05-6603. Proposed Data Collection; Comment Request; Survey of Colorectal Cancer Screening Policies, Programs, and Systems in U.S. Health Plans

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the provisions of section 3507(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, for opportunity for public comments on proposed data collection projects, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on October 29, 2004 (Volume 69, No. 209, pages 63159-63160) and allowed 60 days for public comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB number.

Proposed Collection: Title: Survey of Colorectal Cancer Screening Policies, Programs, and Systems in U.S. Health Plans. Type of Information Collection Request: New. Need and Use of Information Collection: This study will obtain information on policies, programs, and practices for colorectal cancer screening among health plans in the U.S. The purpose of the study is to assess (1) health plan policies, programs, and practices for colorectal cancer screening; (2) health plan activities in response to the National Committee on Quality Assurance's new Health Employer Data Information Set measure for colorectal cancer screening; and (3) characteristics of health plans and plan policies and activities that may be associated with higher rates of colorectal cancer screening. A questionnaire will be administered by mail or Internet using a national sample of health plans. Study participants will be health plan medical directors or administrators, and they will select their preferred response mode. Burden estimates are as follows:

Type of respondents	Estimated number respondents	Estimated number responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Estimated total annual burden hours
Health plan medical directors	400	1	0.333	133

Request For Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) 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.

Direct Comments To OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact: Carrie N. Klabunde, Ph.D., Epidemiologist, National Cancer Institute, EPN 4005, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7344. Telephone: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail].

Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of the date of this publication.

Dated: March 21, 2005.

Rachelle Ragland-Greene,

NCI Project Clearance Liaison, National Institutes of Health.