[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 198 (Friday, October 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60092-60093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20517]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-R-193, CMS-10079, CMS-2567, CMS-10149, CMS-
10165]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.

    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services (CMS) 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.
    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Important Message 
from Medicare Title XVII Section 1866(a)(1)(M), 42 CFR Sections 466.78, 
489,20, and 489.27; Form Number: CMS-R-193 (OMB: 0938-0692); 
Use: Hospitals participating in the Medicare program are required to 
distribute the ``Important Message From Medicare'' to all Medicare 
beneficiaries (including those enrolled in a Medicare managed care 
health plan). Hospitals must distribute this notice at or about the 
same time of a Medicare beneficiary's admission or during the course of 
his or her hospital stay. Receiving this information will provide all 
Medicare beneficiaries with some ability to participate and/or initiate 
discussions concerning actions that may affect their Medicare coverage, 
payment, and appeal rights in response to a hospital's or Medicare 
managed care plan's notification that their care will no longer 
continue; Frequency: Recordkeeping and Reporting--Other: Distribution; 
Affected Public: Individuals or Households, Business or other for-
profit, Not-for-profit institutions, Federal, State, Local or Tribal 
Government; Number of Respondents: 6,051; Total Annual Responses: 
12,500,000; Total Annual Hours: 208,333.
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Hospital Wage 
Index--Occupational Mix Survey and Supporting Regulations in 42 CFR 
412.230, 412.304, and 413.65; Form Number: CMS-10079 (OMB: 
0938-0907); Use: Section 304 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and State 
Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Benefits Improvement and 
Protection Act of 2000 requires CMS to collect wage data on hospital 
employees by occupational category, at least once every 3 years in 
order to construct an occupational mix adjustment to the wage index. 
CMS first collected occupational mix survey data in 2003 for the FY 
2005 wage index. In response to industry comments suggesting ways to 
improve the occupational mix survey, CMS has revised the survey for the 
next data collection period, 2006, to be used in calculating the FY 
2008 wage index. The purpose of the occupational mix adjustment is to 
control for the effect of hospitals' employment choices on the wage 
index. For example, hospitals may choose to employ different 
combinations of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing 
aides, and medical assistants for the purpose of providing nursing care 
to their patients. The varying labor costs associated with these 
choices reflect hospital management decisions rather than geographic 
differences in the costs of labor. Each of the approximately 3,800 
acute care hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) 
providers participating in the Medicare program will be required to 
complete the 2006 Medicare Wage Index Occupational Mix Survey. The 
initial survey will be forwarded via e-mail to all of CMS's fiscal 
intermediaries; Frequency: Reporting--Other, Triennially; Affected 
Public: Business or other for-profit and Not-for-profit institutions; 
Number of Respondents: 3,800; Total Annual Responses: 3,800; Total 
Annual Hours: 608,000.
    3. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Statement of 
Deficiencies and Plan of Correction contained under 42 CFR 488.18, 
488.26, and 488.28; Form Number: CMS-2567 (OMB: 0938-0391); 
Use: Section 1864(a) of the Social Security Act requires that the 
Secretary use State survey agencies to conduct surveys. The surveys are 
used to determine if health care facilities meet Medicare, Medicaid, 
and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) participation 
requirements. The Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction 
form, is used to record each deficiency discovered during an 
inspection. Providers, suppliers and CLIA laboratories also utilize 
this form to outline a corrective action plan for each deficiency. The 
States and CMS regional offices use this form to document and certify 
compliance, and to disclose information to the public; Frequency: 
Recordkeeping, Third party disclosure and Reporting--Annually and 
Biennially; Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, Not-for-
profit institutions, Federal, State, Local or Tribal Government; Number 
of Respondents: 60,000; Total Annual Responses: 60,000; Total Annual 
Hours: 120,000.
    4. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Health Insurance 
Reform: Security Standards Final Rule; Form Number: CMS-10149 
(OMB: 0938-0949); Use: The Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) Medicare Program, other Federal agencies operating 
health plans or providing health care, State Medicaid agencies, private 
health plans, health care providers, and health care clearinghouses 
must assure their customers (for example, patients, insured 
individuals, providers, and health plans) that the integrity, 
confidentiality, and availability of the protected electronic health 
information they collect, maintain, use, or transmit is protected. The 
confidentiality of health information is threatened not only by the 
risk of improper access to stored information, but also by the risk of 
interception during electronic transmission of the information. The use 
of the security standards will improve the Medicare and Medicaid 
programs, other Federal health programs, and private health programs; 
in addition, it will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the 
health care industry in general by establishing a level of protection 
for certain electronic health information; Frequency: Recordkeeping and 
Reporting--On occasion; Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, 
Not-for-profit institutions, Federal Government, and State, Local or 
Tribal Government; Number of Respondents: 4,000,000; Total Annual 
Responses: 4,000,000; Total Annual Hours: 64,539,263.
    5. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of

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Information Collection: Application for Participation in the Medicare 
Care Management Performance Demonstration; Form Number: CMS-10165 
(OMB: 0938-0965); Use: The Medicare Care Management 
Performance (MCMP) Demonstration and its corresponding Report to 
Congress are mandated by the section 649 of the Medicare Prescription 
Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). Section 649 of 
the MMA provides for the implementation of a ``pay for performance'' 
demonstration under which Medicare would pay incentive payments to 
physicians who (1) adopt and use health information technology; and (2) 
meet established standards on clinical performance measures. This 
demonstration will be held in four states, Arkansas, California, 
Massachusetts, and Utah. Providers that are enrolled in the Doctors' 
Office Quality--Information Technology (DOQ-IT) project are eligible to 
participate in the demonstration. To enroll in the MCMP Demonstration, 
a physician/provider must submit an application form. The information 
collected will be used to assess eligibility for the demonstration; 
Frequency: Reporting--One-time only; Affected Public: Business or other 
for-profit; Number of Respondents: 800; Total Annual Responses: 800; 
Total Annual Hours: 133.
    To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access CMS' 
Web site address at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/regulations/pra/, or E-mail 
your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, and CMS 
document identifier, to [email protected], or call the Reports 
Clearance Office on (410) 786-1326.
    To be assured consideration, comments and recommendations for the 
proposed information collections must be received at the address below, 
no later than 5 p.m. on December 13, 2005. CMS, Office of Strategic 
Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Division of Regulations Development, 
Attention: Melissa Musotto, Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.

    Dated: October 6, 2005.
Michelle Shortt,
Director, Regulations Development Group, Office of Strategic Operations 
and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-20517 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P