Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 14373 

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 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 

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: February 29, 2012. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5574 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

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. 

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: 

‘‘Demonstration of a Health Literacy 

Universal Precautions Toolkit.’’ In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501–3521, 

AHRQ invites the public to comment on 

this proposed information collection. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by May 8, 2012. 

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 

Demonstration of Health Literacy 

Universal Precautions Toolkit 

A goal of Healthy People 2020 is to 

increase Americans’ health literacy, 

defined as, ‘‘the degree to which 

individuals have the capacity to obtain, 

process, and understand basic health 

information and services needed to 

make appropriate health decisions.’’ 

The effects of limited literacy are 

numerous and serious, including 

medication errors resulting from 

patients’ inability to read labels; 

underuse of preventive measures such 

as Pap smears and vaccines; poor selfmanagement of conditions such as 

asthma and diabetes; and higher rates of 

hospitalization and longer hospital 

stays. 

According to the 2003 National 

Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), 

more than one-third of Americans—77 

million people—have limited health 

literacy. Although some adults are more 

likely than others to have difficulty 

understanding and acting upon health 

information (e.g., minority Americans, 

elderly), providers cannot tell by 

looking which patients have limited 

health literacy. Experts recommend that 

providers assume all patients may have 

difficulty understanding health-related 

information. Known as adopting ‘‘health 

literacy universal precautions,’’ 

providers create an environment in 

which all patients benefit from clear 

communication. 

AHRQ contracted with the University 

of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to 

develop the Health Literacy Universal 

Precautions Toolkit to help primary care 

practices ensure that systems are in 

place to promote better understanding 

of health-related information by all 

patients. As part of Toolkit 

development, testing of a ‘‘prototype 

Toolkit’’ was conducted in eight 

primary care practices over an eightweek period. Testing provided 

important information about 

implementation and resulted in 

refinement of the Toolkit, which AHRQ 

made publically available in Spring 

2010. At this time, the Toolkit includes 

20 tools to prepare practices for health 

literacy-related quality improvement 

activities and to guide them in 

improving their performance related to 

four domains: (1) Improving spoken 

communication with patients, (2) 

improving written communication with 

patients, (3) enhancing patient selfmanagement and empowerment, and (4) 

linking patients to supportive systems 

in the community. 

The tools included in the Health 

Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit 

are listed below: 

Tools To Start on the Path to 

Improvement 

Tool 1: Form a Team 

Tool 2: Assess Your Practice 

Tool 3: Raise Awareness 

Tools To Improve Spoken 

Communication 

Tool 4: Tips for Communicating Clearly 

Tool 5: The Teach-Back Method 

Tool 6: Follow up with Patients 

Tool 7: Telephone Considerations 

Tool 8: Brown Bag Medication Review 

Tool 9: How to Address Language 

Differences 

Tool 10: Culture and Other 

Considerations 

Tools To Improve Written 

Communication 

Tool 11: Design Easy-to-Read Material 

Tool 12: Use Health Education Material 

Effectively 

Tool 13: Welcome Patients: Helpful 

Attitude, Signs, and More 

Tools To Improve Self-Management and 

Empowerment 

Tool 14: Encourage Questions 

Tool 15: Make Action Plans 

Tool 16: Improve Medication Adherence 

and Accuracy 

Tool 17: Get Patient Feedback 

Tools to Improve Supportive Systems 

Tool 18: Link Patients to Non-Medical 

Support 

Tool 19: Medication Resources 

Tool 20: Use Health and Literacy 

Resources in the Community 

AHRQ will now conduct a 

demonstration of the Health Literacy 

Universal Precautions Toolkit. The 

purpose of this demonstration project is 

to explore whether the Toolkit helps 

motivated practices to make changes 

intended to improve communication 

with and support for patients of all 

literacy levels. Twelve primary care 

practices will be recruited to implement 

at least four tools from the Health 

Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. 

The project team will provide 

participating practices with limited 

technical assistance throughout the 

implementation period. Data regarding 

the assistance provided will contribute 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
14374 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 

to the team’s assessment of the ease 

with which specific tools can be 

implemented and will provide insight 

into additional resources and guidance 

that might be valuable to add to the 

Toolkit. 

