Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[INFO-96-15]

Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and

Recommendations

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on

proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.

To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a

copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports

Clearance Officer on (404) 639-7090.

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 collection 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 on respondents,

including through the use of automated collection techniques for other

forms of information technology. Send comments to Wilma Johnson, CDC

Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA

30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this

notice.

Proposed Projects

1. National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery--(0920-0334)--Extension

The National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS) has been conducted

annually since 1994 by the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC.

It is the only source of clinical information nationally on utilization

of ambulatory surgery. It complements surgery data obtained in another

NCHS survey, the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), which

provides annual data concerning the nation's use of inpatient medical

and surgical care provided in short-stay, non-Federal hospitals. These

NHDS data have been used for more than two decades to analyze the types

of surgical treatment provided to hospital inpatients. However, due to

advances in medical technology, many surgical treatments and diagnostic

procedures are now provided in ambulatory settings which are outside

the scope of the NHDS. The NSAS, a national probability sample of

hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers in the U.S.,

has been designed to provide valid data about medical and surgical care

received in ambulatory surgery locations. Data for the NSAS are

collected annually on approximately 120,000 ambulatory surgery cases.

The data items which are abstracted from medical records are the basic

core of variables from the Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS)

as well as surgery times, total charges and information on anesthesia.

These NSAS data will be used for a variety of planning, administrative,

and evaluation activities by government, professional, scientific,

academic, and commercial institutions. Data collected through the NSAS

are essential for evaluating health status of the population, for the

planning of programs and policy to elevate the health status of the

Nation, for studying morbidity trends, and for research activities in

the health field. For example, selected government agencies are

interested in specific NSAS data to track the incidence of selected

ambulatory procedures, e.g., estimates of tubal sterilization,

estimates of endoscopies and related digestive tract procedures, and

estimates of endoscopic removal of pre-cancerous polyps. In addition,

NSAS data will provide annual updates for numerous tables in the

Congressionally-mandated NCHS report, Health, United States. The total

cost to respondents is estimated at $256,000.

[[Page 19073]]

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Average

No. of No. of burden/ Total

Respondents responses responses/ response (in burden (in

respondent hrs.) hrs.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Induction.................................................. 40 1 1.5 60

Out-of-scope Verification.................................. 140 1 0.066 9

Sample Listing Sheet:

ASC Personnel.......................................... 224 12 0.5 1,344

Census Personnel....................................... 267 12 0 0

Medical Abstract:

ASC Personnel.......................................... 324 250 0.2 16,200

Census Personnel....................................... 167 250 0.03333 1,392

Annual Update.............................................. 491 1 0.083 41

Quality Control............................................ 245 200 .0333 163

----------------------------------------------------

Total.............................................. ........... ........... ............ 19,209

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Dated: April 24, 1996.

Wilma G. Johnson,

Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning and Evaluation, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 96-10627 Filed 4-29-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163-18-P