[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12192-12193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04303]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier CMS-10054 and CMS-10632]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

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) 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 May 3, 2021.

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' website address at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.html

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William N. Parham 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-10054 New Technology Services for Ambulatory Payment 
Classifications under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System
CMS-10632 Evaluating Coverage to Care in Communities


[[Page 12193]]


    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: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: New Technology 
Services for Ambulatory Payment Classifications under the Outpatient 
Prospective Payment System; Use: Section 1833(t)(6) of the Social 
Security Act (the Act) states, ``The Secretary shall provide for an 
additional payment under this paragraph for any of the following that 
are provided as part of a covered OPD service (or group of services).'' 
In accordance with the Act, CMS needs to keep pace with emerging new 
technologies and make them accessible to Medicare beneficiaries in a 
timely manner. It is necessary that we continue to collect appropriate 
information from interested parties such as hospitals, medical device 
manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and others that bring to our 
attention specific services that they wish us to evaluate for New 
Technology Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APC) payment.
    The information that we seek to continue to collect is necessary to 
determine whether certain new services are eligible for payment in New 
Technology APCs, to determine appropriate coding and to set an 
appropriate payment rate for the new technology service. The intent of 
these provisions is to ensure timely beneficiary access to new and 
appropriate technologies.
    Both the New Technology APC provision and the transitional pass-
through provisions provide ways for ensuring appropriate payment for 
new technologies for which the use and costs are not adequately 
represented in the base year claims data on which the outpatient PPS is 
constructed. Although individual drugs and biologicals and categories 
of medical devices will receive transitional pass-through payments for 
2 to 3 years from the date payment is initiated for the specific item 
or category, the underlying statutory provision is permanent and 
provides an on-going mechanism for reflecting the introduction of new 
items into the payment structure in a timely manner. New Technology 
APCs are designed to allow appropriate payment for new technology 
services that are not covered by the transitional pass-through 
provisions. Form Number: CMS-10054 (OMB control number: 0938-0272); 
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Private Sector, Business or other 
for-profits; Number of Respondents: 10; Total Annual Responses: 10; 
Total Annual Hours: 160. (For policy questions regarding this 
collection contact Allison Bramlett at 410-786-6556.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with 
change; Title of Information Collection: Evaluating Coverage to Care in 
Communities; Use: The purpose of this study is to extend our 
understanding from RAND Corporation's prior study of how C2C materials 
are used. This will be accomplished by assessing what materials best 
serve partners in their efforts to activate, engage, and empower 
consumers and how consumers engage with or respond to C2C materials. 
These data collection efforts will also serve the goals of informing 
future consumer messaging and creating a long-term feedback loop for 
maintaining a relevant, successful, and engaging C2C initiative. 
Initial survey results will be available in early 2022, which may help 
to fine-tune the strategy for the 2022 relaunch of C2C and will 
influence strategies and techniques going forward. Further, this study 
opens the door for a feedback loop that may include future consumer 
testing to adjust and improve C2C outreach strategies to meet the 
changing needs of various targeted populations.
    The C2C Logic Model serves as the basis of this package. The goal 
of C2C is to improve the health of all populations, especially 
vulnerable and newly insured populations, by helping consumers 
understand their health insurance coverage and connecting individuals 
to primary care and preventive services. The urgency of achieving this 
goal is underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has discouraged 
patients from seeking preventive care and hampered patients from 
properly managing chronic conditions at a time when preserving 
emergency room and hospital bed capacity is paramount.
    There are three main paths of information dissemination covered by 
the C2C Logic Model (see Exhibit 1): (a) A direct path to the consumer, 
(b) a path to the consumer through a partner, and (c) a role for 
performance measurement in improving performance (i.e., desired effect 
and how C2C can improve). The partner and consumer surveys in the 
present evaluation build upon RAND's earlier study by adapting their 
questions to the C2C Logic Model and using similar survey methodologies 
in three to four targeted geographic areas known to have received a 
high volume of C2C materials and messages. These research questions and 
sub-questions correspond to the short-term and intermediate-term 
outcomes on the C2C Logic Model. Thus, the foregoing is a reformulation 
of questions answered by RAND and a consideration of additional 
questions. Form Number: CMS-10632 (OMB control number: 0938-1342); 
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Individuals and Households, 
Business or other for-profits, Not-for-profits institutions; Number of 
Respondents: 460; Total Annual Responses: 460; Total Annual Hours: 152. 
(For policy questions regarding this collection contact Ashley 
Peddicord-Auston at 410-786-0757.)

    Dated: February 25, 2021.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and 
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021-04303 Filed 3-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P