This study is being conducted by 

AHRQ through its contractors, the 

University of Colorado, the American 

Academy of Family Physicians National 

Research Network and Synovate, Inc., 

under its statutory authority to conduct 

and support research on health care and 

on systems for the delivery of such care, 

including activities with respect to the 

quality, effectiveness, efficiency, 

appropriateness, and value of health 

care services and with respect to quality 

measurement and improvement (42 

U.S.C. 299a(a)(1) and (2)). 

Method of Collection 

To achieve the goals of this project the 

following activities and data collections 

will be implemented: 

(1) Practice Screening Calls: To recruit 

practices into the project, the project 

team will conduct screening calls with 

all interested practices, typically with 

the lead physician or practice 

administrator. The introductory script 

presents an overview of the project. For 

those practices that agree to participate, 

some basic data about the practice will 

be collected, such as the type of 

practice, the number of full and part 

time clinicians, the number of patients 

seen in a typical week and the 

percentage of patients enrolled in 

Medicaid. 

(2) Health Literacy Assessment 

Questions: In implementing Tool 2, 

which guides practices in conducting a 

self-assessment of their health literacyrelated systems and procedures, 

practices will complete the Health 

Literacy Assessment Questions at the 

beginning of the project. We will request 

that they complete the same items again 

following implementation so that we 

may examine whether these items 

suggest change over time. Practices will 

collect responses from staff members 

representing different components of 

the practice (e.g., clinicians, front desk 

staff). A member of the practice staff, 

who will be designated the project 

coordinator, will oversee collection of 

survey data. 

(3) Implementation Tracking Form: 

The Implementation Tracking Form will 

be completed by the leader of the Health 

Literacy Team at the beginning of the 

project period and updated prior to each 

check-in phone call with project staff 

(see item 13 below). (As part of 

implementation of Tool 1, participating 

practices will establish a Health Literacy 

Team to oversee Toolkit 

implementation.) This form elicits 

information about the timing with 

which different steps in the 

implementation process were completed 

(e.g., when was the first training 

conducted). 

(4) Webinar/Orientation: Prior to 

beginning data collection, we will 

conduct a Webinar with all practices to 

review the pre-implementation data 

collection requirements and provide an 

overview of Tools 1 and 2, which 

practices are to complete prior to our 

conducting site visits. Up to four 

members of the Health Literacy Team or 

other practice members will attend. 

(5) On-site Observation: At pre- and 

post-implementation, the project team 

will conduct an observational review of 

the practice environment to assess 

health literacy-related features, such as 

readability of patient materials in the 

waiting room and ease of patient 

navigation. This data collection activity 

involves no burden to participating 

practices and their patients and, 

therefore, is not included in the burden 

estimates in Section 12. 

(6) Patient Survey: The Patient Survey 

will be collected at pre- and postimplementation and is designed to 

obtain patient input on health literacyrelated performance of providers and 

staff (e.g., ‘‘did your provider use 

medical words you did not 

understand’’). Each practice will recruit 

50 patients at each time point to 

complete the survey. The survey will 

include the same items at the two time 

points. The on-site project coordinator 

will oversee recruitment and collection 

of survey data. 

(7) Survey Using Items from the 

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare 

Providers and Systems (CAHPS): In two 

of the participating practices, selected 

health literacy-related items from the 

CAHPS Clinician and Group Survey 

will be administered at pre- and postimplementation. Surveys will be sent by 

mail, with phone follow up. Across 

practices and the two time points (preand post-implementation), we will 

collect surveys for 1800 patients. 

