Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 71344-71346 [2020-24852]
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71344
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 217 / Monday, November 9, 2020 / Notices
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
resources for conducting required
surveys; capacity to furnish information
for use in enforcement activities;
monitoring procedures for provider
entities found not in compliance with
the conditions or requirements; and
ability to provide CMS with the
necessary data for validation.
Section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act
further requires that we publish, within
60 days of receipt of an organization’s
complete application, a notice
identifying the national accrediting
body making the request, describing the
nature of the request, and providing at
least a 30-day public comment period.
We have 210 days from the receipt of a
complete application to publish notice
of approval or denial of the application.
The purpose of this proposed notice
is to inform the public of the Joint
Commission’s request for continued
approval of its hospice accreditation
program. This notice also solicits public
comment on whether the Joint
Commission’s requirements meet or
exceed the Medicare conditions of
participation (CoPs) for hospices.
III. Evaluation of Deeming Authority
Request
The Joint Commission submitted all
the necessary materials to enable us to
make a determination concerning its
request for continued approval of its
hospices accreditation program. This
application was determined to be
complete on August 26, 2020. Under
section 1865(a)(2) of the Act and our
regulations at § 488.5 (Application and
re-application procedures for national
accrediting organizations), our review
and evaluation of the Joint Commission
will be conducted in accordance with,
but not necessarily limited to, the
following factors:
• The equivalency of the Joint
Commission’s standards for hospices as
compared with CMS’ hospice CoPs.
• The Joint Commission’s survey
process to determine the following:
++ The composition of the survey
team, surveyor qualifications, and the
ability of the organization to provide
continuing surveyor training.
++ The comparability of the Joint
Commission’s processes to those of state
agencies, including survey frequency,
and the ability to investigate and
respond appropriately to complaints
against accredited facilities.
++ The Joint Commission’s processes
and procedures for monitoring hospices,
which are found out of compliance with
the Joint Commission’s program
requirements. These monitoring
procedures are used only when the Joint
Commission identifies noncompliance.
If noncompliance is identified through
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validation reviews or complaint
surveys, the SA monitors corrections as
specified at § 488.9.
++ The Joint Commission’s capacity
to report deficiencies to the surveyed
facilities and respond to the facility’s
plan of correction in a timely manner.
++ The Joint Commission’s capacity
to provide CMS with electronic data and
reports necessary for effective validation
and assessment of the organization’s
survey process.
++ The adequacy of the Joint
Commission’s staff and other resources,
and its financial viability.
++ The Joint Commission’s capacity
to adequately fund required surveys.
++ The Joint Commission’s policies
with respect to whether surveys are
announced or unannounced, to ensure
that surveys are unannounced.
++ The Joint Commission’s policies
and procedures to avoid conflicts of
interest, including the appearance of
conflicts of interest, involving
individuals who conduct surveys or
participate in accreditation decisions.
++ The Joint Commission’s agreement
to provide CMS with a copy of the most
current accreditation survey, together
with any other information related to
the survey as we may require (including
corrective action plans).
IV. Collection of Information
Requirements
This document does not impose
information collection requirements,
that is, reporting, recordkeeping or third
party disclosure requirements.
Consequently, there is no need for
review by the Office of Management and
Budget under the authority of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
V. Response to Comments
Because of the large number of public
comments we normally receive on
Federal Register documents, we are not
able to acknowledge or respond to them
individually. We will consider all
comments we receive by the date and
time specified in the DATES section of
this preamble, and, when we proceed
with a subsequent document, we will
respond to the comments in the
preamble to that document.
The Administrator of the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS),
Seema Verma, having reviewed and
approved this document, authorizes
Lynette Wilson, who is the Federal
Register Liaison, to electronically sign
this document for purposes of
publication in the Federal Register.
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Dated: October 29, 2020.
Lynette Wilson,
Federal Register Liaison, Department of
Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2020–24859 Filed 11–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
[Document Identifier: CMS–10756, CMS–R–
246]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Health and Human
Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
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 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
January 8, 2021.
