MEPS-MPC-Pharmacy

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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 161 / Monday, August 21, 2006 / Notices

to this workshop. This Strategy will
define the principles guiding HHS
medical countermeasure research,
development and acquisition.
The BioShield Stakeholders
Workshop will be an open meeting for
representatives from the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology industries,
professional societies, State and local
public health organizations, the
academic research and development
community, public interest groups,
stakeholder Federal agencies, and
Congress.
The BioShield Stakeholders
Workshop is being convened, and the
PHEMC Strategy for CBRN Threats is
being developed and published, to
fulfill the promise that Health and
Human Services Secretary Michael O.
Leavitt made on March 16, 2006, in his
testimony before the Senate Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions. During his testimony,
Secretary Leavitt pledged to:

hsrobinson on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES

work closely with other departments and
agencies to streamline and make more
effective the current BioShield interagency
governance process. We will make this
process more transparent and work to
educate the public and industry about our
priorities and opportunities. As part of this,
HHS will convene an outreach meeting with
these external stakeholders later this year.

OPHEP leads Federal efforts to
prepare the nation to prevent and
mitigate the health effects of disasters,
natural or manmade. As part of this
important mission, OPHEMC, within
OPHEP, plays a leadership role in the
advanced development and acquisition
of medical countermeasures, including
implementation of the Project BioShield
Act of 2004.
The purpose of Project BioShield is to
accelerate the research, development,
acquisition, and availability of effective
medical countermeasures for chemical,
biological, radiological, and nuclear
(CBRN) threats. The Special Reserve
Fund (SRF), a discretionary reserve of
$5.6 billion for the advanced
development and purchase of priority
medical countermeasures over 10 years,
was authorized under Project BioShield
to support this mission.
For more information regarding the
BioShield Stakeholders Workshop, and
to register for the Workshop, please visit
http://www.hhs.gov/ophep/ophemc/.
Dated: August 15, 2006.
Carol Linden,
Deputy Director, OPHEMC.
[FR Doc. 06–7033 Filed 8–18–06; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed Collection:
Comment Request
Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, Department of Health and
Human Services.
ACTION: Notice of proposed information
collection.
AGENCY:

SUMMARY: This notice announces the
intention of the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) to allow the proposed
information collection project
‘‘Continuance of the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey—Household
and Medical Provider Component
through 2009.’’ 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 collection.
This proposed information collection
was previously published in the Federal
Register on June 2, 2006 and allowed 60
days for public comment. No public
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 September 20, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be submitted to: Doris Lefkowitz,
AHRQ, Reports Clearance Officer, 540
Gaither Road, Suite 5036, Rockville, MD
20850. Copies of the proposed
collection plans, data collection
instruments and specific details of the
estimated burden can be obtained from
the AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer,
(301) 427–1477.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ, Reports
Clearance Officer, (301) 427–1477.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project
‘‘Continuance of the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey—Household
and Medical Provider Component
through 2009.’’
AHRQ has conducted an annual panel
survey of U.S. households and their
associated medical providers since 1996
through the Medical Expenditures Panel
Survey (MEPS)–Household (MEPS–HC)
and Medical Provider Component
(MEPS–MPC). This clearance requests
continuance of this annual survey
through 2009. The MEPS is jointly
sponsored by the AHRQ and the

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National Center for Health Statistics
(NCHS). The MEPS is conducted using
a sample of households that responded
to a prior year’s National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS) which is
sponsored by the NCHS. The NHIS
surveys approximately 40,000
households (110,000 persons) each year.
The NHIS is used as a sampling frame
for the MEPS and other surveys to
increase efficiency of data collection
efforts within the Department of Health
and Human Services.
Data to be collected from each
household is completed through the
MEPS–HC and includes detailed
information on demographics, health
conditions, health status, use of health
care services, charges and payments for
medical care, medications, and
employment and health insurance. Data
to be collected from medical providers
including hospitals, physicians, and
pharmacies is completed through the
MEPS–MPC which supplements and
verifies information provided by the
households. With the written
permission of household members of
the MEPS–HC, the MEPS–MPC collects
actual dates of services, diagnosis and
service codes, as well as charges and
payments for services. Subject to AHRQ
NCHS confidentiality statutes, data will
be made available through Agency
publications, journals, public use files
and Web-based statistical tools. The
data are intended for multiple purposes
including:
• Generating national estimates of
individual and family health care use
and expenditures, private and public
health insurance coverage, and the
availability, cost and scope of private
health benefits among Americans.
• Examining the quality of care for
Americans, especially those with
chronic conditions.
• Examining access to and costs of
health care for common diseases and
conditions, health care quality,
prescribed medications and other health
issues.
Statisticians and researchers will use
these data to make important
generalizations about the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the
United States and to conduct research in
which the family is the unit of analysis.
Data Confidentiality
The confidentiality of MEPS data is
protected under the NCHS and AHRQ
confidentiality statutes, found in
sections 934(c) and 308(d) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299c–3(c)
and 42 U.S.C. 242m).

