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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4354-4356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1173]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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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: ``Voluntary Customer Survey Generic Clearance for the Agency 
for Healthcare Research and Quality.'' In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, AHRQ invites the public to comment 
on this proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by March 28, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by e-mail at 
doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov.
    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

    Voluntary Customer Survey Generic Clearance for the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality Executive Order 12862 directs agencies 
that ``provide significant services directly to the public'' to 
``survey customers to determine the kind and quality of services they 
want and their level of satisfaction with existing services.'' This is 
a request for the Office of

[[Page 4355]]

Management and Budget (OMB) to re-approve for an additional 3 years, 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the generic clearance for 
the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to survey the 
users of AHRQ's work products and services, OMB control number 0935-
0106.
    Customer surveys will be undertaken by AHRQ to assess its work 
products and services provided to its customers, to identify problem 
areas, and to determine how they can be improved. Surveys conducted 
under this generic clearance are not required by regulation and will 
not be used by AHRQ to regulate or sanction its customers. Surveys will 
be entirely voluntary, and information provided by respondents will be 
combined and summarized so that no individually identifiable 
information will be released. Proposed information collections 
submitted under this generic clearance will be reviewed and acted upon 
by OMB within 14 days of submission to OMB.
    In accordance with OMB guidelines for generic clearances for 
voluntary customer surveys and Executive Order 12862, AHRQ: (1) Has 
established an independent review process to assure the development, 
implementation, and analysis of high quality customer surveys within 
AHRQ; (2) will provide periodic progress reports on the conduct of 
surveys under the generic approval, summarizing the actual burden; (3) 
will provide OMB with copies of the survey instruments for inclusion in 
the docket; and, (4) will notify OMB of any significant changes in 
proposed survey instruments.

Method of Collection

    The information collected through focus groups and voluntary 
customer surveys will be used by AHRQ to identify strengths and 
weaknesses in products and services to make improvements that are 
practical and feasible. Information from these customer surveys will be 
used to plan and redirect resources and efforts to improve or maintain 
a high quality of service to the lay and health professional public.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 shows the estimated total burden hours for the 
respondents. Mail surveys are estimated to average 15 minutes, 
telephone surveys 40 minutes, web-based surveys 10 minutes, focus 
groups two hours, and in-person interviews are estimated to average 50 
minutes. Mail surveys may also be sent to respondents via email, and 
may include a telephone non-response follow-up.
    Telephone non-response follow-up for mailed surveys does not count 
as a telephone survey. The total burden hours for the 3 years of the 
clearance is estimated to be 10,150 hours.
    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated cost burden for the respondents. The 
total cost burden for the 3 years of the clearance is estimated to be 
$340,127.

                                 Exhibit 1--Estimated Burden Hours Over 3 Years
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of
         Type of information collection              Number of     responses per     Hours per     Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail/e-mail*....................................          15,000               1           15/60           3,750
Telephone.......................................             600               1           40/60             400
Web-based.......................................          15,000               1           10/60           2,500
Focus Groups....................................           1,500               1             2.0           3,000
In-person.......................................             600               1           50/60             500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          32,700              na              na          10,150
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* May include telephone non-response follow-up in which case the burden will not change.

                                  Exhibit 2--Estimated Cost Burden Over 3 Years
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                                                     Number of     Total burden   Average hourly    Total cost
         Type of information collection             respondents        hours        wage rate*        burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail/e-mail.....................................          15,000           3,750          $33.51        $125,663
Telephone.......................................             600             400           33.51          13,404
Web-based.......................................          15,000           2,500           33.51          83,775
Focus Groups....................................           1,500           3,000           33.51         100,530
In-person.......................................             600             500           33.51          16,755
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................          32,700          10,150              na         340,127
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Based upon the average wages for 29-000 (Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations), ``National
  Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, May 2009,'' U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
  Labor Statistics.

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government

    Information collections conducted under this generic clearance will 
in some cases be carried out under contract. Assuming the contract cost 
per survey are $50,000-$100,000, and for each focus group are $20,000, 
total contract costs could run $ 720,000 per year.

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 healthcare research and healthcare 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 collection of 
information upon the respondents, including the use of

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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: January 3, 2011.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-1173 Filed 1-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M
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