastly, the AHCPR will conduct one

telephone interview with each

household to obtain tax and asset

information. Data will be collected

using a computer-assisted personal

interviewing method (CAPI). In certain

cases, AHCPR will conduct interviews

over the telephone, if necessary. Burden

estimates follow:

Initial Number of Respondents:

10,000.

Panel 3: 4800.

Panel 4: 5200.

Number of Surveys Per Respondent: 6.

Average Burden Per Respondent: 9.0

hours.

Estimated Burden Total: 81,100

hours.

Panel 3: 39,050 hours.

Panel 4: 42,050 hours.

Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) the

necessity of the proposed collection; (b)

the accuracy of the Agency’s estimate of

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 the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of this information collection.

Copies of these proposed collection

plans and instruments can be obtained

from the AHCPR Reports Clearance

Officer (see above).

Dated: September 2, 1997.

John M. Eisenberg,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–23681 Filed 9–5–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration,

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

This notice announces a forthcoming

meeting of a public advisory committee

of the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA). At least one portion of the

meeting will be closed to the public.

Name of Committee: Clinical

Chemistry and Clinical Toxicology

Devices Panel of the Medical Devices

Advisory Committee.