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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 161 / Monday, August 21, 2006 / Notices
Methods of Collection
AHRQ introduces the study to
respondents of the Household
Component through an advance
mailing. This first contact will provide
the respondent with information on the
importance and uses of the data. Once
consent for participation is established,

AHRQ, through its contractors will
conduct five, in person, interviews over
a 30-month time period with each
participating household to obtain
information to support two years of
national estimates. Computer-assisted
personal interviewing will be used. In
uncommon instances, the identical
interview may be administered over the

phone. Respondents may also be asked
to complete one or more short, selfadministered questionnaires over the
course of the study.
The Medical Provider Component is
completed predominately by telephone
and mail. A substantial portion of the
pharmacy providers elect to submit
their responses electronically.

MEPS–HC ANNUAL DATA COLLECTION ESTIMATED BURDEN
Activity

Number of
responses

Unit

Jan–July
07 panel interview ....................................
06 panel interview ....................................
06 panel DCS ..........................................
05 panel interview ....................................
05 panel DCS ..........................................
Re-interview .............................................
Aug–Dec
07 Panel interview ...................................
07 Panel SAQ ..........................................
06 panel interview ....................................
06 Panel SAQ ..........................................
Reinterview ..............................................
Total ..................................................

House per
response

Burden in
hours

Households ....................................................
Households ....................................................
Persons 18+ with diabetes ............................
Households ....................................................
Persons 18+ with diabetes ............................
responses .......................................................

7,900
7,650
800
7,400
750
2,065

2.0
1.5
0.1
1.5
0.1
0.1

15,800
11,475
80
11,100
75
207

Households ....................................................
Persons 18+ ...................................................
Households ....................................................
Persons 18+ ...................................................
responses .......................................................

7,700
6,950 × 1.8
7,550
6,800 × 1.8
1,373

1.5
0.2
1.5
0.2
0.1

11,550
2,502
11,325
2,448
138

.........................................................................

........................

........................

66,700

MEPS–MPC ANNUAL DATA COLLECTION ESTIMATED BURDEN—PAIR LEVEL CALCULATION
Number of patient/provider
pairs

Type
Hospitals ..............................................................................
HMO .....................................................................................
SBD ......................................................................................
Home health .........................................................................
OBDS ...................................................................................
Pharmacy .............................................................................
Institutions ............................................................................

Events per
pair

Total events

Response
time/event
(minutes)

Burden in
hours

10,500
450
15,500
440
23,210
14,410
100

3.2
5.0
1.4
5.8
3.5
10.3
1.2

33,600
2250
21,700
2552
81,235
148,423
120

5
5
3
5
5
3
5

2800
187
1085
212
6770
7421
10

........................

........................

........................

........................

18,485

MEPS SUMMARY DATA COLLECTION BURDEN 2007–2009
Unit type

2007

2009

Total

Households ......................................................................................................
Medical provider ..............................................................................................

66,700
18,485

66,700
18,485

66,700
18,485

200,100
55,455

Total ..........................................................................................................

85,185

85,185

85,185

255,555

Request for Comments

hsrobinson on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES

2008

In accordance with the above cited
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 functions of AHRQ,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
AHRQ’s estimate of burden (including
hours and cost) of the proposed
collection of information; (c) ways to

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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 request for OMB
approval of the proposed information
collection. All comments will become a
matter of public records.

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Dated: August 14, 2006.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 06–7068 Filed 8–17–06; 9:08 am]
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