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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Customer Satisfaction Survey

Supporting Statement

1. Justification

A.1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Information Clearinghouses have been conducting a customer satisfaction survey since February 2001. The survey helps NIDDK fulfill the obligation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which requires agencies to develop performance plans and prepare annual performance reports beginning in fiscal year 1999.

Under 42 USC 285c-1(a)-(c), NIDDK has established three information clearinghouses: The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse NDIC); the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC); and the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). The NIDDK Information Clearinghouses were established to “facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding” of their respective diseases “on the part of health professionals, patients, and the public through the effective dissemination of information.”

In 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services initiated its HHS Customer Service Plan, which covers several agencies, including all clearinghouses and information centers. A survey that has been conducted by NIDDK Information Clearinghouses was designed to measure satisfaction of their customers as defined by 42 USC 285c- 1(a)-(c). This collection of information supports the measurement of performance and service quality within the NIDDK Information Clearinghouses. The information collected from this survey is used for annual program performance reports as mandated in the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

A.2. Purpose and Use of Information

The information obtained from the proposed customer satisfaction survey will be used by NIDDK to improve the planning and management of the NIDDK Information Clearinghouses. Historically, the information obtained from the survey has been used to assess the effectiveness of the NIDDK information clearinghouses in meeting the information needs of health professionals, patients, and the public. Specifically, the information from the proposed customer satisfaction survey will be used to asses the helpfulness of the NIDDK Information Clearinghouses staff in responding to customers’ requests and the usefulness of the materials disseminated by the NIDDK Information Clearinghouses. The survey is designed to elicit responses from NIDDK Information Clearinghouse service recipients concerning their level of satisfaction with those services.

The survey asks respondents to identify which Information Clearinghouse(s) they have used, what kinds of materials they have received, how frequently they have contacted the Clearinghouse(s), and how they heard about the Clearinghouse (s). Respondents are asked to rate the responsiveness of the clearinghouse staff and indicate the most and least helpful elements of the distributed materials, both content and usefulness. The survey also provided the opportunity to document the timeliness of request response, e-mail and receipt of hard copy materials as well as the ease of the NIDDK website access and navigation. Demographic information is limited to professional status, gender and age range of the respondent. Finally, two open-ended questions seek to determine if the respondent would contact the Clearinghouse (s) again and garner additional recommendations to improve customer service and dissemination activities of the Clearinghouse (s). (See attachment 1: NIDDK Information Clearinghouses Customer Satisfaction Survey.

1. 3. The Use of Information Technology to Reduce Burden

Recognizing the widespread access to and use of technology by NIDDK customers, the survey will continue to use e-mail and web-based surveys. According to the most recent data (2005) regarding request modes for each of the NIDDK Clearinghouse, the majority of requests come through the World Wide Web, followed by telephone requests.

Information specialists currently collect e-mail addresses for customers who either contact the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s) via e-mail or who request that materials be distributed to them via e-mail. To facilitate the ease of response and reduce the burden to respondents, especially respondents who are already contacting the Clearinghouse (s) through electronic modes, the survey will be posted on-line and respondents will be able to submit their responses electronically.

Recognizing that some customers prefer to respond to paper surveys or may not have immediate access to e-mail or the World Wide Web (especially customers living in rural areas, the survey will also be distributed by mail and will be available at NIDDK conference exhibits to facilitate responses from the various professionals served by the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s).

The survey has been pre-tested with a sample of typical NIDDK customer respondents. The average time to complete the survey is 90 seconds.

A.4. Identification of Duplication and Use of Similar Information

NIDDK customers have been surveyed under previous NIDDK contracts. The last survey report was completed for the period between May and July 2004. Since that time, the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s) have been transferred to a new contractor and a customer satisfaction survey has not been implemented. Additionally, the existing customer satisfaction survey has been modified to reflect NIDDK’s need to assess the usefulness of the materials distributed as well as the responsiveness of the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s) staff. Thus, we do not anticipate being able to use similar information already available for the above purposes. Furthermore, this customer satisfaction survey does not duplicate other current efforts.

A.5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

Potential respondents to the customer satisfaction survey are health professionals of clinics and physicians’ offices as well as the general public. Thus, the customer satisfaction survey has been designed to allow for quick response and have minimal impact on small business entities. The survey does not ask questions about these entities’ organizations nor does it require respondents to provide extensive identifying information. The survey only asks respondents to identify their professional category, gender, and age range. These data are used solely to categorize respondents. Average response time to the survey, based on the pre-test of typical Clearinghouse (s) customers is 90 seconds.

A.6. Consequences of Not Conducting the Survey or of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

NIDDK has a profound interest in ensuring that their customers are continually satisfied with the responsiveness and quality of the services provided by the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s). In addition, NIDDK needs to ensure that the materials distributed by the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s) are useful, both in their content and format, to end users and that the materials are received in a timely manner. The customer satisfaction survey allows NIDDK to continually assess the quality of services and the usefulness of the materials distributed by the Clearinghouse(s) thus supporting NIDDK’s fulfillment of its obligations under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which requires agencies to develop performance plans and prepare annual performance reports beginning with fiscal year 1999.

Discontinuing this collection of information regarding customer satisfaction would hinder the agency’s ability to effectively respond to customers’ needs and identify new services that would benefit health professionals and the public.

