[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 1 (Friday, January 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34-35]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30753]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID: DoD-2014-HA-0162]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 
Affairs, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs 
announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public 
comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
information collection on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by March 3, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 4800 Mark 
Center Drive, East Tower, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency 
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The 
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the 
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without 
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
    Any associated form(s) for this collection may be located within 
this same electronic docket and downloaded for review/testing. Follow 
the instructions at http://www.regulations.gov for submitting comments. 
Please submit comments on any given form identified by docket number, 
form number, and title.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and 
associated collection instruments, please write to the Office of the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD), Defense 
Health Headquarters (DHA), Analytics Division, ATTN: Richard Bannick, 
Ph.D., 7700 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, VA 22042-5101, or call 703-
681-3636.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Surveys on Viability of 
TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra; OMB Control Number 0720-0031.
    Needs and Uses: The information collection requirement is necessary 
to determine how many providers are aware of the TRICARE health 
benefits program, and specifically accept new TRICARE Standard patients 
in each market area. Surveys will be conducted in a number of locations 
in the United States each fiscal year from 2012 to 2015. The locations 
surveyed will include areas where the TRICARE Prime benefit is offered 
(known as TRICARE PRIME Service Areas) and geographic areas where 
TRICARE Prime is not offered. These congressionally mandated surveys of 
civilian health care providers and beneficiaries who use TRICARE will 
be completed in TRICARE market areas within the United States.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Annual Burden Hours: 4,167.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 5 minutes.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Under the authority of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of 
Defense (Health Affairs), (OASD(HA)), Defense Health Agency (DHA) will 
continue to evaluate DoD's TRICARE Standard health care option. This 
evaluation includes collecting and analyzing survey-based data that are 
necessary to meet the requirements outlined originally in Section 711, 
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 
Public Law 110-181 and reaffirmed in Section 721, National Defense 
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012,

[[Page 35]]

Public Law 112-81. The Department will extend the evaluation consistent 
with proposed legislation extending the period from 2015 to 2018.
    Activities include the collection and analyses of data obtained 
confidentially from civilian physicians (M.D.s & D.O.s) and non-
physician behavioral health providers (to include clinical 
psychologists, clinical social workers and other TRICARE authorized 
behavioral health providers) within U.S. geographic areas. 
Specifically, mail surveys with telephone follow-up of civilian 
providers will be conducted in the TRICARE market areas to determine 
how many health care providers are accepting new patients under TRICARE 
Standard in each market area. The surveys will be conducted in several 
TRICARE geographic areas in the United States each fiscal year from 
fiscal year 2012 through and including fiscal year 2016 to complete the 
2015 survey. Representatives of TRICARE beneficiaries and selected 
provider groups will be consulted to identify potential locations. In 
addition, Section 721 of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act 
(NDAA) requires the Department to conduct annual surveys of beneficiary 
access experience and the availability to access civilian providers 
under TRICARE Standard and Extra program through the same period. These 
issues address the interests of Congress in reconciliation of responses 
of providers and beneficiaries who use TRICARE. Surveys of civilian 
health care providers (M.D.s, D.O.s and non-physician behavioral health 
providers) and beneficiaries eligible for TRICARE Standard/Extra care 
will be conducted in areas where TRICARE Prime is offered and where it 
is not offered each year. The objective of this effort is to determine 
if TRICARE beneficiaries have difficulty in finding health care 
providers willing to provide services under Standard or Extra, and the 
extent to which providers in the area participate in Standard/Extra.

    Dated: December 29, 2014.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2014-30753 Filed 12-31-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P