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 https://
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.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 217 / Monday, November 9, 2020 / Notices
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 llll, 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’ website address at
website address at https://www.cms.gov/
Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/
PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRAListing.html.
2. Call the Reports Clearance Office at
(410) 786–1326.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William N. Parham at (410) 786–4669.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
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–10576 Results of Your Drug
Coverage Request
CMS–R–246 Medicare Advantage,
Medicare Part D, and Medicare FeeFor-Service Consumer Assessment of
Healthcare Providers and Systems
(CAHPS) 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
requirement, CMS is publishing this
notice.
Information Collection
1. Type of Information Collection
Request: New Collection (Request for a
new OMB control number); Title of
Information Collection: Results of Your
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Drug Coverage Request; Use: The
purpose of this notice is to provide
information to enrollees whenever a
Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug
plan (MA–PD) covers a prescription
drug under a different Medicare benefit
than was requested by the enrollee. The
enrollee may request coverage under
their Part B or Part D benefit. When the
MA–PD approves coverage in the
benefit that was not requested by the
beneficiary, the determination involves
both an approval and a denial of
benefits. The plan must send written
notification that is readable,
understandable, and explains the
specific reasons for the denial of the
alternate benefit. The notice must also
remind enrollees about their rights and
protections related to requests for
prescription drug coverage and include
an explanation of both the standard and
expedited redetermination processes
and the rest of the appeal process.
This collection replaces the current
forms for communicating coverage
provided to Medicare Advantage
Prescription Drug (MA–PD) enrollees
with regard to Part B vs. Part D drug
requests. The new notice, Results of
Your Drug Coverage Request, provides
both approval messaging and the
required denial messaging to
beneficiaries in a more readable and
understandable format than the existing
Part D denial notice (CMS–10146,
OMB–0938–0976) and Integrated Denial
Notice (CMS–10003, OMB–0938–0829).
Currently, coverage for drugs that are
subject to a Part B vs. Part D
adjudication is communicated by two
separate forms: CMS–10146 (OMB–
0938–0976) (communicating denial
under Part D) and CMS–10003 (OMB–
0938–0829) (communicating denial
under Part B).
This proposed collection corrects this
confusion by satisfying the denial and
approval requirement in one form that
brings focus to the approval rather than
the denial. This proposed collection
consolidates and streamlines the
communication with enrollees by
requiring one notice for communication
when a drug request is subject to
coordination of Part B and Part D
benefits under 42 CFR 422.112. This
collection is structured so that the
enrollee receives a single notice that
communicates both approval and denial
under the respective benefits. Form
Number: CMS–CMS–10756 (OMB
control number: 0938-New); Frequency:
Occasionally; Affected Public: Private
Sector; Business or other for-profit and
not-for-profit institutions; Number of
Respondents: 755; Total Annual
Responses: 68,413; Total Annual Hours:
17,103. (For policy questions regarding
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71345
this collection contact Trevor Rose at
410–786–7768.)
2. Type of Information Collection
Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection; Title of
Information Collection: Medicare
Advantage, Medicare Part D, and
Medicare Fee-For-Service Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and
Systems (CAHPS) Survey; Use: The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) has authority to collect
various types of quality data under
section 1852(e) of the Act and use this
information to develop and publicly
post a 5-star rating system for Medicare
Advantage (MA) plans based on its
authority to disseminate comparative
information, including about quality, to
beneficiaries under sections 1851(d) and
1860D–1(c) of the Act. As codified at
§ 422.152(b)(3), Medicare health plans
are required to report on quality
performance data which CMS can use to
help beneficiaries compare plans. Cost
plans under section 1876 of the Act are
also included in the MA Star Rating
system, as codified at § 417.472(k), and
are required by regulation (§ 417.472(j))
to make CAHPS survey data available to
CMS.
