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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20820-20822]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8098]

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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: ``Synthesis of AHRQ-Funded HAI Projects.'' 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 June 5, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Doris Leflcowitz, 
Reports Clearance Officer, AHRQ, by email at 
doris.leflcowitz@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 Leflcowitz, AHRQ Reports 
Clearance Officer, (301) 427-1477, or by email at 
doris.leflcowitz@AHR.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

Synthesis of AHRQ-Funded HAI Projects

    The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) requests that 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve, under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, AHRQ's collection of information for the 
Synthesis of AHRQ-Funded HAI Projects.
    For approximately a decade, AHRQ has conducted research on 
preventing healthcareassociated infections (HAIs), both internally and 
through contracts and grants. AHRQ's grant- and contract-supported 
projects have been directed at the major types of HAIs: Central-line-
associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary 
tract infections (CAUTI), surgical site infections (S SI), ventilator-
associated pneumonia (VAP), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 
(MRSA), and Clostridium difficile (C. cliff.). Projects have addressed 
the problem of HAIs in diverse healthcare settings, including 
hospitals, ambulatory settings (ambulatory surgery centers, end-stage 
renal disease facilities, and outpatient clinics and offices), and 
long-term care facilities. AHRQ's portfolio of HAI projects has 
emphasized a combination of research and implementation initiatives. In 
the latter category, a major focus of AHRQ's efforts has been to deploy 
tools that can improve provider performance and reduce HAIs. Based on 
the earlier success of the Michigan Keystone project, AHRQ has funded 
projects to implement the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program 
(CUSP) to address CLABSI and CAUTI nationwide. Data are now emerging 
that demonstrate the success of CUSP in reducing CLABSI in hospitals 
across the nation.
    Between 2007 and 2010, AHRQ funded 40 contracts and 18 grants 
focusing on expanding the HAI knowledge base and implementing HAI 
prevention strategies. Today it is

[[Page 20821]]

necessary to look across these projects in order to (1) identify, 
document, and synthesize their findings and results to ensure that 
AHRQ, healthcare professionals, and the public can make best use of 
these findings and (2) identify remaining gaps in the HAI science base 
to enable AHRQ to fund future studies that will address these needs. 
The synthesis will draw on several data sources, including interviews 
with project leaders. In addition to learning about studies that have 
not published peer-reviewed manuscripts, the interviews will enable the 
project team to delve into project details that are not typically 
available in publications, such as the project leader's motivation for 
responding to the request for proposal, challenges faced in 
implementing the project, changes in the project's delivery schedule or 
work plan, experts' views on how HAI prevention evidence generated by a 
specific project fits into the HAI research agenda more broadly, and 
remaining gaps in the HAI knowledge base.
    AHRQ has contracted with IMPAQ International, LLC, to develop this 
synthesis, identify gaps, and promote the widespread application of 
successful HAI prevention approaches. This research has the following 
goals: (1) Identify and document findings and synthesize results of 
AHRQ-funded HAI projects; (2) Disseminate key findings from the HAI 
projects; and (3) Identify remaining gaps in the HAI knowledge base.
    This study is being conducted by AHRQ through its contractor, IMPAQ 
International, LLC and its subcontractor, the RAND Corporation, 
pursuant to AHRQ's statutory authority to conduct and support research 
and disseminate information on healthcare and on systems for the 
delivery of such care, including activities with respect to the 
quality, effectiveness, efficiency, appropriateness and value of 
healthcare 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 data collection 
will be implemented:
    (1) Interviews with contractors--Interviews will be conducted with 
the project leaders (project directors or project managers) from 40 HAT 
contractors. The purpose of these interviews is to identify (a) key 
findings, (b) gaps in knowledge base, (c) lessons learned, (d) 
effective approaches for preventing and reducing HAIs, and e) 
opportunities for additional projects focused on generating and 
implementing knowledge on preventing HAIs.
    (2) Interviews with grantees--Interviews will be conducted with the 
project leaders (principal investigators) from 18 HAI grantees. Similar 
to the interviews with contractors, the purpose of these interviews is 
to identify (a) key findings, (b) gaps in knowledge base, (c) lessons 
learned, (d) effective approaches for preventing and reducing HAIs, and 
(e) opportunities for additional projects focused on generating and 
implementing knowledge on preventing HAIs. While the goals of the 
interviews with contractors and grantees are similar, the two audiences 
require separate interview protocols because their funding mechanisms 
and project structures differ. For example, contracts have more 
structured deliverable schedules than do grants and grants are more 
likely than contracts to be on investigator-initiated topics.
    AHRQ will interview key project leaders to learn about the 
processes and methods used, results achieved, and lessons learned under 
the AHRQ-funded HAI contracts and grants. This information will enable 
AHRQ to identify effective approaches for preventing and reducing HAIs 
and for promoting the widespread application of these approaches. 
Finally, collecting data from these audiences will allow AHRQ to detect 
gaps in the HAI science base and identify opportunities for additional 
projects focused on generating and implementing knowledge on preventing 
HAIs.

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden

    Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annualized burden hours for the 
respondent's time to participate in this evaluation. Interviews will be 
conducted with 40 contractors and 18 grantees and each will last about 
90 minutes. The total burden hours are estimated to be 87.

                                  Exhibit 1--Estimated Annualized Burden hours
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                                                                Number of
        Data collection activity              Number of       responses per       Hours per       Total burden
                                             respondents       respondent         response            hours
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Interviews with contractors.............                40                 1               1.5                60
Interviews with grantees................                18                 1               1.5                27
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................                58               n/a               n/a                87
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    The respondents are the project leaders, that is, project directors 
for the contracts and principal investigators for the grants. Based on 
the type of grant and the project leaders' qualifications, the project 
leaders were categorized into three labor categories: Social Scientists 
and Related Workers; Epidemiologists; and Medical Scientists. For 
example, one project director conducting a randomized controlled trial 
is a physician and was categorized into the Medical Scientist labor 
category. Other project leaders have advanced degrees in the social 
sciences (e.g., gerontology) or epidemiology and were included in the 
Social Scientist or Epidemiologist labor categories, as appropriate.
    Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annualized cost burden associated 
with the respondent's time to participate in the evaluation. The total 
cost burden is estimated to be $3,450.

                                   Exhibit 2--Estimated Annualized Cost Burden
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                                              Number of       Total burden     Average hourly      Total cost
        Data collection activity             respondents          hours          wage rate*          burden
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Interviews with contractors.............                40                60            $39.66            $2,380
Interviews with grantees................                18                27             39.66             1,070
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[[Page 20822]]

 
    Total...............................                58                87               n/a             3,450
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\*\Base upon the weighted average of the mean wages for 19-3099 Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other
  ($37.45 per hour; n = 17), 19-1041 Epidemiologists ($32.83; n = 5) and 19-1042 Medical Scientists (($41.69; n
  = 36), National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States May 2010, U.S. Department of
  Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal Government

    Exhibit 3 shows the estimated total and annualized cost to the 
government for conducting the evaluation. The total cost is estimated 
to be $87,502.

             Exhibit 3--Estimated Total and Annualized Cost
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                                                              Annualized
                 Cost component                   Total cost     cost
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Project Development.............................      $6,135      $2,045
Data Collection Activities......................      17,400       5,800
Data Processing and Analysis....................      29,000       9,667
Publication of Results..........................           0           0
Project Management..............................       5,800       1,933
Overhead........................................      29,167       9,722
                                                 -----------------------
    Total.......................................      87,502      29,167
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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: March 29, 2012.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-8098 Filed 4-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M
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