Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

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

Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed

collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed

projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to

obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA

Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-7978.

Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collections of

information are 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 or other

forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Drug and Alcohol Services Information System

(DASIS) (OMB No. 0930-0106)--Revision--The DASIS consists of three

related data systems: the National Master Facility Inventory (NMFI),

the Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS), and the Treatment Episode Data

Set (TEDS). The NMFI includes all known substance abuse treatment

facilities, and those substance abuse prevention facilities identified

by State agencies. The UFDS is an annual survey of all facilities

listed in the NMFI. The TEDS is a compilation of client-level admission

data submitted by States on clients treated in facilities that receive

State funds. Together, they provide information on the location, scope

and characteristics of all known drug and alcohol treatment and

prevention facilities in the United States, and the characteristics of

clients receiving services. This information is needed to assess the

nature and extent of these resources, to identify gaps in services, and

to provide a database for treatment referrals.

A request for short-term (two year) OMB approval of DASIS

activities is being prepared which will cover the ongoing and annual

data collection activities described above as well as one-time data

collections associated with a redesign of the UFDS survey.

The request for OMB approval will include the following changes in

the ongoing DASIS activities:

TEDS: Voluntary reporting of discharge data will be added to the

current reporting of admission data for those States that are able to

provide linked admission and discharge records. The discharge data set

will include the

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following client-level data: Provider ID; Client ID; Co-dependent/

Collateral flag; Services at discharge; Date of last contact; Date of

discharge; and Reason for discharge, transfer, or discontinuance of

treatment.

NMFI: The forms used by States to update information on facilities

in the NMFI have been automated and will be available on the Internet

through the DASIS home page. The on-line version of the update forms

will include the following new items: Detoxification services (to be

added to the checklist of services, FDA (Methadone) ID, EIN, Director's

name and phone number, and facility FAX number.

UFDS: The UFDS survey will be shortened in 1999 so that resources

can be redirected to a major revision of the questionnaire. Client

counts, services provided (except for programs for special

populations), and revenue data will not be asked. Sample augmentation

activities, which involve searching directories and other sources for

substance abuse treatment facilities not included in the NMFI, will not

be conducted prior to the 1999 UFDS but will be conducted late in 1999

in preparation for the 2000 UFDS.

Possible changes to the 2000 UFDS questionnaire will be explored in

1999, including, for example, changing the reference date, revising

questions on setting, treatment capacity, and revenue, and adding

questions on current topics as needed. The proposed changes will be

studied through small-scale focus groups and workshops with data users

and substance abuse service providers, and through larger scale

solicitations of comments and suggestions from States and pretests of

revised forms with facilities.

Estimated annual burden for the ongoing and one-time activities is

as follows:

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

Number of Responses per Hours per Total burden

Type of respondent and activity respondents respondent response hours

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

States:

TEDS Admission Data......................... 52 4 \3\ 6 1,248

TEDS Discharge Data......................... 13 4 \3\ 6 312

NFR Update \1\.............................. 56 128 0.08 573

Solicitation of Comments on UFDS revisions.. 56 1 .5 28

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

State Subtotal.......................... 56 .............. .............. 2,161

Facilities:

UFDS Questionnaire.......................... 17,000 1 .2 3,400

Augmentation Screening...................... 5,000 1 .08 400

Pretests of UFDS revisions \2\.............. 300 1 .75 225

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

Facility Subtotal....................... 22,000 .............. .............. 4,025

===============================================================

Total................................... 22,056 .............. .............. 6,186

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\1\ States forward to SAMHSA information they receive from facilities on changes in facility name, address,

status, etc. This will now be done electronically.

\2\ Two pretests of 100-150 facilities each are proposed.

\3\ This includes time for reformatting data received from facilities and submitting it to SAMHSA.

Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer,

Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

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

Dated: November 27, 1998.

Richard Kopanda,

Executive Officer, SAMHSA.

[FR Doc. 98-32307 Filed 12-3-98; 8:45 am]

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