[Federal Register: February 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 36)]
[Notices]
[Page 8167-8168]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23fe07-51]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[Document Identifier: CMS-R-131, CMS-10219, CMS-10097, CMS-255, and
CMS-437]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) is publishing the following summary of proposed
collections for public comment. Interested persons are invited to send
comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (1)
The necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for
the proper performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of
the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology to minimize the information collection burden.
1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Advance
Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN); Use: Under section 1879 of the
Social Security Act, a physician, provider, practitioner or supplier of
items or services participating in the Medicare Program, or taking a
claim on assignment, may bill a Medicare beneficiary for items or
services usually covered under Medicare, but denied in an individual
case under specific statutory exclusions, if they inform the
beneficiary, prior to furnishing the service, that Medicare is likely
to deny payment. 42 CFR 411.404(b) and (c), and 411.408(d)(2) and (f),
require written notice be provided to inform beneficiaries in advance
of potential liability for payment.
While the basic content of the ABN remains the same, there were
several changes to the notice including but not limited to the
following: (1) Revised, more user friendly language; (2) combining the
two versions of the ABN, the General Use ABN, form CMS-R-131-G, and
CMS-R-131-L, which was used specifically for physician-ordered
laboratory tests, into a single general notice meeting both needs; (3)
adding the 1-800-MEDICARE number on the notice; (4) adding information
about the beneficiary's right to demand Medicare be billed; (5)
increasing the selection options to 3 from 2, to allow beneficiaries'
the right to pay out of pocket when they desire; (6) allowing a place
for other insurance information to be recorded; and (7) describing the
significance of the signature; Form Number: CMS-R-131 (OMB:
0938-0566); Frequency: Reporting: Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Biennially
and Occasionally; Affected Public: Business or other for-profit and
not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 1,270,614; Total
Annual Responses: 40,302,506; Total Annual Hours: 4,701,959.
2. Type of Information Collection Request: New collection; Title of
Information Collection: Health Plan Employer Data And Information Set
(HEDIS[supreg] ); Use: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) collects quality performance measures in order to hold the
Medicare managed care industry accountable for the care being
delivered, to enable quality improvement, and to provide quality
information to Medicare beneficiaries in order to promote an informed
choice. It is critical to CMS' mission that we collect and disseminate
information that will help beneficiaries choose among health plans,
contribute to improved quality of care through identification of
improvement opportunities, and assist CMS in carrying out its oversight
and purchasing responsibilities.
In December 1997, OMB approved the request from CMS for the
information collections under HEDIS[supreg] and assigned the agency
form number CMS-R-200. The collections approved under that request
included the HEDIS[supreg] collection (following the technical
specifications contained in Volume 2, published by the National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA); the Health of Seniors/Health
Outcomes Survey (HOS); and the Medicare CAHPS[supreg] survey. Since
that approval there has been a change in the statutory authority as a
result of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. During the latter part of
2000, CMS instituted several policy changes regarding this collection
which reduced burden substantially on the part of the managed care
organizations and the process for finalizing and publishing that policy
delayed the request for OMB approval. In addition, the renewal of OMB
authority for the Medicare CAHPS survey was completed as a separate
request. The HOS renewal was also submitted separately. This request is
[[Page 8168]]
solely for the approval of the HEDIS collection, which is now a stand
alone collection. Form Number: CMS-10219 (OMB: 0938-NEW);
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Business or other for-profit and
Not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 705; Total Annual
Responses: 705; Total Annual Hours: 33,840.
3. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare
Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS); Form No.: CMS-10097
(OMB 0938-0915); Use: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services will obtain feedback from Medicare providers via a survey
about satisfaction, attitudes and perceptions regarding the services
provided by Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Carriers, Fiscal
Intermediaries, Durable Medical Equipment Suppliers, and Regional Home
Health Intermediaries and Medicare Administrative Contractors. The
survey focuses on basic business functions provided by the Medicare
Contractors such as inquiries, provider communications, claims
processing, appeals, provider enrollment, medical review and provider
audit and reimbursement. Providers will receive a notice requesting
they use a specially constructed Web site to respond to a set of
questions customized for their contractor's responsibilities. The
survey will be conducted yearly and annual reports of the survey
results will be available via an online reporting system for use by
CMS, Medicare Contractors, and the general public.
Due to changes in CMS' reporting needs, CMS is requesting a
potential increase in the number of completed surveys. This increase
will allow CMS to have not only Contractor-specific, but also
jurisdiction and state-specific data which, in turn, will enable
Contractors to increase and implement performance improvement
activities within their organizations. This increase will affect the
2008 and 2009 administrations of the survey. Frequency: Reporting--
Annually; Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit
institutions; Number of Respondents: 24,279; Total Annual Responses:
24,279; Total Annual Hours: 8,346.
4. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Municipal Health
Services Cost Report; Form Number: CMS-255 (OMB 0938-0155);
Use: In June 1978, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Health
Care Financing Administration (HCFA), now the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS), agreed to collaborate in demonstrations and
evaluations of new methods of delivering and reimbursing medical
services in order to simultaneously increase access to primary care and
decrease total health care costs per person served. The Municipal
Health Services Program (MHSP) is the first of these cooperative
efforts. The chief objective of the MHSP is to assist municipalities in
providing health care services to medically underserved areas. By
expanding existing programs of health departments and hospitals with a
limited increase in a municipality's health budget, services
traditionally provided by public health programs and hospital
outpatient departments will be brought together in a single locality.
Participating clinics are reimbursed for all their routine costs
based on the average cost per visit. Ancillary costs are paid according
to 14 categories: Laboratory, x-ray, pharmacy, transportation,
optometrist, dentist, audiologist, podiatrist, eyeglasses, dentures,
devices, physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. In
order to determine the cost of the clinical services being provided, it
is necessary to determine the direct and indirect cost incurred by the
participating clinics for the routine and ancillary cost centers. For
evaluation purposes, it is necessary to accurately identify the total
visit count of the clinics for all patients and for Medicare patients.
The MHSP CMS Form 255 cost report is the form that is being used to
report the costs to the participating clinics of providing the covered
services as well as to gather the data needed to properly evaluate the
demonstration. Frequency: Recordkeeping and Reporting--Annually;
Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents:
14; Total Annual Responses: 14; Total Annual Hours: 476.
5. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Psychiatric Unit
Criteria Worksheet and Supporting Regulations at 42 CFR 412.25 and
412.27. Form Number: CMS-437 (OMB 0938-0358); Use: The
psychiatric unit criteria worksheets are necessary to verify that these
units comply and remain in compliance with the exclusion criteria for
the Medicare prospective payment system. Frequency: Reporting--
Annually; Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit
institutions, and State, Local and Tribal Government; Number of
Respondents: 1333; Total Annual Responses: 1333; Total Annual Hours:
333.
To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access CMS'
Web Site address at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PaperworkReductionActof1995,
or E-mail your request, including your address, phone number, OMB
number, and CMS document identifier, to Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov, or call
the Reports Clearance Office on (410) 786-1326.
To be assured consideration, comments and recommendations for the
proposed information collections must be received at the address below,
no later than 5 p.m. on April 24, 2007: CMS, Office of Strategic
Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Division of Regulations
Development--C, Attention: Bonnie L Harkless, Room C4-26-05, 7500
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.
Dated: February 13, 2007.
Michelle Shortt,
Director, Regulations Development Group, Office of Strategic Operations
and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. E7-3026 Filed 2-22-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P