A.7. Special Circumstances Related to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

There are no special circumstances related to the collection of information that would require respondents to:

• report information to NIDDK more often than quarterly;

• prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after the receipt of it;

• submit more than an original of any document;

• retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years;

• in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of the study;

• use statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

• include a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

• submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless NIDDK can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

A.8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice

A copy of the Federal Register notice of August 14,2006; Volume 71, Number 156 is attached. (see attachment # 2). The Federal Register notice is NIDDK’s only effort to solicit comments. No comments were received.

A.9. Payment or Gift to Respondents

No payment or gift will be made to the respondents of the customer satisfaction survey.

A.10. Assurance of Confidentiality

The customer satisfaction survey does not contain identifiers that could match or link respondents to their answers and comments. Since no identifiers are used, the customer satisfaction survey is exempt from Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects based on 45 CFR 46.101 (b) (2). Additionally, the Privacy Act 5 USC 552a does not apply to this collection of information.

A.11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

The customer satisfaction survey does not contain sensitive questions. The survey only focuses on the respondents’ satisfaction with the responsiveness of the Clearinghouse(s) in meeting their needs and the usefulness of the materials distributed. While the survey does ask respondents to indicate their professional affiliation, gender and age range, these questions are not of a sensitive nature.

A.12. Estimates of Hour Burden and Annualized Cost to Respondents

The estimates are based on the assumption that the customer satisfaction survey will be available to all customers of the Clearinghouse(s). Customers who request information through the web or e-mail will be directed to an electronic link to the customer satisfaction survey. Customers who request information through the mail or fax will be sent a survey along with their materials. Customers who request information via the telephone or voicemail will be asked if they prefer to receive the customer satisfaction survey by mail, e-mail, or fax. Customers who attend professional meetings/conferences or health fairs will be able to access and complete the customer satisfaction survey at the NIDDK exhibit. This census survey methodology will be more labor efficient and cost effective than implementing a quarterly stratified random sampling plan. We are optimistically assuming a 15 percent response rate.

An analysis of the 2005 Request Modes of the NIDDK Clearinghouse(s) indicates that a total of 34,080 requests came to the Clearinghouses in the following way: mail, telephone/voicemail, e-mail/web, fax, and health fair/exhibit. Totals for each Clearinghouse are as follows:

• National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)—5,419 requests;

• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)—24,501 requests

• National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC)—4,160 requests

The majority of these requests come through e-mail or the web, followed by the telephone/voicemail, mail, and the fewest requests came in through facsimile (FAX). (See attachment #3: 2005 Request Modes). Customers vary widely, ranging from physicians and other professional health care providers to the general public, including inmates in correctional facilities. Thus, for the purposes of estimating annualized costs to the respondents, based on appropriate wage rate categories, we are assuming an average hourly rate of $ 50.00.

The customer satisfaction survey requires and average of 90 seconds or 1.5 minutes to complete. Using the above assumptions, the estimated hour burden and estimated annualized cost to respondents is as follows:

• Estimated Hour Burden: 5,112 respondents ( estimated 15 percent response rate of total sample of 34, 080) x 1.00 (frequency of response) x 0.3 (average time per response) = 153 respondent hours

• Estimated Annualized Cost: 153 (respondent hours) x 1.00 (frequency of response) x $50.00 (average hourly wage rate) = $7, 650.00 (respondent cost)

Burden Table

Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Average Time per Response	Annual Hour Burden	Average Hourly Wage Rate	Respondent Cost
5,112	1.00	0.3	153 Hours	$50.00	$7,650.00

A.13. Estimated Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Record Keepers

No other capital costs, operating costs, or maintenance costs are anticipated for respondents or record keepers.

A.14. Annualized Costs to the Federal Government

The total costs to the Federal Government are $ 56,368. and include:

• Initial costs of this information collection include costs for the design of the customer satisfaction survey instrument, including the graphic layout of the instrument, pre-testing of the survey, and the administrative oversight and quality control during the developmental phase. These costs total $17,661. All labor costs are fully loaded rates. These developmental costs have already been incurred and will not be repeated in the next three years.

• Costs for the information collection include costs for the dissemination of the survey via e-mail and mail, the design of the database to store and analyze survey responses, the design of the web link for the electronic version of the survey, the labor of information specialists for telephone interviews with those respondents (less than 1 percent of the anticipated respondents) who do not have access to the electronic version of the survey, and the labor for the analysis and reporting of the findings on a quarterly basis. These costs total $ 38,706.

A.15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

The current survey has been revised since the last data collections activities. Additionally, the most recent request mode data indicates that the overwhelming number of requests for information come via e-mail or the web. Thus, adjustments have been made to reflect that the survey will be disseminated via e-mail and the web, with mail and telephone interviews representing less than 1 percent of the anticipated responses.

The anticipated timetable for the project is as follows:

• The survey instrument will be reproduced, in paper form, and the web-based survey will be posted on the web within 10 working days of OMB approval of the survey instrument. Simultaneously, the link to the web-based instrument will be incorporated into the e-mail response to all electronic inquiries.

• Data collection will commence within immediately once the web-based instrument is accessible and the paper instruments are available for dissemination.

• Data will be continuously collected

• Data analysis and reporting will occur quarterly throughout the project period.

A.16. Plans for Analysis and Publication of the Data

There are no plans for complex statistical analysis for this data. There are no plans to publish the findings of this customer satisfaction survey.

A.17. Display of OMB Expiration Date

The survey instrument will display the OMB expiration date.

A.18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Action Submission

There are no exceptions sought.

B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

This collection of information doe not employ statistical methods.