[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51675-51676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18092]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifiers CMS-10816]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

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

ACTION: Notice.

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

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 24, 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

[[Page 51676]]

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-10816 Medicare Part C and Medicare Part D Enrollment Form 
Interviews

    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: New Collection; Title of 
Information Collection: Medicare Part C and Medicare Part D Enrollment 
Form Interviews; Use: As CMS moves towards stratified reporting of 
quality measures and addressing healthcare inequity, highlighted by the 
COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to analyze disparities across Medicare 
programs and policies depends on the ability to access and collect 
reliable race and ethnicity data consistently from Medicare Part C and 
Part D plans. The recent Executive Orders (E.O.) 13985 on Advancing 
Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the 
Federal Government and E.O. 14031 on Advancing Equity, Justice, and 
Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific 
Islanders, have focused attention on the need for CMS to improve the 
collection and quality of its enrollees' race and ethnicity data, 
especially at the disaggregated level. Collecting complete race/
ethnicity data is important to CMS because CMS has interest in 
identifying patterns of differences across many key process and care 
outcomes by sociodemographic characteristics, including race and 
ethnicity.
    CMS' primary objective for the interviews is to identify the 
drivers of nonresponse to the race and ethnicity questions. 
Specifically, we aim to solicit detail on whether and what concerns 
drove individuals' nonresponse to these items, including (but not 
limited to) (a) concerns about confidentiality of their data, (b) 
concerns about how their race and ethnicity data would be used, 
including concerns about whether disclosing such information could in 
any way affect eligibility for Medicare benefits (which it would not), 
or (c) concerns about response options (e.g., missing response options 
for race or ethnicity groups in which they may identify). We also 
intend to explore whether it is possible to amend the race and 
ethnicity elements on Part C/D enrollment form to address any of those 
concerns, and if so, how. Additionally, we plan to ask whether there 
are other--beyond the Part C/D enrollment form--vehicles for collecting 
race and ethnicity information that would be more acceptable to non-
responders, and if so, what those are.; Form Number: CMS-10816 (OMB 
control number: 0938-New); Frequency: Annually; Affected Public: 
Individuals and Households; Number of Respondents: 120; Total Annual 
Responses: 120; Total Annual Hours: 114. (For policy questions 
regarding this collection contact Deme Umo at 410-786-8854).

    Dated: August 17, 2022.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and 
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-18092 Filed 8-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P