[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76270-76271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31003]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-7978.
    Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collections of 
information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 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 through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Proposed Project: Measuring Progress of Consumer Involvement in 
Public Managed Behavioral Health Care--New--The tremendous growth of 
managed care over the last ten years has dramatically changed the ways 
that public sector mental health and substance abuse services are 
organized and funded. The numbers of persons enrolled in managed care 
programs

[[Page 76271]]

under Medicaid increased from 10 percent in 1991 to 54 percent in 1998, 
with escalating numbers of persons with disabilities included under the 
programs. The number of States with managed care programs in public 
mental health and substance abuse programs tripled in three years from 
14 States in 1996 to 42 States in 1999. Currently, there are 39 States 
operating managed behavioral healthcare programs. The decrease is due 
to the fact that a few States terminated or did not implement planned 
programs.
    SAMHSA has engaged in a number of projects to improve the genuine 
participation of consumers and family members in the design, 
procurement, implementation and evaluation of managed care programs in 
the public system. Under the SAMHSA Managed Care Initiative, a group of 
consumers, family members and advocacy groups developed the Partners in 
Planning Guide to educate consumers and family members on becoming 
active in designing managed care systems in their State. A related 
project supported training on the Guide at national and grassroots 
venues to advocated as well as persons with mental illnesses and/or 
chemical dependencies.
    However, the impact of these and other efforts to promote greater 
inclusion of consumers and family members in system design remains 
largely unmeasured. The objective of this effort, sponsored by SAMHSA's 
Office of Managed Care, is to identify progress of the consumer and 
family member involvement in managed care. A survey will assess the 
level of consumer/family involvement in managed care design, 
implementation and evaluation. More specifically, mental health and 
substance abuse consumer leaders in targeted States will be surveyed 
about their involvement in Medicaid and waivered programs with 
behavioral healthcare services to assess: how consumer/family 
involvement has evolved over the past five years and identify areas of 
improvement and areas that still need improvement and reasons for the 
changes; the consumer's specific roles in formal governmental bodies, 
such as serving on the legislative commissions or governor advisory 
boards, etc; whether consumers and family members are finding useful 
the SAMHSA technical assistance documents and other resources for 
consumers and family members about managed behavioral healthcare. The 
resulting information will be shared with SAMHSA leadership and 
constituents to identify what works and best practices and to guide 
SAMHSA activities to further promotion of consumer and family 
involvement in managed care.
    Participants in the survey will be identified through a combination 
of databases for the following constituencies: consumers/survivors, 
family members, and persons in recovery from substance abuse problems. 
In addition, recommendations from local mental health association and 
other advocate will be sought. The survey will involve approximately 3-
5 individuals in each of 15 States. Total burden for this single-time 
survey is as follows:

 
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                                                                  Responses/        Burden/        Total burden
                    Number of respondents                         respondent        response          (hrs.)
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  75.........................................................               1              .37               28
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    Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. 
Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: November 28, 2000.
Richard Kopanda,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 00-31003 Filed 12-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P