Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 77469-77470 [2013-30434]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
77469
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2013 / Notices
ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS—Continued
Type of respondents
No. of
responses per
respondent
No. of
respondents
Form name
Average
burden per
response
(in hours)
Total burden
(in hours)
Refresher Course Application ..........
One-Time Customer Satisfaction
Survey.
Total ...........................................
10
23
1
1
8
12/60
80
5
...........................................................
........................
........................
........................
201
Leroy Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office,
Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the
Associate Director for Science, Office of the
Director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013–30365 Filed 12–20–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
[Document Identifier: CMS–10510]
Emergency Clearance: Public
Information Collection Requirements
Submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB)
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, HHS.
In compliance with section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS),
Department of Health and Human
Services, is publishing a summary of
this proposed information collection for
public comment. Interested persons are
invited to send comments regarding this
collection’s proposed 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.
In compliance with section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, we have also
submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) the proposed
information collection for their
emergency review. While the collection
is necessary to ensure compliance with
an initiative of the Administration, we
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:12 Dec 20, 2013
Jkt 232001
are requesting emergency review under
5 CFR 1320(a)(2)(i) because public harm
is reasonably likely to result if the
regular clearance procedures are
followed.
Without emergency approval, we will
need to delay by approximately 4
months the release of Basic Health
Program (BHP) federal payment rates
beyond the March 2014 timeframe that
was published in the BHP proposed
regulation released on September 25,
2013 (78 FR 59122). Instead, we would
release rates in early summer 2014 to
accommodate the normal PRA approval
process. Rates are needed in March 2014
to support state decisions to implement
BHP on January 1, 2015, and to provide
the necessary time for states to do their
planning, contracting with issuers, and
conducting open enrollment. Providing
rates in the summer 2014 will likely
postpone interested states’ decisions
and their implementation dates by as
much as a year. This could result in as
many as 1.3 million low income people
not having access to BHP in early 2015,
thereby prohibiting them from availing
continuity of providers and health care
that BHP is intended to provide. That is,
BHP is a bridge program for low income
people who today move in and out of
health programs as their eligibility
changes based on fluctuations in income
and other factors, and such movements
disrupt their access to the providers and
services that they need. This delay in
access to BHP benefits would likely
cause public harm.
1. Type of Information Collection
Request: New collection (request for a
new OMB control number); Title of
Information Collection: Basic Health
Program Report for Health Insurance
Exchange Premium; Use: In accordance
with section 1331 of the Affordable Care
Act, the Basic Health Program (BHP) is
federally funded by determining the
amount of payments that the federal
government would have made through
premium tax credits (PTCs) and cost
sharing reductions (CSRs) for people
enrolled in BHP had they instead been
enrolled in an Exchange.
To calculate these amounts for each
state, we need the reference premiums
PO 00000
Frm 00053
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
for the second lowest cost silver plans
(SLCSPs) in each geographic area in a
state, as SLCSPs are a basic unit in the
calculation of PTCs and CSRs under the
Exchanges. Relatedly, the reference
premiums for these SLCSPs are critical
components in the BHP payment
methodology in order to estimate what
PTCs and CSRs would have been paid.
Similarly, we also need to collect
reference premiums for the lowest cost
bronze plans to appropriately account
for CSR calculations for American
Indians and Alaskan Natives. Reference
premiums are foundational inputs into
the BHP payment methodology.
We have the necessary information to
determine these reference premiums for
states whose Exchanges are operated by
the Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE)
or in Partnership with the FFE.
Therefore, this collection only pertains
to the 17 states who are operating State
Based Exchanges. A related notice,
issued under CMS–2380–PN, is also
publishing in today’s Federal Register;
Form Number: CMS–10510 (OCN:
0938–New); Frequency: Yearly; Affected
Public: State, Local or Tribal
Governments; Number of Respondents:
17; Total Annual Responses: 17; Total
Annual Hours: 68. (For policy questions
regarding this collection contact Jessica
Schubel at 410–786–3032.)
We are requesting OMB review and
approval of this collection by December
23, 2013, with a 180-day approval
period. Written comments and
recommendations will be considered
from the public if received by the date
and address noted below.
Copies of the supporting statement
and any related forms can be found at:
https://www.cms.hhs.gov/
PaperworkReductionActof1995 or can
be obtained by emailing your request,
including your address, phone number,
OMB number, and CMS document
identifier, to: Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov,
or by calling the Reports Clearance
Office at: 410–786–1326.
When commenting on this proposed
information collection, please reference
the CMS document identifier and the
OMB control number (OCN). To be
assured consideration, comments and
E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM
23DEN1
77470
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2013 / Notices
recommendations must be received in
one of the following ways by January 2,
2014:
1. Electronically. You may submit
your comments electronically to https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for ‘‘Comment or
Submission’’ or ‘‘More Search Options’’
to find the information collection
document(s) 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 (CMS–
10510), Room C4–26–05, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244–
1850 and, OMB Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: CMS
Desk Officer, New Executive Office
Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC
20503, Fax Number: 202–395–6974.