(8) Medication Review Form: Each 

practice that chooses to implement Tool 

8 (Brown Bag Medication Review) will 

conduct medication reviews with 20 

patients at pre-implementation and 20 

at post-implementation, completing the 

Medication Review Form for each 

review (we estimate that 3 of the 12 

participating practices will choose to 

implement Tool 8.) During these 

reviews, the Medication Review Form 

will be completed to record errors found 

in the medication regimen (e.g., expired 

medications, incorrect dosing, patient 

misunderstanding of regimen). So that 

this data collection activity will be of 

value to practices and patients, reviews 

will be conducted with patients 

identified through routine clinical 

practice (e.g., the prescription refill 

process, regular follow-up visits) to 

require a full review of current 

medications. 

(9) Practice Staff Survey: We will 

request that all staff members of 

participating practices complete the 

Practice Staff Survey, which elicits staff 

perceptions regarding health literacyrelated practices (e.g., staff use of 

effective communication techniques and 

confirmation of patient comprehension). 

Surveys will be completed at preimplementation and postimplementation, with items varying 

slightly at the two time points. The 

project coordinator for each practice 

will oversee collection of survey data. 

(10) Health Literacy Team Leader 

Survey: The leader of the Health 

Literacy Team will complete this survey 

at pre- and post-implementation to 

provide data regarding health literacyrelated policies and details regarding 

Toolkit implementation (e.g., has the 

reading level of written patient 

materials been assessed, how does the 

practice remind patients to bring in 

medication bottles to facilitate 

medication reviews). 

(11) Health Literacy Team Leader 

Interview: The leader of the Health 

Literacy Team will be interviewed in 

person at pre- and post-implementation. 

At the beginning of the project, this 

qualitative interview will focus on 

expectations regarding implementation 

(e.g., expected barriers) and technical 

assistance needs. The postimplementation interview is designed to 

elicit detailed information about the 

implementation process, suggested 

revisions to the Toolkit, and an 

assessment of the technical assistance 

provided. 

(12) Check-in Phone Calls: To ensure 

that practices stay on track, the project 

team will contact practices on a regular 

schedule to assess progress and provide 

facilitation that might be needed to help 

practices address barriers they may be 

experiencing. Calls will take place two 

weeks, one month, two months, and 

four months into implementation and 

will involve the leader of the Health 

Literacy Team. 

(13) Health Literacy Team Member 

Interview: So that we may obtain 

information about the implementation 

process as well as functioning of the 

Health Literacy Team (e.g., how difficult 

was it to reach decisions about which 

tools to implement), we also will 

interview a member of the Team other 

than the Team leader at postVerDate Mar<15>2010 16:21 Mar 08, 2012 Jkt 226001 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 14375 

implementation. Interviews will be 

conducted on site at the practice. 

(14) Practice Staff Member Interview: 

So that we can obtain input about 

Toolkit implementation and project 

participation from someone outside of 

the Health Literacy Team, we will 

conduct on-site interviews at postimplementation with one or two staff 

members who were not involved in the 

Health Literacy Team. 

Data collected will be used for the 

following purposes: 

• To explore whether/how the 

Toolkit assists motivated practices to 

take a systematic approach to reducing 

the complexity of health care and 

ensuring that patients can succeed in 

the health care environment. Based on 

the data collected, AHRQ will issue a 

Technical Assistance Guide for use by 

practice facilitators that work with 

Toolkit implementers and Case Studies 

that highlight lessons learned. 

• To improve the Health Literacy 

Universal Precautions Toolkit, AHRQ 

will issue a new edition of the Toolkit 

based on insights from this study. 

• To see whether items from the 

CAHPS Item Set for Addressing Health 

Literacy are sensitive to quality 

improvement activities. AHRQ will use 

the findings to modify the document 

entitled ‘‘About the CAHPS Item Set for 

Addressing Health Literacy,’’ which 

discusses use of the items for quality 

improvement. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated 

annualized burden hours for the 

respondents’ time to participate in this 

research. 

• Practice Screening Calls will be 

conducted with one person from 20 

different practices, with 12 practices 

expected to ‘‘screen-in’’ and be included 

in this project. The screening calls will 

take 20 minutes. 

