57362 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / 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, 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: 

‘‘National Study of the Hospital Adverse 

Event Reporting Follow-Up Survey.’’ In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 

3506()(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 July 24th, 2008 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. Changes 

were made to this 30 day notice to 

account for the electronic patient 

records review which were not 

accounted for in the 60 day notice. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by December 1, 2008. 

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 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@ahrq.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project 

‘‘National Study of the Hospital Adverse 

Event Reporting Follow-Up Survey’’ 

This proposed information collection 

will conduct a survey similar to a 

previous AHRQ baseline survey 

conducted in 2005, which examined 

and characterized adverse event 

reporting in the Nation’s hospitals 

(Farley DO, Haviland A, Champagne S, 

Jain AK, Battles JB, Munier WB, Loeb 

JM. Adverse Event Reporting Practices 

by U.S. Hospitals: Results of a National 

Survey, under review for publication). 

The follow-up survey will allow AHRQ 

to examine how hospitals’ use of 

adverse event reporting systems has 

changed over time. The baseline survey 

was completed by 1,652 hospital risk 

managers selected from a nationally 

representative sample frame. The 

follow-up survey will consist of a 

random sample of 1,200 of the 

respondents to the baseline survey. We 

anticipate an 85% response rate for the 

follow-up survey, resulting in 1,020 

completed questionnaires. 

Similar to the baseline survey, the 

follow-up survey will ascertain whether 

hospitals collect information on adverse 

events, and how the information is 

stored. Information will also be 

collected regarding the hospital’s case 

definition of a reportable event, whether 

information on the severity of the 

adverse event is collected, who might 

report this information and whether 

they can report to a system which is 

confidential and/or anonymous. The 

questionnaire also asks about the uses of 

the data that are collected, and whether 

information is used for purposes 

including analytic uses, personnel 

action, and improvement interventions. 

Finally, the questionnaire asks about the 

other sources of information that are 

useful to hospitals for patient safetyrelated interventions. 

This project is being conducted 

pursuant to AHRQ’s statutory mandates 

to (1) promote health care quality 

improvement by conducting and 

supporting research that develops and 

presents scientific evidence regarding 

all aspects of health care, including 

methods for measuring quality and 

strategies for improving quality (42 

U.S.C. 299(b)(1)(F)) and (2) conduct and 

support research on health care and on 

systems for the delivery of such care, 

including activities with respect to 

quality measurement and improvement 

(42 U.S.C. 299a(a)(2)). In addition, 

Congress has, in report language, 

directed AHRQ to provide a report 

detailing the results of its efforts to 

reduce medical errors. See Report for 

the Departments of Labor, Health and 

Human Services, and Education, and 

related agencies Appropriation Bill for 

Fiscal Year 2002, S. Rep. 107–84, at 11 

(2001), 

This project is being funded by AHRQ 

and conducted by the RAND 

Corporation as part of a contract under 

which RAND serves as the Patient 

Safety Evaluation Center for AHRQ’s 

patient safety initiative. 

Method of Collection 

The baseline survey and data 

collection procedures have been 

previously conducted and reviewed 

(under OMB Number 0935–0125, 

Expiration Date 07/31/2008). The 

follow-up survey will include an initial 

mailed survey with two waves of mailed 

follow-ups as needed, and a ComputerAssisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) 

survey follow-up for the remaining nonresponders. The survey will be 

completed by one Risk Manager per 

hospital. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated 

annualized burden hours for the 

respondents’ time to participate in this 

information collection. The 

questionnaire is expected to require 25 

minutes to complete, resulting in a total 

burden of 425 hours. 

Exhibit 2 shows the estimated 

annualized cost burden for the 

respondents, which is estimated to be 

$11,518. The respondents will not incur 

any other costs beyond those associated 

with their time to participate. 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Risk manager questionnaire ............................................................ 1,020 1 25/60 425 

Total .......................................................................................... 1,020 (1) (1) 425 

1 Not applicable. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 57363 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Total burden 

hours 

Average hourly 

wage rate1 Total cost burden 

Risk manager questionnaire ............................................................ 1,020 425 $27.10 $11,518 

Total .......................................................................................... 1,020 425 (2) $11,518 

1Based upon the mean of the average wages, National Compensation Survey: Occupational wages in the United States 2006, ‘‘U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.’’ 2 Not applicable. 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

The Agency is supporting the conduct 

of this survey and analysis of survey 

data as part of a contract with the RAND 

Corporation under which RAND serves 

as the Patient Safety Evaluation Center 

for AHRQ’s patient safety initiative. The 

estimated cost for this work is $240,000, 

including $190,000 for data collection 

activities and $50,000 to design the 

study, analyze the data and report the 

findings. 

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, quality 

improvement and 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: September 19, 2008. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. E8–23370 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

Ethics Subcommittee, Advisory 

Committee to the Director (ACD), 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) 

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

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463), CDC announces the 

following meeting for the 

aforementioned subcommittee: 

Name: Ethics Subcommittee, Advisory 

Committee to the Director (ACD), CDC. 

Time and Date: 12–2 p.m., October 9, 2008. 

Place: This meeting will be held by 

conference call. The call in number is (866) 

919–3560 and enter passcode: 4168828. 

Status: Open to the public. The public is 

welcome to participate during the public 

comment period which is tentatively 

scheduled from 1:30 p.m.–1:45 p.m. 

Purpose: The Ethics Subcommittee will 

provide counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding 

a broad range of public health ethics 

questions and issues arising from programs, 

scientists and practitioners. 

Matters to be Discussed: Agenda items will 

include review of ethics guidance for public 

health emergency preparedness and 

response. 

Contact Person for More Information: Drue 

Barrett, PhD, Designated Federal Official, 

Ethics Subcommittee, CDC, 1600 Clifton 

Road, NE., M/S D–50, Atlanta, Georgia 

30333. Telephone 404–639–4690, e-mail: 

dbarrett@cdc.gov. 

The Ethics Subcommittee determines that 

subcommittee business requires its 

consideration of this matter on less than 15 

days notice to the public and that no earlier 

notice of this meeting was possible. At the 

Ethics Subcommittee’s September 25, 2008 

meeting, the subcommittee discussed this 

matter and determined that additional 

consideration is necessary prior to submitting 

the report to the ACD, CDC. The ACD, CDC 

is scheduled to meet late October. 

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 the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention and the Agency for Toxic 

Substances and Disease Registry. 

Dated: September 26, 2008. 

Elaine L. Baker, 

Director, Management Analysis and Services 

Office, Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention. 

[FR Doc. E8–23268 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1419–N] 

Medicare Program; Request for 

Nominations for the Program Advisory 

and Oversight Committee for the 

Competitive Acquisition of Durable 

Medical Equipment and Other Items 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice solicits 

nominations for individuals to serve on 

the Program Advisory and Oversight 

Committee (PAOC) that will advise the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services 

on the competitive acquisition of 

durable medical equipment and certain 

other items and services under the 

Medicare program. Section 1847(c) of 

the Social Security Act requires the 

Secretary of the Department of Health 

and Human Services (Secretary) to 

establish the PAOC. In addition, section 

1847(c)(4) exempts the PAOC from the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 

U.S.C., appendix 2. 

DATES: Nominations will be considered 

if we receive all of the required 

information no later than 5 p.m., 

November 3, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver nominations 

to the following address: Division of 

DMEPOS Policy, Mail stop C5–08–17, 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore MD, 21244–1850. Attention: 

Ralph Goldberg or Gina Longus. 

Nominations may also be e-mailed to 

ralph.goldberg@cms.hhs.gov or 

gina.longus@cms.hhs.gov. 

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