[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9201-9202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03908]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[Document Identifier: CMS-P-0015A]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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 (the PRA), federal agencies are require; 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 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.
DATES: Comments must be received by April 25, 2016.
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, you may make
your request using one of following:
1. Access CMS' Web site address at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PaperworkReductionActof1995.
2. Email your request, including your address, phone number, OMB
number, and CMS document identifier, to [email protected].
3. Call the Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-1326.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-
1326.
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-P-0015A Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
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
[[Page 9202]]
requirement, CMS is publishing this notice.
1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare Current
Beneficiary Survey; Use: CMS is the largest single payer of health care
in the United States. With full implementation of the Affordable Care
Act of 2010 (ACA), the agency will play a direct or indirect role in
administering health insurance coverage for more than 120 million
people across the Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Exchange populations.
One of our critical aims is to be an effective steward, major force,
and trustworthy partner in leading the transformation of the health
care system. We also aim to provide Americans with high quality care
and better health at lower costs through improvement. At the forefront
of these initiatives is the newly formed Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
CMMI is authorized by Section 1115A of the Social Security Act, as
established by section 3021 of the ACA and was established to ``test
innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce program
expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care
furnished'' to Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries. Implicit
across all of CMMI activities is an emphasis on diffusion--finding and
validating innovative models that have the potential to scale,
facilitating rapid adoption, and letting them take root in
organizations, health systems, and communities across America.
The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is the most
comprehensive and complete survey available on the Medicare population
and is essential in capturing data not otherwise collected through our
operations. The MCBS is an in-person, nationally-representative,
longitudinal survey of Medicare beneficiaries that we sponsor and is
directed by the Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics (OEDA) in
partnership with the CMMI. 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 our 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 20 years (encompassing over 1 million interviews), and
consists of three annual interviews per survey participant.
The MCBS continues to provide unique insight into the Medicare
program and helps CMS and our 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. The revision will streamline some questionnaire
sections, add a few new measures, and update the wording of questions
and response categories. Most of the revised questions reflect an
effort to bring the MCBS questionnaire in line with other national
surveys that have more current wording of questions and response
categories with well-established measures. As a whole, these revisions
do not change the respondent burden; there is a small increase in
overall burden reflecting a program change to oversample small
population groups. Form Number: CMS-P-0015A (OMB control number: 0938-
0568); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Business or other for-
profits and Not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 16,071;
Total Annual Responses: 43,199; Total Annual Hours: 60,103. (For policy
questions regarding this collection contact William Long at 410-786-
7927.)
Dated: February 19, 2016.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-03908 Filed 2-23-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P