[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 185 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59129-59130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24495]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Document Identifier: OS-0990-0330; 30-Day Notice]


Agency Information Collection Request; 30-Day Public Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), 
Department of Health and Human Services, is publishing the following 
summary of a proposed collection 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.
    To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, e-mail your 
request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, and OS 
document identifier, to [email protected], or call the 
Reports Clearance Office on (202) 690-5683. Send written comments and 
recommendations for the proposed information collections within 30 days 
of this notice directly to the OS OMB Desk Officer; faxed to OMB at 
202-395-5806.
    Proposed Project--Annual Appellant Climate Survey--0990-0330--
REVISION--Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA).
    Abstract: The OMHA Appellant Climate Survey is a survey of Medicare 
beneficiaries, providers, and suppliers who had a hearing before an 
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Office of Medicare Hearings and 
Appeals (OMHA). Appellants dissatisfied with the outcome of their Level 
2 appeal may request a hearing before an OMHA ALJ. The Appellant 
Climate Survey will be used to measure appellant satisfaction with 
their OMHA appeals experience, as opposed to their satisfaction with a 
specific ruling.
    OMHA was established by the Medicare Prescription Drug, 
Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-173) and 
became operational on July 1, 2005. The MMA legislation and 
implementing regulations issued on March 8, 2007 instituted a number of 
changes in the appeals process. The MMA legislation also directed the 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to consider the 
feasibility of conducting hearings using telephone or video-
teleconference technologies. In carrying out this mandate, OMHA makes 
extensive use of video-teleconferencing to provide appellants with a 
vast nationwide network of access points for hearings close to their 
homes. The survey will gauge appellants' satisfaction with this new 
service along with the overall appeals experience. The first three-year 
administration cycle of the OMHA survey began in FY08. The survey will 
continue to be conducted annually over a three-year period, beginning 
in FY12. Results from the surveys will be used to gauge progress made 
in increasing satisfaction among appellants.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                                      Average
                                     Type of         Number of       Number of     burden hours    Total burden
             Form                  respondent       respondents   responses  per   per response        hours
                                                                     respondent     (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OMHA Appellant Climate Survey.  Appellants......             400               1           11/60              73
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[[Page 59130]]

Keith Tucker,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-24495 Filed 9-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-46-P