• The Health Literacy Assessment 

Questions will be completed twice; once 

at pre-implementation and again at postimplementation. We estimate that five 

staff members from each of the 12 

practices will complete the 

questionnaire at each time point, for a 

total of 120 respondents, and will 

require 30 minutes to complete. (The 

same staff members will not be targeted 

to complete the survey at both time 

points.) A staff member will distribute 

and collect the survey, which we 

estimate will take approximately five 

minutes per survey. 

• The Implementation Tracking Form 

will be completed at the beginning of 

the project and updated before each of 

the four Check-in Phone Calls and again 

at the end of the intervention. The form 

will be completed by the Leader of each 

practice’s Health Literacy Team and will 

take approximately 5 minutes to 

complete each time. 

• The Webinar/Orientation will take 

place at the beginning of the 

intervention and will include, on 

average, 4 staff members from each of 

the 12 practices and may take up to 2 

hours. 

• The Patient Survey will be 

completed at each of the 12 practices at 

pre-implementation and postimplementation. Fifty patients from 

each time period will be surveyed at 

each of the practices for a total of 1200 

patients. The same patients will not be 

targeted to complete both surveys. The 

two surveys are identical and will take 

20 minutes to complete. These will be 

administered by a practice staff member 

(recruiting patients, distributing 

surveys, collecting surveys). It is 

estimated that it will take 10 minutes of 

the staff member’s time to administer 

each survey. 

• The Survey Using Items from the 

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare 

Providers and Systems (CAHPS) will be 

completed by mail or phone and will 

take approximately 12 minutes to 

complete. It will be completed by a total 

of about 1800 patients total at two of the 

participating practices; 900 will 

complete it at pre-implementation and 

900 at post-implementation. The same 

patients will not be targeted to complete 

both surveys. 

• The Medication Review Form will 

not be used by all of the participating 

practices. We estimate that 3 of the 12 

practices will choose to implement Tool 

8 from the Toolkit (Brown Bag 

Medication Review), and only practices 

implementing Tool 8 will collect these 

data. For practices that do complete the 

Medication Review Form, we expect 

that about four clinic staff per practice 

will complete this form and each will 

complete it approximately five times at 

each time point (pre-implementation 

and post-implementation). Therefore, a 

total of 12 clinical staff will complete a 

total of 120 Medication Review Forms 

and each form will take about 30 

minutes to complete. 

• The Practice Staff Survey will be 

completed twice by each staff member; 

about 18 staff at each of the 12 practices. 

The pre-implementation version of the 

survey will take 15 minutes to complete, 

whereas the post-implementation 

version of the survey will take 20 

minutes to complete. The surveys will 

be disseminated and collected by a 

member of the practice, a role which we 

expect to take about five minutes for 

each survey. 

• The Health Literacy Team Leader 

Survey is completed by the Team 

Leader at each of the practices at preimplementation and postimplementation. The preimplementation version of the survey 

will take 15 minutes to complete, 

whereas the post-implementation 

version of the survey will take 20 

minutes to complete. 

• During the course of the 

intervention, there will be four Checkin Phone Calls with the Health Literacy 

Team Leader at each practice. Each call 

will last approximately 30 minutes. 

• The Health Literacy Team Leader 

from each practice will be interviewed 

at pre-implementation and postimplementation. The preimplementation version of the interview 

will take about 30 minutes, whereas the 

post-implementation interview will take 

90 minutes. 

• The Health Literacy Team Member 

interview will target one member of the 

Health Literacy Team from each practice 

(other than the Team Leader) and will 

be conducted at the post-intervention 

time period. The interview is expected 

to last 90 minutes. 

• For the Practice Staff Member 

Interview, two other staff members per 

practice (24 total) will be interviewed 

post-implementation and these will take 

30 minutes to complete. 

