[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 217 (Friday, November 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63612-63613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21989]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10243]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; 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), 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 function; (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: New collection; Title of 
Information Collection: Data Collection for Administering the Medicare 
Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Instrument; Use: The 
Medicare Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) is a 
uniform patient assessment instrument designed to measure differences 
in patient severity, resource utilization, and outcomes for patients in 
acute and post-acute care settings. This tool will be used to (1) 
standardize program information on Medicare beneficiaries' acuity at 
discharge from acute hospitals, (2) document medical severity,

[[Page 63613]]

functional status and other factors related to outcomes and resource 
utilization at admission, discharge, and interim times during post 
acute treatment, and (3) understand the relationship between severity 
of illness, functional status, social support factors, and resource 
utilization. The CARE instrument will be used in the Post-Acute Care 
(PAC) Payment Reform Demonstration program mandated by Section 5008 of 
the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to develop payment groups that 
reflect patient severity and related cost and resource use across post 
acute settings. Specifically, the data collected using the CARE 
instrument during the Post-Acute Care Payment Demonstration will be 
used by CMS to develop a setting neutral post-acute care payment model 
as mandated by the Congress. The data will be used to characterize 
patient severity of illness and level of function in order to predict 
resource use, post-acute care discharge placement, and beneficiary 
outcomes. CMS will use the data from the CARE instrument to examine the 
degree to which the items on the instrument can be used to predict 
beneficiary resource use and outcomes.
    CMS made over 150 changes and improvements to the CARE instrument 
following the 60 day public comment period. Many revisions were minor 
word changes or clarifications to item-coding instructions. A 
significant number of changes were made to delete unnecessary items and 
to add skip patterns to allow respondents to skip over items/sections 
that do not apply to a particular condition. The revised version of 
CARE retains its clinical integrity while allowing for greater response 
specificity. Form Number: CMS-10243 (OMB: 0938-NEW); 
Frequency: Reporting--Daily; Affected Public: Private Sector--Business 
or other for-profit and Not-for-profit institutions; Number of 
Respondents: 388; Total Annual Responses: 244,292; Total Annual Hours: 
179,341.
    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/PaperworkReductionActof1995, 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 by the OMB desk 
officer at the address below, no later than 5 p.m. on December 10, 
2007. OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, Attention: Carolyn 
Lovett, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Fax Number: (202) 395-6974.

    Dated: November 2, 2007.
Michelle Shortt,
Director, Regulations Development Group, Office of Strategic Operations 
and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. E7-21989 Filed 11-8-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P