[Federal Register: March 6, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 44)]
[Notices]               
[Page 13506-13507]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06mr01-54]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

 
Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 
Affairs, Defense.

ACTION: Notice.

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    In accordance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Health Affairs/TRICARE Management Activity announces a proposed new 
public health information collection and seeks public comment on the 
provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
new 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 information collection; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and, 
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received on or 
before May 1, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations on the information 
collection should be sent to the TRICARE Management Activity 
(Optimization & Integration), Attention: LTC Scott Goodrich, MC, USA, 
Deputy Director, Population Health Programs, 5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 
810, Falls Church, VA 22041-3206.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection, please write to the above address.
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Health Evaluation 
Assessment Review (HEAR) Survey 2.X.
    Needs and Uses: The objective of this work is to design and 
implement the HEAR 2.X. The HEAR is a tool that will help to define the 
health status of a population. The survey is a self-reported health 
assessment tool designed to provide information regarding: (1) An 
individual's health risk factors and preventive care needs. These are 
reported to both the individual and their primary care manager; (2) 
which individuals are likely to use high levels of medical resources; 
and, (3) risk factors, care levels, and healthcare utilization for use 
in strategic planning for population health management and resource 
utilization at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health 
Affairs), TRICARE Management Activity, Regional, Major Command, 
Military Treatment Facility, and provider level healthcare. In 
addition, the HEAR 2.X will provide information in support of Healthy 
People 2010 and other population health programs. These data will 
provide needed information to better plan, deliver, and evaluate health 
care provided in the Military Health System.
    Affected Public: Individual households.
    Annual Burden Hours: 703,427.71 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 2,106,071.
    Responses per Respondent: 1 each year.
    Average Burden per Response: 20 Minutes (0.334).
    Frequency: Once.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Information Collection

    This request encompasses all activities required to develop and 
implement the HEAR 2.X survey. The HEAR is a unified approach to assess 
health and fitness for active duty and other DoD health care 
beneficiaries. The information is primarily used by health care 
personnel to plan health care delivery needs and to: (1) Identify 
patients requiring clinical preventive care (e.g., cholesterol 
screening, mammography, prostate exam, etc.); (2) target individuals 
who could benefit from counseling services associated with high risk 
behaviors (e.g., excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, drinking and 
driving, etc.); (3) categorize patients into one of three primary care 
levels according to the complexity and intensity of care required; (4) 
predict which patients will be high users of health care resources; (5) 
empower individuals to take responsibility for their own health; and, 
(6) assess the health status of the population so patients, providers, 
resource managers, commanders, and health planners at all levels can 
work towards improving health and managing care.


[[Page 13507]]


    Dated: February 27, 2001.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 01-5382 Filed 3-5-01; 8:45 am]
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