[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63647-63648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26790]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10102 and CMS-10377]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is 
announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention 
to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (the PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice 
in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information (including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an 
existing collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public 
comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send 
comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the 
proposed information collection for the proper performance of the 
agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology to minimize the information collection 
burden.

DATES: Comments must be received by February 11, 2019.

ADDRESSES: When commenting, please reference the document identifier or 
OMB control number. To be assured consideration, comments and 
recommendations must be submitted in any one of the following ways:
    1. Electronically. You may send 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) that are 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.
    To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice, you may make 
your request using one of following:
    1. Access CMS' at website address at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.html.
    2. Email your request, including your address, phone number, OMB 
number, and CMS document identifier, to [email protected].
    3. Call the Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-1326.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-
4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Contents

    This notice sets out a summary of the use and burden associated 
with the following information collections. More detailed information 
can be found in each collection's supporting statement and associated 
materials (see ADDRESSES).

CMS-10102 National Implementation of the Hospital CAHPS Survey
CMS-10377 Student Health Insurance Coverage

    Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. The term 
``collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires federal agencies 
to publish a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each 
proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension 
or reinstatement of an existing collection of information, before 
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this 
requirement, CMS is publishing this notice.

Information Collection

    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: National 
Implementation of the Hospital CAHPS Survey; Use: The HCAHPS (Hospital 
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Survey, also 
known as the CAHPS[supreg] Hospital Survey or Hospital CAHPS[supreg], 
is a standardized survey instrument and data collection methodology 
that has been in use since 2006 to measure patients' perspectives of 
hospital care. While many hospitals collect information on patient 
satisfaction, HCAHPS created a national standard for the collection and 
public reporting of information that enables valid comparisons to be 
made across all hospitals to support consumer choice.
    In the FY 2018 IPPS/LTCH PPS final rule (82 FR 38328 through 
38342), out of an abundance of caution, in the face of a nationwide 
epidemic of opioid over prescription, we finalized a refinement to the 
HCAHPS Survey measure as used in the Hospital Inpatient Quality 
Reporting Program by removing the previously adopted Pain Management 
questions and incorporating new Communication About Pain questions 
beginning with patients discharged in January 2018. As discussed in the 
CY 2019 OPPS/ASC proposed rule (83 FR 37218), since finalization of the 
Communication About Pain questions, we have received feedback that some 
stakeholders are concerned that, although the revised questions focus 
on communications with patients about their pain and treatment of that 
pain, rather than how well their pain was controlled, the questions 
still could potentially impose pressure on hospital staff to prescribe 
more opioids in order to achieve higher scores on the HCAHPS Survey.
    In response to stakeholder feedback, recommendations from the 
President's Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid 
Crisis, to comply with the requirements of the Substance Use-Disorder 
Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for 
Patients and Communities Act (Pub. L. 115-271), and to avoid any 
potential unintended consequences under the Hospital Inpatient Quality 
Reporting (IQR) Program, CMS is revising the HCAHPS survey by removing 
the three recently revised pain communication questions. The removal of 
these questions is effective with October 2019 discharges. At that 
point, the HCAHPS Survey will consist of 29 questions which will 
decrease the burden hours. Form Number: CMS-10102 (OMB control number 
0938-0981); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Private sector 
(Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profit institutions); Number 
of Respondents: 4,200; Total Annual Responses: 3,104,200; Total Annual 
Hours: 379,290. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
William Lehrman at 410-786-1037.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension; Title of 
Information Collection: Student Health Insurance Coverage; Use: Under 
the Student

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Health Insurance Coverage Final Rule published March 21, 2012 (77 FR 
16453), student health insurance coverage is a type of individual 
health insurance coverage provided pursuant to a written agreement 
between an institution of higher education (as defined in the Higher 
Education Act of 1965) and a health insurance issuer, and provided to 
students who are enrolled in that institution and their dependents. The 
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and 
Payment Parameters for 2017 Final Rule provided that, for policy years 
beginning on or after July 1, 2016, student health insurance coverage 
is exempt from the actuarial value (AV) requirements under section 
1302(d) of the Affordable Care Act, but must provide coverage with an 
AV of at least 60 percent. This provision also requires issuers of 
student health insurance coverage to specify in any plan materials 
summarizing the terms of the coverage the AV of the coverage and the 
metal level (or the next lowest metal level) the coverage would 
otherwise satisfy under Sec.  156.140. This disclosure will provide 
students with information that allows them to compare the student 
health coverage with other available coverage options. Form Number: 
CMS-10377 (OMB control number 0938-1157); Frequency: Annually; Affected 
Public: Private Sector; Number of Respondents: 52; Total Annual 
Responses: 1,176,235; Total Annual Hours: 52. (For policy questions 
regarding this collection contact Russell Tipps at 301-492-4371.)

    Dated: December 6, 2018.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and 
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-26790 Filed 12-10-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4120-01-P