Dated: December 17, 2013.
Martique Jones,
Deputy Director, Regulations Development
Group, Office of Strategic Operations and
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2013–30434 Filed 12–18–13; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
[CMS–9953–FN]
Health Insurance Exchanges; Approval
of an Application by the Accreditation
Association for Ambulatory Health
Care (AAAHC) To Be a Recognized
Accrediting Entity for the Accreditation
of Qualified Health Plans
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Final notice.
AGENCY:
This final notice announces
our decision to approve the
Accreditation Association for
Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) for
recognition as an accrediting entity for
the purposes of fulfilling the
accreditation requirement as part of
qualified health plan (QHP)
certification.
SUMMARY:
This notice is effective on
December 23, 2013.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
DATE:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rebecca Zimmermann, (301) 492–4396.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Regulations at 45 CFR 156.275(c)
require qualified health plan (QHP)
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:12 Dec 20, 2013
Jkt 232001
issuers to be accredited on the basis of
local performance of its QHPs by an
accrediting entity recognized by the
Secretary (the Secretary) of the
Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). In a final rule published
on July 20, 2012 titled, ‘‘Data Collection
To Support Standards Related to
Essential Health Benefits; Recognition of
Entities for the Accreditation of
Qualified Health Plans (77 FR 42658),’’
we established the first phase of an
intended two-phase approach to
recognize accrediting entities and
proposed both the National Committee
for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and
URAC as recognized accrediting
entities. On November 23, 2012, we
notified the public that NCQA and
URAC had both met the requirements in
the July 2012 final rule to be recognized
as accrediting entities
(§ 156.275(c)(1)(iv)) and were
recognized by the Secretary 1 as
accrediting entities for the purposes of
QHP certification.
On February 25, 2013, we published
a subsequent final rule, titled,
‘‘Standards Related to Essential Health
Benefits, Actuarial Value, and
Accreditation’’ (78 FR 12834),2 which
amended § 156.275(c) to establish an
application and review process to allow
additional accrediting entities to seek
recognition. The application submitted
by an accrediting entity must include
documentation described in
§ 156.275(c)(4) and demonstrate, in a
concise and organized fashion, how the
accrediting entity meets the
requirements of § 156.275(c)(2) and (3).
Specifically, to be recognized, an
accrediting entity must provide current
accreditation standards and
requirements, processes, and measure
specifications for performance measures
to demonstrate via a crosswalk that it
meets the conditions described in
§ 156.275(c)(2) and (c)(3). Further, once
recognized, § 156.275(c)(4)(ii) requires
accrediting entities to provide the
Secretary with any proposed changes or
updates to the accreditation standards
and requirements, processes, and
measure specifications for performance
measures with 60 days’ notice prior to
public notification. Lastly,
§ 156.275(c)(5) requires recognized
accrediting entities, when authorized by
an accredited QHP issuer, to provide
1 Certain authority under the Affordable Care Act
has been delegated from the Secretary to the
Administrator of CMS. 76 FR 53903 through 53906,
(August 30, 2011).
2 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act;
Standards Related to Essential Health Benefits,
Actuarial Value, and Accreditation; Final Rule, 78
FR 12834, 12854–12855 (February 25, 2013) (45
CFR 156.275(c)).
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
specific QHP issuer accreditation survey
data elements, other than personally
identifiable information, to the
Exchange in which the issuer plans to
operate one or more QHPs during the
annual certification or as changes occur
in the data elements throughout the
coverage year.
II. Provisions of the Proposed Notice
On September 13, 2013, we published
in the Federal Register a proposed
notice 3 announcing the receipt of an
application from the Accreditation
Association for Ambulatory Health Care
(AAAHC) to be a recognized accrediting
entity for the purposes of fulfilling the
accreditation requirement as part of
qualified health plan certification. In the
proposed notice, we provided a detailed
analysis of whether AAAHC meet the
requirements as specified in our
regulations at § 156.275. In addition, we
solicited public comments on whether it
was appropriate to recognize AAAHC as
an accrediting entity for the purpose of
QHP certification; AAAHC’s
accreditation standards for QHP issuers
including whether or not AAAHC’s
standards meet the requirements in
§ 156.275; whether AAAHC had any
deficiencies in its standards; the content
of the proposed clinical quality
measures and their appropriateness for
use in QHP accreditation; the rigor of
the scoring methodology; and if the
network adequacy standards will ensure
sufficient network of providers for QHP
enrollees.
