Dec 20 -- The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) invites comments to OMB by January 23, 2023 regarding proposed Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health Care Surveys. The goal of the project is to cover new survey research that will evaluate and improve upon survey design and operations, as well as examine the feasibility and address challenges that may arise with future expansions of the National Health Care Surveys.
The Division of Health Care Statistics (DHCS) within NCHS collects statistics on the extent and nature of illness and disability of the population of the United States. The DHCS conducts the National Health Care Surveys (NHCS), a family of nationally representative surveys of encounters and health care providers in inpatient, ambulatory, and long-term care settings. This information collection request (ICR) is for the extension of a generic clearance to conduct developmental studies to improve this family of surveys. This three-year clearance period will include studies to evaluate and improve upon existing survey design and operations, as well as to examine the feasibility of, and address challenges that may arise with, future expansions of the National Health Care Surveys.
Specifically, this request covers developmental research with the following aims: (1) to explore ways to refine and improve upon existing survey designs and procedures; and (2) to explore and evaluate proposed survey designs and alternative approaches to data collection. The goal of these research studies is to further enhance DHCS existing and future data collection protocols to increase research capacity and improve health care data quality for the purpose of monitoring public health and well-being at the national, state and local levels, thereby informing the health policy decision-making process. The information collected through this Generic ICR will not be used to make generalizable statements about the population of interest or to inform public policy; however, methodological findings may be reported.
This Generic ICR would include studies conducted in person, via the telephone or internet, and by postal or electronic mail. Methods covered would include qualitative (e.g., usability testing, focus groups, ethnographic studies, and respondent debriefing questionnaires) and/or quantitative (e.g., pilot tests, pre-tests and split sample experiments) research methodologies. Examples of studies to improve existing survey designs and procedures may include evaluation of incentive approaches to improve recruitment and increase participation rates; testing of new survey items to obtain additional data on providers, patients, and their encounters while minimizing misinterpretation and human error in data collection; testing data collection in panel surveys; triangulating and validating survey responses from multiple data sources; assessment of the feasibility of data retrieval; and development of protocols that will locate, identify, and collect accurate survey data in the least labor-intensive and burdensome manner at the sampled practice site.
To explore and evaluate proposed survey designs and alternative approaches to collecting data, especially with the nationwide adoption of electronic health records, studies may expand the evaluation of data extraction of electronic health records and submission via continuity of care documentation to small/mid-size/large medical providers and hospital networks, managed care health plans, prison-hospitals, and other inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings that are currently either in-scope or out-of-scope of the National Health Care Surveys. Research on feasibility, data quality and respondent burden also may be carried out in the context of developing new surveys of health care providers and establishments that are currently out-of-scope of the National Health Care Surveys.
Specific motivations for conducting developmental studies include: (1) within the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), new clinical groups may be expanded to include dentists, psychologists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists), mid-level providers (e.g., physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives) and allied-health professionals (e.g., certified nursing aides, medical assistants, radiology technicians, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, dieticians/nutritionists). Current sampling frames such as those from the American Medical Association may be obtained and studied, as well as frames that are not currently in use by NAMCS, such as state and organizational listings of other licensed providers; (2) within the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, additional new frames may be sought and evaluated and data items from home care agencies, long-term care hospitals, and facilities exclusively serving individuals with intellectual/developmental disability may be tested. Similarly, data may be obtained from lists compiled by states and other organizations. Data about the facilities as well as residents and their visits will be investigated; and (3) in the inpatient and outpatient care settings, the National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) may investigate the addition of facility and patient information especially as it relates to insurance and electronic medical records.
Projects under development or in the planning stages include two projects related to opioid use: one that will investigate adding questions to NAMCS on physician understanding of guidelines for opioid use and one that will test the validation of an algorithm for identifying opioid-involved hospital visits. Another study will develop a Hospital-Based Victim Services Frame.
The NHCSs collect critical, accurate data that are used to produce reliable national estimates—and in recent years (when budget allows), state-level estimates—of clinical services and of the providers who delivered those services in inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory, and long-term care settings. The data from these surveys are used by providers, policy makers and researchers to address important topics of interest, including the quality and disparities of care among populations, epidemiology of medical conditions, diffusion of technologies, effects of policies and practice guidelines, and changes in health care over time. Research studies need to be conducted to improve existing and proposed survey design and procedures of the NHCSs, as well as to evaluate alternative data collection approaches particularly due to the expansion of electronic health record use, and to develop new sample frames of currently out-of-scope providers and settings of care.
National Health Care Surveys
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/dhcs/index.htm
NCHS submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202212-0920-005 Click View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-27504
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806