7118 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 10, 2016 / Notices 

Washington DC: Institute of Medicine. 

Sharon B. Arnold, 

Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. 2016–02679 Filed 2–9–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

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: ‘‘Making 

It Easier for Patients to Understand 

Health Information and Navigate Health 

Care Systems: Developing Quality 

Improvement Measures.’’ 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 April 11, 2016. 

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 

Making It Easier for Patients To 

Understand Health Information and 

Navigate Health Care Systems: 

Developing Quality Improvement 

Measures 

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.’’ 1

The effects of limited health literacy are 

numerous and serious, including 

medication non-adherence resulting 

from patients’ inability to read and 

comprehend medication labels; 

underuse of preventive measures, such 

as vaccines; poor self-management of 

conditions such as asthma and diabetes; 

and higher utilization of inpatient and 

emergency department care. According 

to the 2003 National Assessment of 

Adult Literacy, 88% of U.S. adults have 

significant difficulties understanding 

widely used health information. By 

adopting ‘‘health literacy universal 

precautions,’’ health care providers and 

organizations can create an environment 

in which all patients—regardless of 

health literacy level—can successfully 

(1) understand health information, (2) 

navigate the health care system, (3) 

engage in medical decision-making, and 

(4) manage their health. 

Numerous resources have been 

developed to support health care 

organizations in their attempts to 

address limitations in patient health 

literacy. However, little work has been 

done to establish valid quality 

improvement measures that 

organizations can use to monitor the 

impact of initiatives aimed at improving 

patient understanding, navigation, 

engagement, and self-management. 

Absent such measures, organizations 

may be unable to accurately assess 

whether their initiatives are effective. 

This research has the following goals: 

1. Identify existing quality 

improvement measures and gather 

proposals for additional measures (not 

generated from patient survey data) that 

organizations may use to monitor 

progress related to enhancing patient 

understanding, navigation, engagement, 

and self-management; and 

2. Identify a set of quality 

improvement measures that reflect 

patient priorities, has expert support, 

and can be recommended for more 

formal measure development and 

testing. 

This project is being conducted by 

AHRQ through its contractor, Board of 

Regents of the University of Colorado, 

pursuant to AHRQ’s 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 

Environmental Scan Interviews: 

Representatives from 25 health care 

organizations engaged in relevant 

quality improvement efforts will be 

interviewed to obtain information about 

the quality improvement measures they 

use in assessing their work to improve 

patient understanding, navigation, 

engagement, and self-care. 

The planned environmental scan 

interviews will provide the information 

needed to: 

• Identify and document the 

characteristics of relevant quality 

improvement measures that are already 

in use; and 

• identify additional measures that 

would be useful to stakeholders in the 

field. 

The findings from these interviews 

will be used, along with the results from 

other activities (i.e., input from a 

Technical Expert Panel, literature 

review, a Request for Information 

published in the Federal Register, and 

focus groups with patients), to identify 

and document a set of quality 

improvement measures that can be 

recommended for rigorous testing and 

validation. Measures that are assessed to 

be valid and reliable will be eligible to 

be disseminated by AHRQ to support 

health care organizations in their efforts 

to improve patient understanding of 

health information, navigation of the 

health care system, engagement in 

medical decision-making, and 

management of their health. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated 

annualized burden hours for the 

respondents’ time to participate in 

Environmental Scan Interviews. The 

Environmental Scan Interviews will be 

completed by 50 respondents (2 

representatives from each of the 25 

organizations targeted for participation). 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Environmental Scan Interviews ....................................................................... 50 1 2 100 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 10, 2016 / Notices 7119 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS—Continued 

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Total .......................................................................................................... 50 1 2 100 

Exhibit 2 shows the estimated annual 

cost burden associated with the 

respondents’ time to participate in this 

information collection. The annual cost 

burden for the Environmental Scan 

Interviews is estimated to be $4,984. 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Total burden 

hours 

Average 

hourly wage 

rate * 

Total cost 

burden 

Environmental Scan Interviews ....................................................................... 50 100 a $49.84 $4,984 

Total .......................................................................................................... 50 100 a 49.84 4,984 

* National Compensation Survey: Occupational wages in the United States May 2014, ‘‘U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.’’ aBased on the mean wages for Medical and Health Services Managers 11–9111. 

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 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. 

Sharon B. Arnold, 

Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. 2016–02678 Filed 2–9–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[30Day–16–0234] 

Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork 

Reduction Act Review 

The Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) has submitted the 

following information collection request 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for 

the proposed information collection is 

published to obtain comments from the 

public and affected agencies. 

Written comments and suggestions 

from the public and affected agencies 

concerning the proposed collection of 

information are encouraged. Your 

comments should address any of the 

following: (a) Evaluate whether the 

proposed collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 

accuracy of the agencies estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(c) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; (d) Minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, including through 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses; and (e) Assess information 

collection costs. 

To request additional information on 

the proposed project or to obtain a copy 

of the information collection plan and 

instruments, call (404) 639–7570 or 

send an email to omb@cdc.gov. Direct 

written comments and/or suggestions 

regarding the items contained in this 

notice to the Attention: CDC Desk 

Officer, Office of Management and 

Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax 

to (202) 395–5806. Written comments 

Information Collection Request 

Procedures Manual 35 should be 

received within 30 days of this notice. 

Proposed Project 

The National Ambulatory Medical 

Care Survey (NAMCS), (OMB No. 0920– 

0234, expires 12/31/2017)—Revision— 

National Center for Health Statistics 

(NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC). 

Background and Brief Description 

Section 306 of the Public Health 

Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 242k), as 

amended, authorizes that the Secretary 

of Health and Human Services, acting 

through NCHS, shall collect statistics on 

the utilization of health care provided 

by non-federal office-based physicians 

in the United States. On December 19, 

2014, the OMB approved data collection 

for three years from 2015 to 2017. This 

revision is to request approval to 

continue NAMCS data collection 

activities for three years from 2016– 

2018 and to add questions to the 

physician interview that pertain to 

policies, services, and experiences 

related to the prevention and treatment 

of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) 

and HIV prevention among adolescents 


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