Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 78 / Friday, April 24, 2009 / Notices 18725 

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 (0MB) approve the proposed 

information collection project: 

‘‘Evaluation of Phase I Demonstrations 

of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance.’’ 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. 

This proposed information collection 

was previously published in the Federal 

Register on February 10th, 2009 and 

allowed 60 days for public comment. 

One comment was received. The 

purpose of this notice is to allow an 

additional 30 days for public comment. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by May 26, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be submitted to: AHRQ’s 0MB Desk 

Officer by fax at (202) 395–6974 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer) or by email at OIRA_submissionomb.eop.gov 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer). 

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@ahrg.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

‘‘Evaluation of Phase I Demonstrations 

of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance’’ 

AHRQ proposes to conduct an 

independent evaluation of five Phase I 

demonstrations undertaken by the 

Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA). The 

PQA launched the five demonstration 

projects to test the feasibility of 

implementing a pharmacy provider 

report card system, which will be used 

to provide feedback to pharmacies on 

their performance. The goals of the 

demonstrations are to obtain feedback 

from pharmacists on the credibility of 

the performance reports and their utility 

in performance improvement, and to 

identify the most efficient and useful 

ways to implement a performance-based 

quality reporting system. The evaluation 

will be conducted for AHRQ by its 

contractor, the CNA Corporation and 

Thomas Jefferson Medical College. 

The purpose of this evaluation is to 

identify problems associated with the 

implementation of a performance-based 

quality reporting system. The evaluation 

of the Phase I demonstrations will: 

• Test the feasibility and utility of (1) 

using 15 PQA claims-based measures on 

pharmacy performance and (2) a survey 

of consumers about their experience 

with pharmacy services, which was 

developed by the PQA; 

• Determine the resource (time and 

cost) requirements for collecting the 

data and generating the pharmacy 

performance reports; and 

• Provide a base of knowledge that 

enables the PQA to improve the 

implementation process, increase 

operational efficiency, reduce 

operational costs, and enhance the 

utility and validity of the performance 

measures. 

This project is being conducted 

pursuant to AHRQ’s statutory authority 

to conduct and support research and 

evaluations on health care and on 

systems for the delivery of such care, 

including activities with respect to (1) 

the quality, effectiveness, efficiency, 

appropriateness and value of health care 

services and (2) quality measurement 

and improvement. 42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(l) 

and (2). 

Method of Collection 

The evaluation will include the 

following two data collections: (1) Onsite interviews with key staff from each 

demonstration project and (2) a survey 

of pharmacy staff. The data will be 

collected to obtain the following types 

of information necessary for the 

evaluation: 

• Organizational background related 

to quality measurement, organizational 

resources for quality measurement; 

• Measurement methodology; 

• Opinions on the performance 

measures; 

• The process for disseminating the 

performance measures; 

• Incentives and penalties for 

participation in pharmacy quality 

improvement; 

• Usability of the performance 

reports; 

• Future directions for quality 

measurement in the organization; and 

• Respondent characteristics. 

On-site interviews with key 

demonstration participants. 

On-site interviews will be conducted 

with up to six persons at each of the five 

demonstration sites. The study will try 

to interview representatives from the 

following job functions: (1) Pharmacy 

operations management; (2) clinical 

pharmacy staff; (3) quality 

improvement; (4) utilization 

management; (5) analytics management 

responsible for oversight of performance 

report analyses; (6) analytics staff 

assigned to complete the performance 

reports; (7) information technology (IT) 

staff responsible for developing and/or 

coordinating Internet components of the 

project; and (8) senior management 

(executive leadership, i.e., Vice 

President level and above). 

Survey of Pharmacy Staff 

A pharmacy staff survey will be 

developed to yield additional 

quantitative data about the 

demonstration projects. The sample will 

consist of practicing pharmacists who 

are participating in the demonstration 

sites and who received one or more of 

the performance reports. It will also 

include field managers and supervisors. 

At each of the five sites, up to 100 

pharmacy staff members will be 

sampled, with an expected response rate 

of 75 percent, yielding 75 respondents 

per site. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated 

annualized burden hours for this one 

year data collection. On-site interviews 

will be conducted with 6 staff members 

from each of the 5 demonstration 

projects and will last about 1 hour and 

15 minutes. The survey of pharmacists 

will be completed by about 75 staff 

members from each demonstration 

project and is estimated to take 30 

minutes to complete. The total 

estimated annualized burden is 226 

hours. 

Exhibit 2 shows the estimated 

annualized cost burden associated with 

the respondents’ time to participate in 

this evaluation. The cost burden is 

estimated to be $10,753. 

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18726 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 78 / Friday, April 24, 2009 / Notices 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Form name Number of 

projects 

Number of 

responses 

per project 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Demonstration Staff Interviews ........................................................................ 5 6 1.25 38 

Survey of Pharmacists ..................................................................................... 5 * 75 30/60 188 

Total .......................................................................................................... 10 na na 226 

* We expect that some demonstration projects will have fewer than 75 responses, but we are indicating 75 responses here to avoid underestimating the response burden. 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN

Form name Number of 

projects 

Total burden 

hours 

Average 

hourly wage 

rate * 

Total cost 

burden 

Demonstration Staff Interviews ........................................................................ 5 38 $47.58 $1,808 

Survey of Pharmacists ..................................................................................... 5 188 47.58 8,945 

Total .......................................................................................................... 10 226 na 10,753

* Based on the national average wage for pharmacists (29–1051), National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States 

May 2007, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

The estimated total cost to the Federal 

government for this one year evaluation 

is $208,874. Exhibit 3 shows a 

breakdown of the costs. 

EXHIBIT 3—ESTIMATED ANNUAL COSTS

TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Component Total 

Developing the interview guide 

and survey instrument .............. $33,905 

Preparing 0MB clearance submission ............................................ 6,704 

Site visits to each demonstration 73,368 

Analyzing the data from each 

demonstration site. .................... 54,835 

Preparing a final report ................. 40,062 

Total ....................................... 208,874 

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 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 

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: April 15, 2009. 

Carol M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–9248 Filed 4–23–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Health Resources and Services 

Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request 

Periodically, the Health Resources 

and Services Administration (HRSA) 

publishes abstracts of information 

collection requests under review by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), in compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of 

the clearance requests submitted to 

OMB for review, e-mail 

paperwork@hrsa.gov or call the HRSA 

Reports Clearance Office on (301) 443– 

1129. 

The following request has been 

submitted to the Office of Management 

and Budget for review under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: 

Proposed Project: Voluntary Partner 

Surveys in the Health Resources and 

Services Administration—(OMB No. 

0915–0212): Extension 

In response to Executive Order 12862, 

the Health Resources and Services 

Administration (HRSA) conducts 

voluntary customer surveys of its 

partners to assess strengths and 

weaknesses in program services. To 

continue the periodic customer or 

partner satisfaction survey activities, 

HRSA is requesting an extension of 

approval from OMB. HRSA partners are, 

typically, State or local governments, 

health care facilities, health care 

consortia, and health care providers. 

Partner surveys to be conducted by 

HRSA might include, for example, brief 

surveys of grantees to determine 

satisfaction with a technical assistance 

contractor, or, in-class evaluation forms 

completed by providers who receive 

training from HRSA grantees, to 

measure satisfaction with the training 

experience. Results of these surveys will 

be used to plan and direct program 

efforts as needed to improve service. 

Focus groups may also be used as a 

potential method to obtain input on 

services and training. Focus groups, inclass evaluation surveys, and 

satisfaction surveys provide valuable 

input from HRSA partners and 

customers on agency services and 

materials. 

The estimated annual burden is as 

follows: 

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