59292 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 202 / Friday, October 19, 2007 / Notices 

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, Department of Health and 

Human Services. 

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) allow the renewal of the 

generic information collection project: 

‘‘Questionnaire and Data Collection 

Testing, Evaluation, and Research for 

the Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality.’’ 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 August 15, 2007 and 

allowed 60 days for public comment. No 

comments were 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 November 19, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be submitted to: AHRQ’s OMB Desk 

Officer by fax at (202) 395–6974 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer) or by email at OIRA_submission@omb.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 AHRQ’s Reports 

Clearance Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ, Reports 

Clearance Officer, (301) 427–1477. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project 

‘‘Questionnaire and Data Collection 

Testing, Evaluation, and Research for 

the Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality.’’

AHRQ plans to employ the latest 

techniques to improve its current data 

collections by developing new surveys, 

or information collection tools and 

methods, and by revising existing 

collections in anticipation of, or in 

response to, changes in the healthcare 

field, for a three-year period. The 

clearance request is limited to research 

on information collection tools and 

methods, and related reports and does 

not extend to the collection of data for 

public release or policy formation. 

A generic clearance for this work 

allows AHRQ to draft and test 

information collection tools and 

methods more quickly and with greater 

lead time, thereby managing project 

time more efficiently and improving the 

quality of the methodological data the 

agency collects. 

In some instances the ability to 

pretest/pilot-test information collection 

surveys, tools, and methods, in 

anticipation of work, or early in a 

project, may result in the decision not 

to proceed with particular survey 

activities. This would save both public 

and private resources and effectively 

eliminate or reduce respondent burden. 

Many of the tool AHRQ develops are 

made available to users in the private 

sector. The health care environment 

changes rapidly and requires a quick 

response from the agency to provide 

appropriately refined tools. A generic 

clearance for this methodological work 

will facilitate the agency’s timely 

development of information collection 

tools and methods suitable for use in 

changing conditions. 

It is particularly important to refine 

AHRQ’s tools because they have a 

widespread impact. These tools are 

frequently made available to help the 

private sector to improve health care 

quality by enabling the gathering of 

useful data for analysis. They are also 

used to provide information about 

health care quality to consumers and 

purchasers so that they can make 

marketplace choices to influence and 

improve health care quality. The current 

clearance will expire January 31, 2008. 

This is a request for a generic approval 

from OMB to test information collection 

instruments and methods over the next 

three years. 

Methods of Collection 

Participation in the testing of 

information collection tools and 

methods will be fully voluntary and 

non-participation will have no affect on 

eligibility for, or receipt of, future 

AHRQ health services research support 

or on future opportunities to participate 

in research or to obtain informative 

research results. Specific estimation 

procedures, when used, will be 

described when we notify OMB as to 

actual studies conducted under the 

clearance. 

ESTIMATED ANNUAL RESPONDENT BURDEN

Type of research activity Number of 

respondents 

Estimated time 

per respondent 

(min) 

Total burden 

hours 

Face-to-Face Interviews ............................................................................................ 100 60 100 

Field Tests (short) ...................................................................................................... 2,400 20 800 

Field Tests (long) ....................................................................................................... 7,600 30 3,800 

Lab Experiments ........................................................................................................ 200 90 300 

Focus Groups ............................................................................................................ 100 60 100 

Cognitive Interviews ................................................................................................... 100 60 100 

Totals .................................................................................................................. 10,500 Not Applicable 5,200 

This information collection will not 

impose a cost burden on the 

respondents beyond that associated 

with their time to provide the required 

data. There will be no additional costs 

for capital equipment, software, 

computer services, etc. 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

Expenses (equipment, overhead, 

printing, and support staff) will be 

incurred by AHRQ components as part 

of their normal operating budgets. No 

additional cost to the Federal 

Government is anticipated. Any 

deviation from these limits will be 

noted in reports made to OMB with 

respect to a particular study or studies 

conducted under the clearance. 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with the above-cited 

Paperwork Reduction Act legislation, 

comments on AHRQ’s information 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 202 / Friday, October 19, 2007 / Notices 59293 

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: October 15, 2007. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 07–5156 Filed 10–18–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

The Board of Scientific Counselors, 

National Center for Environmental 

Health/Agency for Toxic Substances 

and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR): 

Meeting 

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

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463), CDC and NCEH/ 

ATSDR announce the following 

committee meeting: 

Times and Dates: 

8:30 a.m.–3:15 p.m., November 15, 

2007. 

