[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 78 (Friday, April 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20007-20008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10280]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration
[Document Identifier: HCFA-R-278]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Health Care Financing Administration, HHS.
    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Care Financing 
Administration (HCFA), Department of Health and Human Services, is 
publishing the following summary of proposed collections for public 
comment. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding this 
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including any of the following subjects: (1) The necessity and utility 
of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of 
the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) 
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology to minimize the information 
collection burden.
    Type of Information Collection Request: New Collection;
    Title of Information Collection: National Hospital Malpractice 
Insurance Survey;
    Form No.: HCFA-R-278 (OMB# 0938-NEW);
    Use: The Data collected from this survey will be used to collect 
two years of malpractice insurance costs data from a nationally 
representative sample of 800 hospitals. Along with the survey of 
hospitals, we will collect rate schedules from the commercial insurers 
and the offices of state insurance commissioners. As compared to the 
survey of hospitals which is a statistical sampling survey, the survey 
of the offices of state insurance commissioners and commercial 
insurance companies will not be a statistical sampling survey. We will 
match collected data in the rate schedules to the data from sampled 
hospitals in order to convert malpractice insurance costs of different 
level of coverage into costs of a constant level of coverage. The 
primary statistics will be used to rebase the input price index through 
weight adjustment and the annual percent change to update the operating 
prospective payment rates. Therefore, the NHMIS must allow estimates of 
the primary statistics for each hospital be adjusted by their rating 
basis, coverage elements, and types of coverage. The survey results 
will be used to estimate the weight of malpractice insurance costs in 
relation to goods and services hospitals purchase in order to furnish 
inpatient care and to calculate the malpractice insurance cost to 
change over time at the national level. The analytic results will be 
used to adjust Medicare operating reimbursement rates to Medicare 
participating hospitals and to prepare statistical summaries.;
    Frequency: Annually;
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions, business or other 
for-profit, and State, Local, or Tribal Govt.;
    Number of Respondents: 600;
    Total Annual Responses: 600;
    Total Annual Hours: 300.
    To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access HCFA's 
Web Site address at http://www.hcfa.gov/regs/prdact95.htm, or E-mail 
your

[[Page 20008]]

request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, and HCFA 
document identifier, to P[email protected], or call the Reports 
Clearance Office on (410) 786-1326. Written comments and 
recommendations for the proposed information collections must be mailed 
within 60 days of this notice directly to the HCFA Paperwork Clearance 
Officer designated at the following address: HCFA, Office of 
Information Services, Security and Standards Group, Division of HCFA 
Enterprise Standards, Attention: Dawn Willinghan, Room N2-14-26, 7500 
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.

    Dated: April 14, 1999.
John P. Burke III,
HCFA Reports Clearance Officer, HCFA Office of Information Services, 
Security and Standards Group, Division of HCFA Enterprise Standards.
[FR Doc. 99-10280 Filed 4-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-03-P