SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:

1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses; and

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Surveillance in Healthcare Facilities (OMB Control No. 0920-1317, Exp. 1/31/2024)—Revision—National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Hospitals are key partners in the U.S. response to COVID-19. The response is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) COVID-19 Response Function, the White House Coronavirus Response Team, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Response Function work together to support the effective operations of the American healthcare system. This collection initially began in March 2020 through a letter from then Vice President Pence to the nation's 4,700 hospitals, asking them to submit data daily on the number of patients tested for COVID-19, as well as information on bed capacity and requirements for other supplies. ( https://www.cms.gov/​files/​document/​32920-hospital-letter-vice-president-pence.pdf). CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) COVID-19 Module (OMB Control No. 0920-1290) was approved March 26, 2020 for the collection of hospital COVID-19 data. The NHSN COVID-19 Module also collects COVID-19 data from long-term care facilities and dialysis centers (collection was later revised and given OMB Control No. 0920-1317). Beginning July 2020, at the request of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the collection of COVID-19 data from hospitals was moved to HHS/ASPR and housed in the TeleTracking portal. Collection of data from the other facilities remained with CDC under the NHSN COVID-19 Module.

Beginning in mid-December 2022, NHSN will resume the responsibility for collection of COVID-19 hospital data and will incorporate the TeleTracking data collection into 0920-1317. The purpose of this Revision request is to move the burden associated with collection of COVID-19 related data from hospitals to the CDC NHSN COVID-19 module. CDC requests OMB approval for an estimated 8,467,590 annual burden hours. 3,290,200 in burden hours will be added to this previous collection for the addition of the TeleTracking portal. There are no additional costs to respondents other than their time to participate. ( printed page 55816)

87 FR 55815