The total annualized burden hours are 

estimated to be 1,446 hours. 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Practice Screening Calls ................................................................................. 20 1 20/60 7 

Health Literacy Assessment Questions: 

Staff .......................................................................................................... 120 1 30/60 60 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 10 5/60 10 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
14376 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS—Continued 

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Implementation Tracking Form ........................................................................ 12 6 5/60 6 

Webinar/Orientation ......................................................................................... 48 1 2 96 

Patient Survey: 

Patients ..................................................................................................... 1200 1 20/60 400 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 100 10/60 200 

Survey Using Items from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) ...................................................................... 1800 1 12/60 360 

Medication Review Form ................................................................................. 12 10 30/60 60 

Practice Staff Survey—Pre-implementation: 

Staff .......................................................................................................... 216 1 15/60 54 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 18 5/60 18 

Practice Staff Survey—Post-implementation: 

Staff .......................................................................................................... 216 1 20/60 72 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 18 5/60 18 

Health Literacy Team Leader Survey—Pre-implementation ........................... 12 1 15/60 3 

Health Literacy Team Leader Survey—Post-implementation ......................... 12 1 20/60 4 

Check-in Phone Calls ...................................................................................... 12 4 30/60 24 

Health Literacy Team Leader Interview—pre-implementation ........................ 12 1 30/60 6 

Health Literacy Team Leader Interview—post-implementation ....................... 12 1 1.5 18 

Health Literacy Team Member Interview—post-implementation ..................... 12 1 1.5 18 

Practice Staff Member Interview—post-implementation .................................. 24 1 30/60 12 

Total ................................................................................................... 3,788 na na 1,446 

Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annual cost burden to respondents, based on their time to participate in this research. The annual cost burden 

is estimated to be $34,329. 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Total burden 

hours 

Average 

hourly wage 

rate a

Total cost 

burden 

Practice Screening Calls ................................................................................. 20 7 c $18.52 $130 

Health Literacy Assessment Questions: 

Staff .......................................................................................................... 120 60 d 29.15 1,749 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 10 c 18.52 185 

Implementation Tracking Form ........................................................................ 12 6 c 18.52 111 

Webinar/Orientation ......................................................................................... 48 96 d 29.15 2,798 

Patient Survey: 

Patients ..................................................................................................... 1200 400 b 22.48 8,992 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 200 c 18.52 3,704 

Survey Using Items from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) ...................................................................... 1800 360 b 22.48 8,093 

Medication Review Form ................................................................................. 12 60 d 29.15 1,749 

Practice Staff Survey—Pre-implementation: 

Staff .......................................................................................................... 216 54 d 29.15 1,574 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 18 c 18.52 333 

Practice Staff Survey—Post-implementation: 

Staff .......................................................................................................... 216 72 d 29.15 2,099 

Staff Administration .................................................................................. 12 18 c 18.52 333 

Health Literacy Team Leader Survey—Pre-implementation ........................... 12 3 d 29.15 87 

Health Literacy Team Leader Survey—Post-implementation ......................... 12 4 d 29.15 117 

Check-in Phone Calls ...................................................................................... 12 24 d 29.15 700 

Health Literacy Team Leader Interview—pre-implementation ........................ 12 6 d 29.15 175 

Health Literacy Team Leader Interview—post-implementation ....................... 12 18 d 29.15 525 

Health Literacy Team Member Interview—post-implementation ..................... 12 18 d 29.15 525 

Practice Staff Member Interview—post-implementation .................................. 24 12 d 29.15 350 

Total ................................................................................................... 3,788 1,446 na 34,329 

a Mean hourly and wage costs for Colorado were derived from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics National Compensation Survey for May 2010 

(http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oesco.htm). b Hourly rate for all workers (occupation code 00–0000) estimates the cost of time for patients. 

c Hourly rate for medical records and health information technician (29–2071). 

d Hourly rate for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other (29–9799). 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 14377 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

Exhibit 3 shows the estimated total 

and annualized cost to the Federal 

Government for conducting this 

research. These estimates include the 

costs associated with the project such as 

the preparation of survey administration 

procedures, labor costs, administrative 

expenses, costs associated with copying, 

postage, and telephone expenses, data 

management and analysis, preparation 

of final reports, and dissemination of 

findings/results/products. The 

annualized and total costs are identical 

since the data collection period will last 

for one year. The total cost is estimated 

to be $784,910. 

