[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57901-57903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15581]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifiers: CMS-P-0015A, CMS-10316, and CMS-10054]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; 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 a second opportunity 
for public comment on the notice. Interested persons are invited to 
send comments regarding the burden estimate 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.

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DATES: Comments on the collection(s) of information must be received by 
the OMB desk officer by August 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    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 Parham at (410) 786-4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(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 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires 
Federal agencies to publish a 30-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 that 
summarizes the following proposed collection(s) of information for 
public comment:
    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare Current 
Beneficiary Survey (MCBS); Use: CMS is the largest single payer of 
health care in the United States. The agency plays a direct or indirect 
role in administering health insurance coverage for more than 120 
million people across the Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Exchange 
populations. A critical aim for CMS is to be an effective steward, 
major force, and trustworthy partner in supporting innovative 
approaches to improving quality, accessibility, and affordability in 
healthcare. CMS also aims to put patients first in the delivery of 
their health care needs.
    The MCBS is the most comprehensive and complete survey available on 
the Medicare population and is essential in capturing information not 
otherwise collected through operational or administrative data on the 
Medicare program. The MCBS is a nationally-representative, longitudinal 
survey of Medicare beneficiaries that is sponsored by CMS and is 
directed by the Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics (OEDA). MCBS 
data collection includes both in-person and phone interviewing. The 
survey captures beneficiary information whether aged or disabled, 
living in the community or facility, or serviced by managed care or 
fee-for-service. Data produced as part of the MCBS are enhanced with 
administrative data (e.g., fee-for-service claims, prescription drug 
event data, enrollment, etc.) to provide users with more accurate and 
complete estimates of total health care costs and utilization. The MCBS 
has been continuously fielded for more than 30 years, encompassing over 
1.2 million interviews and more than 140,000 survey participants. 
Respondents participate in up to 11 interviews over a four-year period. 
The MCBS provides a holistic view of Medicare beneficiaries' social and 
medical risk factors and rich information on the relationship between 
these risk factors, healthcare utilization, and health outcomes--at a 
point in time and over time.
    The MCBS continues to provide unique insight into the Medicare 
program and helps CMS and its external stakeholders better understand 
and evaluate the impact of existing programs and significant new policy 
initiatives. In the past, MCBS data have been used to assess potential 
changes to the Medicare program. For example, the MCBS was instrumental 
in supporting the development and implementation of the Medicare 
prescription drug benefit by providing a means to evaluate prescription 
drug costs and out-of-pocket burden for these drugs to Medicare 
beneficiaries. Beginning in 2025, this proposed revision would add new 
measures to the questionnaire and remove a few items that are no longer 
relevant for administration. The revisions would result in a net 
increase in respondent burden. Form Number: CMS-P-0015A (OMB control 
number: 0938-0568); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Business 
or other for-profits and Not-for-profits institutions; Number of 
Respondents: 35,015; Total Annual Responses: 35,015; Total Annual 
Hours: 35,344. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact: 
William Long at 410-786-7927.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Implementation of 
the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage (MA) 
Plan Disenrollment Reasons Survey; Use: Medicare Prescription Drug, 
Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) provides a requirement 
to collect and report performance data for Part D prescription drug 
plans. Section 1860D-4 (Information to Facilitate Enrollment) of the 
MMA requires CMS to conduct consumer satisfaction surveys regarding the 
PDP and MA contracts. Plan disenrollment is generally believed to be a 
broad indicator of beneficiary dissatisfaction with some aspect of plan 
services, such as access to care, customer service, cost of the plan, 
services, benefits provided, or quality of care.
    This data collection complements the enrollee beneficiary 
experience data collected through the Medicare Consumer Assessment of 
Healthcare Providers and Systems (Medicare CAHPS) survey by providing 
information on the reasons for disenrollment from a Medicare Advantage 
(with or without prescription drug coverage) or Prescription Drug Plan.
    The Disenrollment Survey results are an important source of 
information for CMS to monitor contract performance and identify 
potential problems (e.g., plans providing incorrect information to 
beneficiaries or creating access problems). CMS uses the results to 
monitor the quality of service that Medicare beneficiaries get from 
contracted plans and their providers and to understand beneficiaries' 
expectations relative to provided benefits and services for MA and 
PDPs. Form Number: CMS-10316 (OMB control number: 0938-1113); 
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Individuals and households; Number 
of Respondents: 36,050; Total Annual Responses: 36,050; Total Annual 
Hours: 6,730. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Beth Simon at 415-744-3780.)
    3. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: New Technology 
Services for Ambulatory Payment Classifications Under Outpatient 
Prospective Payment System; Use: In the April 7, 2000 (65 FR 18434) 
final rule with comment period (HCFA-1005-FC, RIN 0938-AI56) first 
implementing the hospital outpatient

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prospective payment system (OPPS), we created a set of New Technology 
ambulatory payment classifications (APCs) to pay for certain new 
technology services under the OPPS. These APCs are intended to pay for 
new technology services that were not covered by the transitional pass-
through payments provisions authorized by the Balanced Budget 
Refinement Act (BBRA) of 1999.
    Since implementation of the OPPS on August 1, 2000, transitional 
pass-through payments have been made to hospitals for certain drugs, 
biologicals, and medical devices. These are temporary additional 
payments required by section 1833(t)(6) of the Social Security Act 
which was added by section 201(b) of the BBRA. The law required the 
Secretary to make these additional payments to hospitals for at least 2 
but no more than 3 years.
    In the April 7, 2000 final rule with comment period, we specified 
an application process and the information that must be supplied for us 
to consider a request for payment under the New Technology APCs (65 FR 
18478). We posted the application process on our website at 
www.cms.hhs.gov. Services were only considered eligible for assignment 
to a New Technology APC if we listed them in one of a number of lists 
published in Medicare Program Memoranda, which are posted to our 
website (https://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/cms-program-memoranda). We established a quarterly 
application process by which interested parties could submit 
applications to us for particular services. We assign new services to 
the New Technology APCs that we determine cannot be placed 
appropriately in clinical APCs. Under our current policy, we retain 
services in a New Technology APC until we gain sufficient information 
about actual hospital costs incurred to furnish a new technology 
service. Form Number: CMS-10054 (OMB control number: 0938-0860); 
Frequency: Once; Affected Public: Private sector, Business or other 
for-profit; Number of Respondents: 25; Number of Responses: 25; Total 
Annual Hours: 400. (For policy questions regarding this collection 
contact Josh Mcfeeters at 410-786-9732.)

William N. Parham III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-15581 Filed 7-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P