[Federal Register: December 27, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 249)]
[Notices]
[Page 79062-79063]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27de02-70]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs)/
TRICARE Management Activity, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of new survey project.
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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise interested parties of a Military
Health System (MHS) new survey project entitled, TRICARE Employee
Survey. 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 announces a proposed new public 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 by February
25, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations on the information
collection should be sent to LTC (P) Merrily MeGowan, Ph.D., M.S.,
U.S.A.; TRICARE Management Activity; HPA&E; 5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite
810 Falls Church, VA 22041.
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: TRICARE Employee Survey
(TRES)
Needs and Uses: the objective of this work is to provide the
Department of Defense leadership with feedback from civilian and
Military Healthcare System employees who work at Military Treatment
Facilities (MTF) CONUS-wide. A supportive internal environment enhances
employee performance, motivation, and commitment, which in turn enhance
the quality of delivered healthcare. Understanding the level of
employee commitment and employees' attitudes toward the things that
drive that commitment will help identify organizational factors needing
improvement. The goal of this work is to gain insight from MHS
employees working within the direct care system about their attitudes,
experiences and opinions of workplace structures and procedures. All
employees of CONUS MTFs will be eligible to participate. By reporting
on their experience with, and perceptions of, their organization and
immediate work environment, they can identify factors that enable or
hinder them from providing high quality care. The TRES intended to
provide DoD with data that contributes to the delivery of high quality
healthcare. The perspective of employees has not been collected
systematically despite their important role in delivering care within
the constraints of limited resources and complicated guidelines. The
first goal of this work is to gain insight of employees regarding the
challenges associated with treating patients under TRICARE. A
[[Page 79063]]
survey instrument is needed that will capture information regarding
employee opinions of how well TRICARE supports them to provide patients
with needed care. It will identify how administrative policies and
practices of TRICARE health plans effect healthcare delivery. A second
goal of this work is to collect information that indicates how the
attitudes and opinions of employees differ by specialty, region, and
degree of participation with TRICARE. The survey data shall provide
information needed to better plan, deliver, and evaluate health care
services provided in the military health system (MHS).
Affected Public: Individual households (TRICARE Employees CONUS-
wide).
Annual Burden Hours: 333 hours.
Number of Respondents: 1,000.
Response Per Respondent: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: .333 hrs.
Frequency: Once.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This request encompasses all activities
required to conduct and develop a report of findings of a confidential
survey of TRICARE employees CONUS-wide to assess their attitudes and
opinions regarding their ability to provide high quality care.
Dated: November 16, 2002.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 02-32668 Filed 12-26-02; 8:45 am]
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