EXHIBIT 3—ESTIMATED TOTAL AND

ANNUALIZED COST

Cost 

component Total Annualized cost 

Administration $81,654 $81,654 

Research Activities ........ 446,201 446,201 

Dissemination 

Activities .... 57,222 57,222 

Final Report .. 57,864 57,864 

Overhead ...... 141,969 141,969 

Total ....... 784,910 784,910 

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 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 

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: February 29, 2012. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5569 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

Subcommittee for Dose 

Reconstruction Reviews (SDRR), 

Advisory Board on Radiation and 

Worker Health (ABRWH or the 

Advisory Board), National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health 

(NIOSH) 

In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463), the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC), 

announces the following meeting for the 

aforementioned subcommittee: 

TIME AND DATE: 9 a.m.–5 p.m., March 30, 

2012. 

PLACE: Cincinnati Airport Marriott, 2395 

Progress Drive, Hebron, Kentucky 

41018. Telephone (859) 334–4611, Fax 

(859) 334–4619. 

STATUS: Open to the public, but without 

a verbal public comment period. 

Written comment should be provided to 

the contact person below in advance of 

the meeting. To access by conference 

call dial the following information 1 

(866) 659–0537, Participant Pass Code 

9933701. 

BACKGROUND: The Advisory Board was 

established under the Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness Compensation 

Program Act of 2000 to advise the 

President on a variety of policy and 

technical functions required to 

implement and effectively manage the 

new compensation program. Key 

functions of the Advisory Board include 

providing advice on the development of 

probability of causation guidelines that 

have been promulgated by the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) as a final rule; advice on 

methods of dose reconstruction, which 

have also been promulgated by HHS as 

a final rule; advice on the scientific 

validity and quality of dose estimation 

and reconstruction efforts being 

performed for purposes of the 

compensation program; and advice on 

petitions to add classes of workers to the 

Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). 

In December 2000, the President 

delegated responsibility for funding, 

staffing, and operating the Advisory 

Board to HHS, which subsequently 

delegated this authority to CDC. NIOSH 

implements this responsibility for CDC. 

The charter was issued on August 3, 

2001, renewed at appropriate intervals, 

and will expire on August 3, 2013. 

PURPOSE: The Advisory Board is 

charged with (a) Providing advice to the 

Secretary, HHS, on the development of 

guidelines under Executive Order 

13179; (b) providing advice to the 

Secretary, HHS, on the scientific 

validity and quality of dose 

reconstruction efforts performed for this 

program; and (c) upon request by the 

Secretary, HHS, advise the Secretary on 

whether there is a class of employees at 

any Department of Energy facility who 

were exposed to radiation but for whom 

it is not feasible to estimate their 

radiation dose, and on whether there is 

reasonable likelihood that such 

radiation doses may have endangered 

the health of members of this class. The 

Subcommittee for Dose Reconstruction 

Reviews was established to aid the 

Advisory Board in carrying out its duty 

to advise the Secretary, HHS, on dose 

reconstruction. 

MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED: The agenda 

for the Subcommittee meeting includes: 

discussion of dose reconstruction cases 

under review (sets 7–10); DCAS dose 

reconstruction quality management and 

assurance activities; and dose 

reconstruction issues from NIOSH 10- 

year review. 

The agenda is subject to change as 

priorities dictate. 

In the event an individual cannot 

attend, written comments may be 

submitted. Any written comments 

received will be provided at the meeting 

and should be submitted to the contact 

person below well in advance of the 

meeting. 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Theodore Katz, Executive Secretary, 

NIOSH, CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, 

Mailstop E–20, Atlanta GA 30333, 

Telephone (513) 533–6800, Toll Free 1 

(800) CDC–INFO, Email ocas@cdc.gov. 

The Director, Management Analysis 

and Services Office, has been delegated 

the authority to sign Federal Register 

notices pertaining to announcements of 

meetings and other committee 

management activities, for both the 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention and the Agency for Toxic 

Substances and Disease Registry. 

Dated: March 5, 2012. 

Elaine L. Baker, 

Director, Management Analysis and Services 

Office, Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5792 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P 


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