[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60640-60641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16425]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifiers: CMS-10157]


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 September 24, 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:

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-10157 The HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS)

    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 Collections

    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: The HIPAA 
Eligibility Transaction System (HETS); Use: CMS created the HIPAA 
(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) 
Eligibility Transaction System (HETS) to provide

[[Page 60641]]

HIPAA Accredited Standards Committee X12 270/271 health care 
eligibility inquiries (270) and responses (271) on a real-time basis. 
HETS allows health care providers or their designees to check Medicare 
beneficiary eligibility data in real-time. They use HETS to prepare 
accurate Medicare claims, determine beneficiary liability, or check 
eligibility for specific services. HETS allows users to submit HIPAA 
compliant 270 eligibility request over a secure connection and receive 
271 responses in real-time. In creating the HETS system, Federal law 
requires that CMS take precautions to minimize the security risk to 
Federal information systems. Accordingly, CMS requires that trading 
partners who wish to connect to the HETS 270/271 system via the CMS 
Extranet and/or internet to agree to the HETS Rules of Behavior and the 
HETS Authorized Representative Roles and Responsibilities terms as a 
condition of receiving Medicare eligibility information. Applicants 
complete the entire Trading Partner Agreement form to indicate 
agreement with CMS trading partner terms and provide sufficient 
information to establish connectivity to the service and assure that 
those entities that access the Medicare eligibility information are 
aware of applicable provisions and penalties for the misuse of 
information.
    CMS uses the Trading Partner Agreement Form to capture certain 
information whereby a person certifies that they are fully aware of all 
penalties related to the use of PHI and their access to this data from 
the HETS application. The information is an attestation by the 
authorized representative of an entity that wishes to access the 
Medicare eligibility information to conduct real-time eligibility 
transactions. The authorized representative is a person responsible for 
business decisions on behalf of the Organization who is submitting the 
access request. The data captured includes the authorized 
representative's name, title contact number and the name of the 
submitting entity. Other data captured is the submitter's National 
Provider Identifier, business name, billing address, physical address, 
and telephone number.
    The Trading Partner Agreement Form is also used by CMS to capture 
certain information whereby a person identifies the particular 
connectivity protocol that they will use to connect to CMS and specific 
organization information which is reviewed and authorized prior to the 
access being granted. Form Number: CMS-10157 (OMB control number: 0938-
0960); Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Private Sector, State, 
Local, or Tribal Governments, Federal Government, Business or other 
for-profits, Not-for-profits institutions; Number of Respondents: 
1,000; Total Annual Responses: 1,000; Total Annual Hours: 250. (For 
policy questions regarding this collection contact William Mooney at 
410-786-1956).

William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-16425 Filed 7-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P