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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 149 (Monday, August 4, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45192-45194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18296]

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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: ``Continuing Education for Comparative Effectiveness Research 
Survey.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHRQ invites the public to 
comment on this proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by October 3, 2014.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project

Continuing Education for Comparative Effectiveness Research Survey

    Patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) is an area that has seen 
increased focus from research agencies and other government entities. 
Also known as comparative effectiveness research, PCOR is the focus of 
AHRQ's Effective Health Care (EHC) program, which has the mission of 
providing health care decision-makers (e.g., patients, healthcare 
providers, purchasers, and policymakers) with recent evidence-based 
information about the harms, benefits, and effectiveness of various 
treatment options by comparing medical devices, surgeries, tests, 
drugs, or ways to deliver health care.
    The EHC program was created in response to Section 1013 of the 
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 
and became the first federal program to conduct PCOR and disseminate 
those findings to the public. AHRQ works with researchers, academic 
organizations, and research centers through the EHC program on work 
relating to methods, training, and dissemination of products to a 
variety of stakeholders to help spread awareness and knowledge about 
PCOR. It is important for AHRQ to be able to measure the effectiveness 
of these products, which include training modules and publications, 
specifically around how they are affecting health care professionals' 
understanding, awareness, and use of PCOR and its related concepts. It 
is also important for

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AHRQ to be able to identify ways to improve how this information is 
being disseminated to the medical community.
    The Continuing Education for Comparative Effectiveness Research 
Project is designed to provide online continuing education materials 
that inform physicians and other healthcare providers about patient-
centered health research from the EHC Program, specifically comparative 
effectiveness research reports, and other government-funded comparative 
clinical effectiveness research. Online multimedia continuing education 
modules based on the Effective Health Care Program http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/tools- and-resources/cmece-activities/
comparative effectiveness research reports will be planned, developed, 
disseminated, and promoted. In addition, data will be collected on the 
modules to assess their effectiveness and impact.
    This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor, Hayes 
Inc. (Hayes) and Hayes' subcontractors, Deloitte Consulting LLP 
(Deloitte), pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to support the 
agency's dissemination of comparative clinical effectiveness research 
findings. 42 U.S.C. 299b-37(a)-(c).

Method of Collection

    To achieve the goals of this project, the following data collection 
will be implemented:
    (1) Each training module will involve one follow-up questionnaire 
that would be administered six months after the completion of the 
course for the purposes of tracking the longer-term effectiveness of 
the modules.
    This data collection will help to meet AHRQ's objectives to:
    1. Understand the extent to which these online continuing education 
modules based on the EHC Program comparative effectiveness research 
reports improve knowledge of each topic and change participants' 
awareness of, attitude towards, and/or confidence to apply GER in their 
clinical practice.
    2. Track information about the dissemination efforts employed for 
CE/CER information specific to the modules, and the uptake of AHRQ's 
other EHC Program materials as a result of the project, including the 
Clinician and Consumer Summaries when available.
    3. Determine implementation practices (e.g. changes in practice 
behavior or implementation of the information conveyed in the modules) 
that occur as a result of the learning.
    4. Identify opportunities for improving the presentation and 
delivery of CE modules by gathering information on the participants' 
reactions to the modules and to the faculty presenters through the 
post-event evaluation assessment.
    AHRQ will use the information collected through this Information 
Collection Request to assess the short- and long-term progress in 
achieving the dissemination and implementation aims of the Continuing 
Education project.

Estimated Total Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 provides information on the estimated time to complete 
the data collection survey. These educational activities are enduring 
training modules and will be available for a 2-year period. The AHRQ 
Continuing Education for Comparative Effectiveness Research Survey will 
be administered to each individual 6 months after completing the 
module. On average, respondents will spend 5 minutes completing the 
survey. As many as 4,400 health care professionals are expected to 
complete the surveys, based on an average of 2,000 health care 
providers taking each module with a 10% response rate, or 200; 200 x 22 
modules = 4,400. On average, respondents will spend 5 minutes 
completing the survey. The total burden is estimated to be 367 hours.

                                                         Exhibit 1--Estimated Respondent Burden
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                         A                                 B                C                D                E                F                G
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                                                                                                            Total                             Total
                                                     Average burden    Total burden      Number of        respondent      Total burden      respondent
          Estimated number of respondents            per respondent  (minutes) (A*B)   responses per        burden       per respondent   burden (hours)
                                                       (minutes)                         respondent    (minutes) (C*D)  (minutes) (B*D)       (E/60)
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4400..............................................               5           22,000                1           22,000                5              367
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                                        Exhibit 2--Estimated Cost Burden
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                                                     Number of     Total burden   Average hourly    Total cost
                    Form name                       respondents        hours        wage rate *       burden
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AHRQ Online CME/CE 6-Month Evaluation...........           4,400             367          $49.83         $18,288
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           4,400             367             N/A         18,288
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* Based upon the mean of the average hourly wages for Physicians (29-1069; $92.25), Pharmacists (29-1051;
  $56.01), Physician Assistants (29-1071; $45.36), Nurse Practitioners (29-1171; $45.71), Registered Nurses (29-
  1111; $33.13), and Healthcare Practitioners (29-9099; $26.54), May 2013 National Occupational Employment and
  Wage Estimates, United States, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#29-0000 viewed May 5, 2014.

Request for Comments

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 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 health care research and 
health care 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: July 24, 2014.
Richard Kronick,
AHRQ Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-18296 Filed 8-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M
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