The MMA under Sec. 1860D–4
(Information to Facilitate Enrollment)
requires CMS to conduct consumer
satisfaction surveys of enrollees in MA
and Part D contracts and report the
results to Medicare beneficiaries prior to
the annual enrollment period. This
request for approval is for CMS to
continue conducting the Medicare
CAHPS surveys annually to meet the
requirement to conduct consumer
satisfaction surveys regarding the
experiences of beneficiaries with their
health and prescription drug plans.
The primary purpose of the Medicare
CAHPS surveys is to provide
information to Medicare beneficiaries to
help them make more informed choices
among health and prescription drug
plans available to them. Survey results
are reported by CMS in the Medicare &
You handbook published each fall and
on the Medicare Plan Finder website.
Beneficiaries can compare CAHPS
scores for each health and drug plan as
well as compare MA and FFS scores
when making enrollment decisions. The
Medicare CAHPS also provides data to
help CMS and others monitor the
quality and performance of Medicare
health and prescription drug plans and
identify areas to improve the quality of
care and services provided to enrollees
of these plans. CAHPS data are included
in the Medicare Part C & D Star Ratings
and used to calculate MA Quality Bonus
Payments. Form Number: CMS–R–246
(OMB control number: 0938–0732);
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 217 / Monday, November 9, 2020 / Notices
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public:
Private Sector; Business or other forprofit and not-for-profit institutions;
Number of Respondents: 537; Total
Annual Responses: 745,350; Total
Annual Hours: 179,108. (For policy
questions regarding this collection
contact Sarah Gaillot at 410–786–4637.)
Dated: November 4, 2020.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office
of Strategic Operations and Regulatory
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020–24852 Filed 11–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
[CMS–4195–PN]
Medicare Program; Request for
Renewal of Deeming Authority of the
National Committee for Quality
Assurance (NCQA) for Medicare
Advantage Health Maintenance
Organizations and Preferred Provider
Organizations
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), Health and
Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice with request for
comment.
AGENCY:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
I. Background
This proposed notice
announces that CMS is considering
granting approval of the National
Committee for Quality Assurance’s
(NCQA) renewal application for
Medicare Advantage ‘‘deeming
authority’’ of Health Maintenance
Organizations (HMOs) and Preferred
Provider Organizations (PPOs). If
approved, this new 6-year term of
approval would be announced in a
subsequent final notice. This proposed
notice also announces a 30-day period
for the public to submit comments on
NCQA’s application.
DATES: To be assured consideration,
comments must be received at one of
the addresses provided below, no later
than 5 p.m. December 9, 2020.
ADDRESSES: In commenting, refer to file
code CMS–4195–PN.
Comments, including mass comment
submissions, must be submitted in one
of the following three ways (please
choose only one of the ways listed):
1. Electronically. You may submit
electronic comments on this regulation
to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the ‘‘Submit a comment’’ instructions.
2. By regular mail. You may mail
written comments to the following
SUMMARY:
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16:35 Nov 06, 2020
Jkt 253001
address ONLY: Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Department of
Health and Human Services, Attention:
CMS–4195–PN, P.O. Box 8016
Baltimore, MD 21244–8016.
Please allow sufficient time for mailed
comments to be received before the
close of the comment period.
3. By express or overnight mail. You
may send written comments to the
following address ONLY: Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Department of Health and Human
Services, Attention: CMS–4195–PN,
Mail Stop C4–26–05, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg
McDonald, (410) 786–8941; or Nick
Proy, (410) 786–8407.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Inspection of Public Comments: All
comments received before the close of
the comment period are available for
viewing by the public, including any
personally identifiable or confidential
business information that is included in
a comment. We post all comments
received before the close of the
comment period on the following
website as soon as possible after they
have been received: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the search
instructions on that website to view
public comments.
Under the Medicare program, eligible
beneficiaries may receive covered
services through a Medicare Advantage
(MA) organization that contracts with
CMS. The regulations specifying the
Medicare requirements that must be met
for a Medicare Advantage organization
(MAO) to enter into a contract with
CMS are located at 42 CFR part 422.
