[Federal Register: April 29, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 83)]
[Notices]
[Page 23254-23255]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29ap08-70]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Indian Health Service
Request for Public Comment: 60-Day Proposed Information
Collection: Behavioral Health Preventive Care Assessment Focus Group
Guide
AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 which requires 60 days for public comment on
proposed information collection projects, the Indian Health Service
(IHS) is publishing for comment a summary of a proposed information
collection to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review.
Proposed Collection: Title: 0917-NEW, ``Behavioral Health
Preventive Care Assessment Focus Group Guide.'' Type of Information
Collection Request: Three-year approval of this new information
collection, 0917-NEW, ``Behavioral Health Preventive Care Assessment
Focus Group Guide.'' Form(s): None. Need and Use of Information
Collection: The IHS goal is to raise the health status of the American
Indian and Alaska Native people to the highest possible level by
providing comprehensive health care and preventive health services. To
support the IHS mission, IHS uses the Government Performance Act (GPRA)
to assess quality of care among its Federal, Urban, and Tribal health
programs. The IHS has been largely successful in meeting GPRA targets
for selected clinical performance measures at the national level.
However, there is significant variability in performance among IHS and
Tribal service units.
Until this time, IHS has not undertaken any comprehensive studies
to evaluate the reasons for that variability or the factors that
contribute to high quality care at the local level. The IHS has three
GPRA measures relating to behavioral health, a high priority for the
Agency and one of the IHS Director's Initiatives. This study will focus
on these three GPRA behavioral health measures: Depression Screening in
adults age 18 and over, Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence screening in
women ages 14-15, and Alcohol Screening (to prevent Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome) in women ages 15-44.
Tribal programs voluntarily report their GPRA results quarterly and
annually for national reporting. GPRA data collected for these three
behavioral health measures includes: the number of patients eligible
for a screening (denominator), number of eligible patients who receive
a screening (numerator), and the resulting screening rate (percentage).
IHS has developed a methodology to identify superior and poor
performers on these measures in both Tribal and Federal sites using
fiscal year 2005, 2006, and 2007 GPRA performance results.
IHS will convene focus groups with employees at 17 of these
programs (7 IHS and 10 Tribal) in order to identify the factors
contributing to (and when appropriate, the barriers preventing) the
provision of high quality behavioral health care at the local level.
These focus groups will allow employees to provide detailed data
regarding program practices, screening and documentation procedures,
initiatives, resources, and other factors relating to the provision of
behavioral health preventive care at their health program. A total of
two to three focus groups, organized by occupational specialty, will be
convened at each program.
Using the Chronic Care Model and Institute of Medicine
recommendations, IHS will analyze the information collected during
these site visits, along with background information that is publicly
available (e.g., information found on clinic web pages), on other
qualitative and quantitative features of individual programs, such as
staffing and funding levels, community demographics, and organizational
structure, to develop a behavioral health preventive care model
relevant to the unique system of IHS delivery. Affected Public:
Individuals. Type of Respondents: Tribal employees at Tribal health
programs.
The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments,
Estimated number of respondents, Number of responses per respondent,
Annual number of responses, Average burden hour per response, and Total
annual burden hour(s).
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Number of Responses per Total annual Burden hour Annual burden
Data collection instrument(s) respondents respondent response per response * hours
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Administrators/Supervisor Focus 30 1 30 2 60
Group Guide....................
Provider Focus Group Guide...... 30 1 30 2 60
Behavioral Health Provider Focus 15 1 15 2 30
Group Guide....................
Data Entry Focus Group Guide.... 15 1 15 2 30
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Total....................... 90 .............. .............. .............. 180
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There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs, and/or Maintenance
Costs to report.
Request for Comments: Your written comments and/or suggestions are
invited on one or more of the following points: (a) Whether the
information collection activity is necessary to carry out an agency
function; (b) whether the agency processes the information collected in
a useful and timely fashion; (c) the accuracy of the public burden
estimate (the estimated amount of time needed for individual
respondents to provide the requested information); (d) whether the
methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates are
logical; (e) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information being collected; and (f) ways to minimize the public burden
through the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Send Comments and Requests for Further Information: Send your
written comments, requests for more information on the proposed
collection, or requests to obtain a copy of the data
[[Page 23255]]
collection instrument(s) and instructions to: Ms. Chris Rouleau, IHS
Reports Clearance Officer, 801 Thompson Avenue, TMP 450, Rockville, MD
20852-1627; call non-toll free (301) 443-5938; send via facsimile to
(301) 594-0899; or send your e-mail requests, comments, and return
address to: Christina.Rouleau@ihs.gov.
Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection
are best assured of having full effect if received within 60 days of
the date of this publication.
Dated: April 18, 2008.
Robert G. McSwain,
Acting Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. E8-9258 Filed 4-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-M
