[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 180 (Monday, September 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57090-57091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22726]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10445, CMS-10164, CMS-10143 and CMS-838]


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: New collection; Title: 
Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration; Use: In 
response to the provision of the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 
2012, quality bonus payments (QBPs) are given to all plans earning four 
or five stars in Medicare's Star Rating program. As an extension of 
this legislation, CMS launched the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus 
Payment Demonstration, which accelerates the phase-in of QBPs by 
extending bonus payments to three-star plans and eliminating the cap on 
blended county benchmarks that would otherwise limit QBPs. Through this 
demonstration, CMS seeks to understand how incentive payments impact 
plan quality across a broader spectrum of plans.
    The data collection effort will be conducted in the form of a 
survey of Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) and up to 10 case 
studies with MAOs in order to supplement what can be learned from the 
analyses of administrative and financial data for MAOs, and from an 
environmental and literature scan. The data collected is needed to 
evaluate the QBP demonstration to better understand what impact the 
demonstration has had on MAO operations and their efforts to improve 
quality. The data collection instrument is a survey questionnaire 
designed to capture information on how MAOs perceive the demonstration 
and are planning for or implementing changes in quality initiatives and 
to identify factors that help or hinder the capacity to achieve quality 
improvement and that influence the decision calculus to make changes. 
Specifically, the information is expected to provide a detailed picture 
to CMS of the kinds of quality initiatives utilized by MAOs and some 
preliminary information on how they assess the effectiveness of these 
programs. The survey is designed to provide an overall picture of the 
QBP that can be used for national comparisons across plans as part of 
the larger evaluation of the QBP demonstration.
    The case studies will be conducted as a series of open-ended 
discussions with MAO staff that will be guided by a discussion 
protocol. The case studies will supplement the information gathered 
from the survey and data analysis, providing valuable context and 
details about successful quality improvement activities. The case 
studies are particularly well suited to exploring the detailed 
characteristics of the plans' quality improvement activities, 
emphasizing the decision-making and thought processes underlying the 
structure and direction of their efforts and capturing the contextual 
factors that impact the nature, structure, and scope of the programs. 
Form Number: CMS-10445 (OCN: 0938-New); Frequency: Annual; Affected 
Public: Private Sector--Business or other for-profits; Number of 
Respondents: 730; Total Annual Responses: 1,280; Total Annual Hours: 
683. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Gerald 
Riley at 410-786-6699. For all other issues call 410-786-1326.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with a 
change of a previously approved collection; Title: Medicare Electronic 
Data Interchange (EDI) Registration and Electronic Data Interchange 
(EDI) Enrollment Form; Use: The purpose of this collection to obtain 
information that will be subsequently used during transaction exchange 
for identification of Medicare providers/suppliers and authorization of 
requested Electronic Data Interface (EDI) functions. The EDI Enrollment 
and the Medicare Registration Forms are completed by Medicare 
providers/suppliers and submitted to Medicare contractors. 
Authorization is needed for providers and suppliers to send and receive 
HIPAA standard transactions directly (or through a designated 3rd 
party) to and from Medicare contractors. Medicare contractors would use 
the information for initial set-up and maintenance of the access 
privileges. The use of the standard form provides an efficient uniform 
means by which Medicare captures information necessary to drive 
Medicare EDI security and EDI access privileges. All EDI providers will 
complete and sign the EDI Enrollment Form along with the Medicare EDI 
Registration Form. They will also reconfirm their access privileges 
annually.
    The information collected will be uploaded into Medicare contractor 
computer systems. Medicare contractors will store this information in a 
database accessed at the time of provider connection to the Medicare 
Data Contractor Network (MDCN). When authentication is successful and 
connectivity is established, transactions may be exchanged. The 
information will be stored in a computer data base and used to 
authenticate the user on day-to-day electronic commerce, support the 
submitter and password administration function, and validate access 
relationships between providers/suppliers and their designated EDI 
submitter/receiver on a per transaction basis. Form Number: CMS-10164 
(OCN: 0938-0983); Frequency: Once; Affected Public: Private Sector--
Business or other for-profits, Not for-profit institutions; Number of 
Respondents:

[[Page 57091]]

240,000; Total Annual Responses: 240,000; Total Annual Hours: 80,000. 
(For policy questions regarding this collection contact Claudette 
Sikora at 410-786-5618. For all other issues call 410-786-1326.)
    3. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement without 
change of a previously approved collection. Title of Information 
Collection: Monthly State File of Medicaid/Medicare Dual Eligible 
Enrollees. Use: The monthly data file is provided to CMS by states on 
dually eligible Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, listing the 
individuals on the Medicaid eligibility file, their Medicare status and 
other information needed to establish subsidy level, such as income and 
institutional status. The file will be used to count the exact number 
of individuals who should be included in the phased-down state 
contribution calculation that month. CMS will be able to merge the data 
with other data files and establish Part D enrollment for those 
individuals on the file. The file may be used by CMS partners to obtain 
accurate counts of duals on a current basis. Form Number: CMS-10143 
(OCN 0938-0958). Frequency: Monthly. Affected Public: State, Local, or 
Tribal Governments. Number of Respondents: 51. Total Annual Responses: 
612. Total Annual Hours: 6,120. (For policy questions regarding this 
collection contact Goldy Austen at 410-786-6450. For all other issues 
call 410-786-1326.)
    4. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement without 
change of a previously approved collection. Title of Information 
Collection: Medicare Credit Balance Reporting Requirements and 
Supporting Regulations in 42 CFR 405.371, 405.378 and 413.20; Use: 
Section 1815(a) of the Act authorizes the Secretary to request 
information from providers which is necessary to properly administer 
the Medicare program. Quarterly credit balance reporting is needed to 
monitor and control the identification and timely collection of 
improper payments. The information obtained from Medicare credit 
balance reports will be used by the contractors to identify and recover 
outstanding Medicare credit balances and by federal enforcement 
agencies to protect federal funds. The information will also be used to 
identify the causes of credit balances and to take corrective action. 
Form Number: CMS-838 (OCN: 0938-0600); Frequency: Yearly; Affected 
Public: Private sector--Business or other for-profits; Number of 
Respondents: 45,838; Total Annual Responses: 183,352; Total Annual 
Hours: 550,056. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Milton Jacobson at 410-786-7553. For all other issues call 410-786-
1326.)
    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 Email 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.
    In commenting on the proposed information collections please 
reference the document identifier or OMB control number. To be assured 
consideration, comments and recommendations must be submitted in one of 
the following ways by November 16, 2012:
    1. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically to 
http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for ``Comment or 
Submission'' or ``More Search Options'' to find the information 
collection document(s) accepting comments.
    2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following 
address: CMS, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs, 
Division of Regulations Development, Attention: Document Identifier/OMB 
Control Number -------- , Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.

    Dated: September 11, 2012.
Martique Jones,
Director, Regulations Development Group, Division B, Office of 
Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2012-22726 Filed 9-14-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P