[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 37 (Friday, February 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11780-11781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04056]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10450]


Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements 
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human 
Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requests an 
information collection request to support the implementation of the 
CAHPS for MIPS survey to add an item on telehealth to address the 
Public Health Emergency (PHE) be processed under the emergency 
clearance process associated with Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA). In order to address our stakeholders and the increased use of 
telehealth services due to the PHE for COVID-19, a question is being 
added to the CAHPS for MIPS survey. The question is being added to 
integrate one telehealth item to assess the patient-reported usage of 
telehealth services (for example, phone or video visit). The additional 
question collects self-reported information from CAHPS for MIPS Survey 
respondents on the modalities of care (in-person, telephone or video 
visit) received during the last 6 months. This survey item would be 
utilized for informational purposes only and would not be used for 
quality scoring or payment purposes. We are requesting Emergency 
Approval in order to make this telehealth item part of the survey 
starting in CY 2021, which is in alignment with what our stakeholders 
have requested. In order to do this, there are tasks that need to be 
completed by late spring such as vendor training, preparing letters and 
Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) scripts.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 9, 2021.

ADDRESSES: When commenting, please reference the document identifier or 
OMB control number. To be assured consideration, comments and 
recommendations must be submitted within 42 days 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. Electronically. Comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection can also be sent within 42 days of publication 
of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting the search function.
    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' website address at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Parham at (410) 786-4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA, Federal agencies are required 
to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed ICR. 
Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden 
estimates or any other aspect of this ICR including the necessity and 
utility of the proposed ICR 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.

Contents

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

CMS-10450 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems 
(CAHPS) Survey for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS)

    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. To comply with this requirement, CMS is publishing this 
notice that summarizes the following proposed collection(s) of 
information for public comment:

Information Collection

    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved Information Collection; Title of Information Collection: 
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey 
for Merit-based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS); Use: CMS is 
submitting updates to one information collection request associated 
with the CAHPS for MIPS survey. The CAHPS for MIPS survey is used in 
the Quality Payment Program (QPP) to collect data on fee-for-service 
Medicare beneficiaries' experiences of care with eligible clinicians 
participating in MIPS and is designed to gather only the necessary data 
that CMS needs for assessing physician quality performance, and related 
public reporting on physician performance, and should complement other 
data collection efforts. The survey consists of the core Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey, 
version 3.0, plus additional survey questions to meet CMS's information 
and program needs. The survey information is used for quality 
reporting, the Care Compare website, and annual statistical experience 
reports describing MIPS data for all MIPS eligible clinicians.
    This 2021 information collection request addresses changes to the 
CAHPS for MIPS Survey associated with the CY 2021 Physician Fee 
Schedule (PFS) final rule. In order to address the increased use of 
telehealth care due to the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, 
an additional question is added to the CAHPS for MIPS survey to 
integrate one telehealth item to assess the patient-reported usage of 
telehealth services. In addition, the cover page of the CAHPS for MIPS 
Survey is revised to include a reference to care in telehealth 
settings. The CAHPS for MIPS survey results in burden to three 
different types of entities: Groups and virtual groups, vendors, and 
beneficiaries associated with administering the survey. Virtual groups 
are subject to the same requirements as groups; therefore, we will 
refer only to groups as an inclusive term for both unless otherwise 
noted. The estimated time to administer the 2021 CAHPS for MIPS survey 
has increased from 12.9 minutes to 13.1 minutes; however, there was an 
overall decrease in burden as the number of respondents decreased. Form 
Number: CMS-10450 (OMB control number: 0938-1222); Frequency: Yearly; 
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profit 
institutions and Individuals and Households; Number of Respondents: 
30,249; Total Annual

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Responses: 30,249; Total Annual Hours: 6,902. (For policy questions 
regarding this collection contact Alesia Hovatter at 410-786-6861.)

    Dated: February 23, 2021.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and 
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021-04056 Filed 2-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P