These regulations implement Part C of
Title XVIII of the Social Security Act
(the Act), which specifies the services
that an MAO must provide and the
requirements that the organization must
meet to be an MA contractor. Other
relevant sections of the Act are Parts A
and B of Title XVIII and Part A of Title
XI pertaining to the provision of
services by Medicare-certified providers
and suppliers. Generally, for an entity to
be an MA organization, the organization
must be licensed by the state as a risk
bearing organization, as set forth in 42
CFR part 422.
As a method of assuring compliance
with certain Medicare requirements, an
MA organization may choose to become
accredited by a CMS-approved
accreditation organization (AO). By
virtue of its accreditation by a CMSapproved AO, the MA organization may
be ‘‘deemed’’ compliant in one or more
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requirements set forth in section
1852(e)(4)(B) of the Act. For CMS to
recognize an AO’s accreditation
program as establishing an MA plan’s
compliance with our requirements, the
AO must prove to CMS that their
standards are at least as stringent as
Medicare requirements for MA
organizations. MA organizations that are
licensed as health maintenance
organizations (HMOs) or preferred
provider organizations (PPOs) and are
accredited by an approved accreditation
organization may receive, at their
request, ‘‘deemed’’ status for CMS
requirements for the deemable areas. At
this time, recognition of accreditation
does not include the Part D areas of
review set out at 42 CFR 423.165(b).
AOs that apply for MA deeming
authority are generally recognized by
the health care industry as entities that
accredit HMOs and PPOs. As we specify
at § 422.157(b)(2)(ii), the term for which
an AO may be approved by CMS may
not exceed 6 years. For continuing
approval, the AO must apply to CMS to
renew their ‘‘deeming authority’’ for a
subsequent approval period.
The National Committee for Quality
Assurance (NCQA) was previously
approved by CMS as an accreditation
organization for MA deeming of HMOs
and PPOs for a term to begin on October
19, 2014. That term lapsed on October
18, 2020, prior to our decision on its
renewal application. On May 22, 2020,
NCQA submitted its initial application
to renew its deeming authority. On that
same date, NCQA submitted materials
requested by CMS that included
information intended to address the
requirements set out in our regulations
at § 422.158(a) and (b) that are
prerequisites for receiving approval of
its accreditation program from CMS.
CMS subsequently requested that
additional materials be submitted by
NCQA to satisfy these requirements.
II. Provisions of the Proposed Notice
The purpose of this proposed notice
is to notify the public of NCQA’s request
to renew its Medicare Advantage
deeming authority for HMOs and PPOs.
NCQA submitted all the necessary
materials (including its standards and
monitoring protocol) to enable us to
make a determination concerning its
request for approval as an accreditation
organization for CMS. This renewal
application was determined to be
complete on August 28, 2020. Under
section 1852(e)(4) of the Act and
§ 422.158 (federal review of
accreditation organizations), our review
and evaluation of NCQA will be
conducted as discussed below.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 217 (Monday, November 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71344-71346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24852]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[Document Identifier: CMS-10756, CMS-R-246]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human
Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 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 January 8, 2021.
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
https://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.
[[Page 71345]]
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' website address at website address at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.html.
2. Call the Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-1326.
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-10576 Results of Your Drug Coverage Request
CMS-R-246 Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Medicare Fee-For-
Service Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS)
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
requirement, CMS is publishing this notice.
Information Collection
1. Type of Information Collection Request: New Collection (Request
for a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection: Results
of Your Drug Coverage Request; Use: The purpose of this notice is to
provide information to enrollees whenever a Medicare Advantage
Prescription Drug plan (MA-PD) covers a prescription drug under a
different Medicare benefit than was requested by the enrollee. The
enrollee may request coverage under their Part B or Part D benefit.
