[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 149 (Thursday, August 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47750-47751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16681]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifiers: CMS-10079 and CMS-10510]


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 October 3, 2022.

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

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-10079 Hospital Wage Index Occupational Mix Survey
CMS-10510 Basic Health Program (BHP) Supporting Regulations

    Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain

[[Page 47751]]

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: Hospital Wage Index Occupational Mix 
Survey; Use: Section 304(c) of Public Law 106-554 amended section 
1886(d)(3)(E) of the Social Security Act to require CMS to collect data 
every 3 years on the occupational mix of employees for each short-term, 
acute care hospital participating in the Medicare program, in order to 
construct an occupational mix adjustment to the wage index, for 
application beginning October 1, 2004 (the FY 2005 wage index). The 
purpose of the occupational mix adjustment is to control for the effect 
of hospitals' employment choices on the wage index. For example, 
hospitals may choose to employ different combinations of registered 
nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing aides, and medical 
assistants for the purpose of providing nursing care to their patients. 
The varying labor costs associated with these choices reflect hospital 
management decisions rather than geographic differences in the costs of 
labor.
    CMS takes the data collected from the approximately 3,200 IPPS 
providers participating in the Medicare program and runs the data 
through mathematical formulas to create the occupational mix adjustment 
to the wage index. CMS informs hospitals of the occupational mix 
adjusted wage indexes through notice and comment rulemaking each year. 
Form Number: CMS-10079 (OMB Control Number: 0938-0907); Frequency: 
Annually; Affected Public: Private Sector, Business or other for-profit 
and not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 3,200; Number 
of Responses: 3,200; Total Annual Hours: 1,536,000. (For policy 
questions regarding this collection contact Noel Manlove at 410-786-
5161.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement, with 
change, of a previously approved collection for which approval has 
expired; Title: Basic Health Program (BHP) Supporting Regulations; Use: 
In accordance with Section 1331 of the Patient Protection and 
Affordability Care Act, Public Law 111-148 (ACA), BHP is federally 
funded by determining the amount of payments that the federal 
government would have made through premium tax credits and cost-sharing 
reductions for people enrolled in BHP had they instead been enrolled in 
an Exchange. States must submit a BHP Blueprint to CMS for 
certification prior to the state implementing a BHP and must submit a 
revised Blueprint in the event that a state seeks to make significant 
changes that alter program operations; the BHP benefit package; or 
enrollment, disenrollment, and verification policies described in the 
Blueprint. Such States must also submit a BHP annual report. In 
addition to the reinstatement, this 2022 iteration proposes changes 
that are associated with the March 12, 2014 (79 FR 14112) BHP final 
rule that have not previously received PRA approval; Form Number: CMS-
10510 (OMB Control Number: 0938-1218); Frequency: Monthly and annually; 
Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal Government; Number of 
Respondents: 2; Number of Responses: 27; Total Annual Hours: 2,568. 
(For policy questions regarding this collection contact Cassie Lagorio 
at 443-721-8022.)

    Dated: July 29, 2022.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and 
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-16681 Filed 8-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P