[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1575-1576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00270]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifiers: CMS-10549]


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 (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 March 11, 2024.

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, please access 
the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address 
into your web browser: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 1576]]

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-10549 Generic Clearance for Questionnaire Testing and 
Methodological Research for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey 
(MCBS)

    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 without change 
of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: 
Generic Clearance for Questionnaire Testing and Methodological Research 
for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS); Use: The purpose of 
this OMB clearance package is to extend the approval of the current 
generic clearance for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). 
The MCBS Questionnaire Testing and Methodological Research encompasses 
development and testing of MCBS questionnaires, instrumentation, and 
data collection protocols, as well as a mechanism for conducting 
methodological experiments. The current clearance includes six types of 
potential research activities: (1) cognitive interviewing, (2) focus 
groups, (3) usability testing, (4a) field testing within the MCBS 
production environment, (4b) field testing as a separate data 
collection effort outside of the MCBS production environment, (5) 
respondent debriefings, and (6) research about incentives.
    The MCBS is a continuous, multipurpose survey of a nationally 
representative sample of aged, disabled, and institutionalized Medicare 
beneficiaries. The MCBS, which is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare 
& Medicaid Services (CMS), is the only comprehensive source of 
information on the health status, health care use and expenditures, 
health insurance coverage, and socioeconomic and demographic 
characteristics of the entire spectrum of Medicare beneficiaries. The 
core of the MCBS is a series of interviews with a stratified random 
sample of the Medicare population, including aged and disabled 
enrollees, residing in the community or in institutions. Questions are 
asked about enrollees' patterns of health care use, charges, insurance 
coverage, and payments over time. Respondents are asked about their 
sources of health care coverage and payment, their demographic 
characteristics, their health and work history, and their family living 
circumstances. In addition to collecting information through the core 
questionnaire, the MCBS collects information on special topics. Form 
Number: CMS-10549 (OMB control number: 0938-1275); Frequency: 
Occasionally; Affected Public: Individuals or Households; Number of 
Respondents: 11,655; Total Annual Responses: 11,655; Total Annual 
Hours: 3,947. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
William Long at 410-786-7927.)

    Dated: January 4, 2024.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-00270 Filed 1-9-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P