When the MA-PD approves coverage in the benefit that was not requested
by the beneficiary, the determination involves both an approval and a
denial of benefits. The plan must send written notification that is
readable, understandable, and explains the specific reasons for the
denial of the alternate benefit. The notice must also remind enrollees
about their rights and protections related to requests for prescription
drug coverage and include an explanation of both the standard and
expedited redetermination processes and the rest of the appeal process.
This collection replaces the current forms for communicating
coverage provided to Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD)
enrollees with regard to Part B vs. Part D drug requests. The new
notice, Results of Your Drug Coverage Request, provides both approval
messaging and the required denial messaging to beneficiaries in a more
readable and understandable format than the existing Part D denial
notice (CMS-10146, OMB-0938-0976) and Integrated Denial Notice (CMS-
10003, OMB-0938-0829). Currently, coverage for drugs that are subject
to a Part B vs. Part D adjudication is communicated by two separate
forms: CMS-10146 (OMB-0938-0976) (communicating denial under Part D)
and CMS-10003 (OMB-0938-0829) (communicating denial under Part B).
This proposed collection corrects this confusion by satisfying the
denial and approval requirement in one form that brings focus to the
approval rather than the denial. This proposed collection consolidates
and streamlines the communication with enrollees by requiring one
notice for communication when a drug request is subject to coordination
of Part B and Part D benefits under 42 CFR 422.112. This collection is
structured so that the enrollee receives a single notice that
communicates both approval and denial under the respective benefits.
Form Number: CMS-CMS-10756 (OMB control number: 0938-New); Frequency:
Occasionally; Affected Public: Private Sector; Business or other for-
profit and not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 755;
Total Annual Responses: 68,413; Total Annual Hours: 17,103. (For policy
questions regarding this collection contact Trevor Rose at 410-786-
7768.)
2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare
Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Medicare Fee-For-Service Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey; Use: The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has authority to collect
various types of quality data under section 1852(e) of the Act and use
this information to develop and publicly post a 5-star rating system
for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans based on its authority to disseminate
comparative information, including about quality, to beneficiaries
under sections 1851(d) and 1860D-1(c) of the Act. As codified at Sec.
422.152(b)(3), Medicare health plans are required to report on quality
performance data which CMS can use to help beneficiaries compare plans.
Cost plans under section 1876 of the Act are also included in the MA
Star Rating system, as codified at Sec. 417.472(k), and are required
by regulation (Sec. 417.472(j)) to make CAHPS survey data available to
CMS.
The MMA under Sec. 1860D-4 (Information to Facilitate Enrollment)
requires CMS to conduct consumer satisfaction surveys of enrollees in
MA and Part D contracts and report the results to Medicare
beneficiaries prior to the annual enrollment period. This request for
approval is for CMS to continue conducting the Medicare CAHPS surveys
annually to meet the requirement to conduct consumer satisfaction
surveys regarding the experiences of beneficiaries with their health
and prescription drug plans.
The primary purpose of the Medicare CAHPS surveys is to provide
information to Medicare beneficiaries to help them make more informed
choices among health and prescription drug plans available to them.
Survey results are reported by CMS in the Medicare & You handbook
published each fall and on the Medicare Plan Finder website.
Beneficiaries can compare CAHPS scores for each health and drug plan as
well as compare MA and FFS scores when making enrollment decisions. The
Medicare CAHPS also provides data to help CMS and others monitor the
quality and performance of Medicare health and prescription drug plans
and identify areas to improve the quality of care and services provided
to enrollees of these plans. CAHPS data are included in the Medicare
Part C & D Star Ratings and used to calculate MA Quality Bonus
Payments. Form Number: CMS-R-246 (OMB control number: 0938-0732);
[[Page 71346]]
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Private Sector; Business or other
for-profit and not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 537;
Total Annual Responses: 745,350; Total Annual Hours: 179,108. (For
policy questions regarding this collection contact Sarah Gaillot at
410-786-4637.)
Dated: November 4, 2020.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-24852 Filed 11-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