III. Analysis of and Response to Public
Comments on the Proposed Notice
We received nine public comments in
response to the September 13, 2013
proposed notice. Five commenters
supported the recommendation to
recognize AAAHC as an accrediting
entity for the purposes of QHP
accreditation; whereas two commenters
did not support the proposal to
recognize AAAHC as an accrediting
entity. Two commenters provided
comments that were outside the scope
of the proposed notice.
One commenter questioned the
comparability of AAAHC’s standards to
other HHS-recognized accrediting
entities. Another commenter requested
that more child measures be included in
the clinical quality metrics. Both of
these commenters thought that the
accreditation standards were not
sufficiently transparent.
3 Health Insurance Exchanges; Application by the
Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health
Care To Be a Recognized Accrediting Entity for the
Accreditation of Qualified Health Plans; 78 FR
56711–56714 (September 13, 2013).
E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM
23DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77469-77470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30434]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[Document Identifier: CMS-10510]
Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.
In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS),
Department of Health and Human Services, is publishing a summary of
this proposed information collection for public comment. Interested
persons are invited to send comments regarding this collection's
proposed 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.
In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, we have also submitted to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) the proposed information collection for their emergency
review. While the collection is necessary to ensure compliance with an
initiative of the Administration, we are requesting emergency review
under 5 CFR 1320(a)(2)(i) because public harm is reasonably likely to
result if the regular clearance procedures are followed.
Without emergency approval, we will need to delay by approximately
4 months the release of Basic Health Program (BHP) federal payment
rates beyond the March 2014 timeframe that was published in the BHP
proposed regulation released on September 25, 2013 (78 FR 59122).
Instead, we would release rates in early summer 2014 to accommodate the
normal PRA approval process. Rates are needed in March 2014 to support
state decisions to implement BHP on January 1, 2015, and to provide the
necessary time for states to do their planning, contracting with
issuers, and conducting open enrollment. Providing rates in the summer
2014 will likely postpone interested states' decisions and their
implementation dates by as much as a year. This could result in as many
as 1.3 million low income people not having access to BHP in early
2015, thereby prohibiting them from availing continuity of providers
and health care that BHP is intended to provide. That is, BHP is a
bridge program for low income people who today move in and out of
health programs as their eligibility changes based on fluctuations in
income and other factors, and such movements disrupt their access to
the providers and services that they need. This delay in access to BHP
benefits would likely cause public harm.
1. Type of Information Collection Request: New collection (request
for a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection: Basic
Health Program Report for Health Insurance Exchange Premium; Use: In
accordance with section 1331 of the Affordable Care Act, the Basic
Health Program (BHP) is federally funded by determining the amount of
payments that the federal government would have made through premium
tax credits (PTCs) and cost sharing reductions (CSRs) for people
enrolled in BHP had they instead been enrolled in an Exchange.
To calculate these amounts for each state, we need the reference
premiums for the second lowest cost silver plans (SLCSPs) in each
geographic area in a state, as SLCSPs are a basic unit in the
calculation of PTCs and CSRs under the Exchanges. Relatedly, the
reference premiums for these SLCSPs are critical components in the BHP
payment methodology in order to estimate what PTCs and CSRs would have
been paid. Similarly, we also need to collect reference premiums for
the lowest cost bronze plans to appropriately account for CSR
calculations for American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Reference
premiums are foundational inputs into the BHP payment methodology.
We have the necessary information to determine these reference
premiums for states whose Exchanges are operated by the Federally
Facilitated Exchange (FFE) or in Partnership with the FFE. Therefore,
this collection only pertains to the 17 states who are operating State
Based Exchanges. A related notice, issued under CMS-2380-PN, is also
publishing in today's Federal Register; Form Number: CMS-10510 (OCN:
0938-New); Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal
Governments; Number of Respondents: 17; Total Annual Responses: 17;
Total Annual Hours: 68. (For policy questions regarding this collection
contact Jessica Schubel at 410-786-3032.)
We are requesting OMB review and approval of this collection by
December 23, 2013, with a 180-day approval period. Written comments and
recommendations will be considered from the public if received by the
date and address noted below.
Copies of the supporting statement and any related forms can be
found at: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/PaperworkReductionActof1995 or can be
obtained by emailing your request, including your address, phone
number, OMB number, and CMS document identifier, to:
Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov, or by calling the Reports Clearance Office at:
410-786-1326.
When commenting on this proposed information collection, please
reference the CMS document identifier and the OMB control number (OCN).
To be assured consideration, comments and
[[Page 77470]]
recommendations must be received in one of the following ways by
January 2, 2014:
1. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for ``Comment or
Submission'' or ``More Search Options'' to find the information
collection document(s) 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
(CMS-10510), Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore,
Maryland 21244-1850 and, OMB Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Attention: CMS Desk Officer, New Executive Office Building,
Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Fax Number: 202-395-6974.
Dated: December 17, 2013.
Martique Jones,
Deputy Director, Regulations Development Group, Office of Strategic
Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2013-30434 Filed 12-18-13; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