8:30 a.m.–11:15 a.m., November 16, 

2007. 

Place: CDC, 4770 Buford Highway, 

Chamblee, Georgia 30341. 

Status: Open to the public, limited 

only by the space available. The meeting 

room accommodates approximately 75 

people. 

Purpose: The Secretary, Department 

of Health and Human Services (HHS) 

and by delegation, the Director, CDC, 

and Administrator, NCEH/ATSDR, are 

authorized under Section 301(42 U.S.C. 

241) and Section 311 (42 U.S.C. 243) of 

the Public Health Service Act, as 

amended, to: (1) Conduct, encourage, 

cooperate with, and assist other 

appropriate public authorities, scientific 

institutions, and scientists in the 

conduct of research, investigations, 

experiments, demonstrations, and 

studies relating to the causes, diagnosis, 

treatment, control, and prevention of 

physical and mental diseases and other 

impairments; (2) assist states and their 

political subdivisions in the prevention 

of infectious diseases and other 

preventable conditions and in the 

promotion of health and well being; and 

(3) train state and local personnel in 

health work. The BSC, NCEH/ATSDR 

provides advice and guidance to the 

Secretary, HHS; the Director, CDC, and 

Administrator, ATSDR; and the 

Director, NCEH/ATSDR, regarding 

program goals, objectives, strategies, and 

priorities in fulfillment of the agency’s 

mission to protect and promote people’s 

health. The board provides advice and 

guidance that will assist NCEH/ATSDR 

in ensuring scientific quality, 

timeliness, utility, and dissemination of 

results. The board also provides 

guidance to help NCEH/ATSDR work 

more efficiently and effectively with its 

various constituents and to fulfill its 

mission in protecting America’s health. 

Matters To Be Discussed: An update 

on NCEH/ATSDR’s Office of the 

Director, update on CDC Goals and Goal 

Action Plans, presentation on 

Formaldehyde and temporary housing 

units, presentation on NCEH and Top 

Off IV Exercise, update on ATSDR 

Response to BSC Program Peer Review: 

ATSDR Site-Specific Activities, 

presentation on Pandemic Flu and 

NCEH Laboratory Science, discussion 

on developing a national plan for 

chemical safety, and discussion on the 

BSC organizational and operational 

structure: subcommittees and/or 

workgroups. 

Agenda items are tentative and 

subject to change. 

The deadline for notification of 

attendance is November 5, 2007. 

Contact Person for More Information: 

Sandra Malcom, Committee 

Management Specialist, NCEH/ATSDR, 

1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E–28, 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Telephone (770) 

488–4461, Fax (404) 498–0622, 

E-mail: smalcom@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 CDC and 

the Agency for Toxic Substance and 

Disease Registry. 

Dated: October 11, 2007. 

Elaine L. Baker, 

Acting Director, Management Analysis and 

Services Office, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC). 

[FR Doc. E7–20629 Filed 10–18–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[Document Identifier: CMS–102, 105 and 

CMS–10238] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services, Department of 

Health and Human Services. 

In compliance with the requirement 

of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS), Department of Health 

and Human Services, is publishing the 

following summary of proposed 

collections for public comment. 

Interested persons are invited to send 

comments regarding this burden 

estimate or any other aspect of this 

collection of information, including any 

of the following subjects: (1) The 

necessity and utility of the proposed 

information collection for the proper 

performance of the Agency’s function; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (4) the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology to 

minimize the information collection 

burden. 

1. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Extension of a currently 

approved collection; Title of 

Information Collection: Clinical 

Laboratory Improvement Amendment 

(CLIA) Budget Workload Reports and 

Supporting Regulations Contained in 42 

CFR 493.1–.2001; Use: Information 

collected will be used by CMS in 

determining the amount of Federal 

Reimbursement for compliance surveys. 

Use of the information includes program 

evaluation, audit, budget formulation 

and budget approval; Form Number: 

CMS–102, 105 (OMB#: 0938–0599); 

Frequency: Reporting: Quarterly; 

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal 

Governments; Number of Respondents: 

50; Total Annual Responses: 550; Total 

Annual Hours: 4,500. 


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