[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 155 (Thursday, August 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49002-49003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20285]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

[Document Identifier: HCFA-10016]


Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements 
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

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.
    We are, however, requesting an emergency review of the Information 
collections referenced below. In compliance with the requirement of 
section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we have 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the following 
requirements for emergency review. We are requesting an emergency 
review because the collection of this information is needed prior to 
the expiration of the normal time limits under OMB's regulations at 5 
C.F.R., Part 1320 and is essential to the mission of the Agency. The 
Agency cannot reasonably comply with the normal clearance procedures 
because of a statutory deadline imposed by section 4319 of the Balanced 
Budget Act of 1997. Without this information, HCFA would not be able to 
properly implement all of the requirements set forth in the statute 
prior to the statute's sunset provision, causing a statutorily ordered 
deadline to be missed. Lastly, emergency clearance is requested because 
public harm will likely result if the normal clearance procedures are 
followed. Studies by the Government Accounting Office and the Office of 
the Inspector General have found that Medicare payments for items of 
durable medical equipment are far greater than prices paid by other 
insurers and are sometimes greater than prices available to the general 
public at retail outlets. And, the payments provided under Medicare fee 
schedules often represent unreasonably high markups from actual prices 
paid by suppliers. The use of the standard OMB approval process will 
cause the nonfulfillment the statutory requirements set forth in 
section 4319 of the Balance Budget Act of 1997 that seek to address 
these issues, resulting in public harm by allowing the unnecessary loss 
of public Medicare trust fund dollars.
    HCFA is requesting OMB review and approval of this collection by 8/
23/2000, with a 180-day approval period. Written comments and 
recommendations will be accepted from the public if received by the 
individuals designated below by 8/21/2000. During this 180-day period, 
we will publish a separate Federal Register notice announcing the 
initiation of an extensive 60-day agency review and public comment 
period on these requirements. We will submit the requirements for OMB 
review and an extension of this emergency approval.
    Type of Information Collection Request: New Collection;
    Title of Information Collection: Oxygen Consumer Survey: Medical 
Equipment and Supplies Consumer Survey;
    Form No.: HCFA-10016 (OMB# 0938-NEW);
    Use: The Oxygen Consumer Survey and Medical Equipment and Supplies 
Consumer Survey will be used to collect information from Medicare 
beneficiaries who use oxygen equipment, hospital beds, wheelchairs, 
orthotics, and inhalation drugs used with a nebulizer. This information 
will be used to evaluate the Health Care Financing Administration's 
(HCFA's) Competitive Bidding Demonstration for Durable Medical 
Equipment (DME) and Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (POS). In the 
demonstration, HCFA will use competitive bidding to set Medicare Part B 
fees for selected types of DME and POS.

[[Page 49003]]

    The purpose of the evaluation is to determine whether the 
demonstration affects Medicare expenditures, access to care, quality of 
care, diversity of product selection, and industry competitiveness. The 
evaluation will also examine any problems associated with implementing 
competitive bidding for Part B services. Results of the evaluation will 
be used by HCFA and Congress to determine whether it is feasible to 
expand competitive bidding.
    The research questions to be addressed by the surveys focus on 
access, quality, and product selection. Our information collection 
process will include fielding a survey for oxygen users and a survey 
for other medical equipment and supplies users before the demonstration 
begins and again after the new demonstration prices have been put into 
effect. Beneficiaries within the demonstration area will be surveyed; 
we will also survey beneficiaries within a control site that is similar 
to the demonstration site in terms of population, managed care 
penetration, volume of services, and number of beneficiaries. We will 
also control for socioeconomic factors when analyzing the data. This 
design will allow us to separate the effects of the demonstration from 
beneficiary- or site-specific effects.
    This evaluation has been expanded to a second site, San Antonio, 
Texas, as of Mach 2000. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 allowed for the 
demonstration to be conducted in up to three different regions. The 
demonstration has been ongoing in the first site, Polk County, Florida, 
since 1999. The baseline Polk County beneficiary surveys were conducted 
between March and June of 1999. The follow-up Polk County beneficiary 
surveys will be conducted during the fall of 2000.
    We are seeking approval for the new beneficiary surveys (Baseline 
and Follow-up) for the San Antonio demonstration and comparison site 
and any subsequent demonstration and comparison sites that include the 
same DME and POS products. The surveys for the second site, San 
Antonio, are almost identical to the surveys used in the first site, 
Polk County, Florida.;
    Frequency: Annually;
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households;
    Number of Respondents: 2,500;
    Total Annual Responses: 2,500;
    Total Annual Hours: 725.
    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 request, including your address, phone number, to 
[email protected], or call the Reports Clearance Office on (410) 786-
1326.
    Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding the 
burden or any other aspect of these collections of Information 
requirements. However, as noted above, comments on these Information 
collection and recordkeeping requirements must be mailed and/or faxed 
to the designees referenced below, within ten working days:

Health Care Financing Administration, 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

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 
20503, Fax Number: (202) 395-6974 or (202) 395-5167, Attn: Allison 
Herron Eydt, HCFA Desk Officer.

    Dated: July 31, 2000.
John P. Burke III,
HCFA Reports Clearance Officer, HCFA, Office of Information Services, 
Security and Standards Group, Division of HCFA Enterprise Standards.
[FR Doc. 00-20285 Filed 8-9-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-03-P