[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25182-25183]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10225]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier CMS-10102, CMS-R-263 and CMS-855(O)]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.
    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), Department of Health and Human Services, 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 function; (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: National Implementation of 
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems 
(HCAHPS); Use: The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare 
Providers and Systems) survey is the first national, standardized, 
publicly reported survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care. 
HCAHPS (pronounced ``H-caps''), also known as the CAHPS[supreg] 
Hospital Survey, is a survey instrument and data collection methodology 
for measuring patients' perceptions of their hospital experience. While 
many hospitals have collected information on patient satisfaction for 
their own internal use, until HCAHPS there was no national standard for 
collecting and publicly reporting information about patient experience 
of care that allowed valid comparisons to be made across hospitals 
locally, regionally and nationally.
    Three broad goals have shaped HCAHPS. First, the survey is designed 
to produce data about patients' perspectives of care that allow 
objective and meaningful comparisons of hospitals on topics that are 
important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results 
creates new incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, 
public reporting serves to enhance accountability in health care by 
increasing transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in 
return for the public investment. With these goals in mind, the Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken substantial steps to 
assure that the survey is credible, useful, and practical. Hospitals 
implement HCAHPS under the auspices of the Hospital Quality Alliance 
(HQA), a private/public partnership that includes major hospital and 
medical associations, consumer groups, measurement and accrediting 
bodies, government, and other groups that share an interest in 
improving hospital quality. Both the HQA and the National Quality Forum 
have endorsed HCAHPS.
    The enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 created an 
additional incentive for acute care hospitals to participate in HCAHPS. 
Since July 2007, hospitals subject to the Inpatient Prospective Payment 
System (IPPS) annual payment update provisions (``subsection (d) 
hospitals'') must collect and submit HCAHPS data in order to receive 
their full IPPS annual payment update. IPPS hospitals that fail to 
publicly report the required quality measures, which include the HCAHPS 
survey, may receive an annual payment update that is reduced by 2.0 
percentage points. Non-IPPS hospitals, such as Critical Access 
Hospitals, may voluntarily participate in HCAHPS.
    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 
111-148) includes HCAHPS among the measures to be used to calculate 
value-based incentive payments in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing 
program, beginning with discharges in October 2012.
    Currently the HCAHPS survey asks discharged patients 27 questions 
about their recent hospital stay. The survey contains 18 core questions 
about critical aspects of patients' hospital experiences (communication 
with nurses and doctors, the responsiveness of hospital staff, the 
cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment, pain management, 
communication about medicines, discharge information, overall rating of 
hospital, and would they recommend the hospital). The survey also 
includes four items to direct patients to relevant questions, three 
items to adjust for the mix of patients across hospitals, and two items 
that support Congressionally-mandated reports.
    This revision is being submitted in order to add five new items to 
the survey: three items that comprise a Care Transitions composite; one 
item that asks whether the patient was admitted through the emergency 
room; and one item that asks about the patient's overall mental health. 
This marks the first addition of items to the HCAHPS Survey since its 
national implementation in 2006. Form Number: CMS-10102 (OCN: 0938-
0981); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Individuals or 
Households, Private Sector--Business or other for-profits and not-for-
profit institutions. Number of Respondents: 2,713,812; Total Annual 
Responses: 2,713,812;

[[Page 25183]]

Total Annual Hours: 365,136. (For policy questions regarding this 
collection contact William Lehrman at 410-786-1037. For all other 
issues call 410-786-1326.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with 
change of a previously approved collection; Title of Information 
Collection: Site Investigation for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) 
Suppliers ; Use: CMS is mandated to identify and implement measures to 
prevent fraud and abuse in the Medicare program. To meet this 
challenge, CMS has moved forward to improve the quality of the process 
for enrolling suppliers into the Medicare program by establishing a 
uniform application for enumerating suppliers of durable medical 
equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). 
Implementation of enhanced procedures for verifying the enrollment 
information has also improved the enrollment process. As part of this 
process, verification of compliance with supplier standards is 
necessary. The site investigation form has been used in the past to aid 
the Medicare contractor (the National Supplier Clearinghouse and/or its 
subcontractors) in verifying compliance with the required supplier 
standards found in 42 CFR 424.57(c). The primary function of the site 
investigation form is to provide a standardized, uniform tool to gather 
information from a DMEPOS supplier that tells us whether it meets 
certain qualifications to be a DMEPOS supplier (as found in 42 CFR 
424.57(c)) and where it practices or renders its services.
    This site investigation form collects the same information as its 
predecessor, with the exception of one new yes/no question under the 
``Records and Telephone'' section (question 11(a)) used to verify if 
the DMEPOS supplier maintains physician ordering/referring records for 
the supplies and/or services it renders to Medicare beneficiaries (if 
applicable). This information is required by section 1833(q) of the 
Social Security Act (the Act) which states that all physicians and non-
physician practitioners that meet the definitions at section 1861(r) 
and 1842(b)(18)(C) of the Act, be uniquely identified for all claims 
for services that are ordered or referred. Other information collected 
on this site investigation remains unchanged, but has been reformatted 
for greater functionality. Form Number: CMS-R-263 (OCN: 0938-0749); 
Frequency: Once; Affected Public: Private Sector--Business or other 
for-profits and not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 
30,000; Total Annual Responses: 30,000; Total Annual Hours: 15,000. 
(For policy questions regarding this collection contact Kimberly 
McPhillips at 410-786-5374. For all other issues call 410-786-1326.)
    3. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection;
    Title of Information Collection: Medicare Registration Application; 
Use: The CMS 855O allows a physician to receive a Medicare 
identification number (without being approved for billing privileges) 
for the sole purpose of ordering and referring Medicare beneficiaries 
to Medicare approved providers and suppliers. This new Medicare 
registration application form allows physicians who do not provide 
services to Medicare beneficiaries to be given a Medicare 
identification number without having to supply all the data required 
for the submission of Medicare claims. It also allows the Medicare 
program to identify ordering and referring physicians without having to 
validate the amount of data necessary to determine claims payment 
eligibility (such as banking information), while continuing to identify 
the physician's credentials as valid for ordering and referring 
purposes. Since the physicians and non-physician practitioners 
submitting this application are not enrolling in Medicare to submit 
claims but are only registering with Medicare as eligible to order and 
refer, CMS believes changing the title from Medicare Enrollment 
Application to Medicare Registration Application better captures the 
actual purpose of this form.
    Where appropriate, CMS has changed all references to enrollment or 
enrolling to registration and registering and Medicare billing number 
to National Provider Identifier. CMS also added a check box to allow 
physicians and non-physician practitioners to withdraw from the 
ordering and referring registry. A section to collect information on 
professional certifications was added for those practitioners who are 
not professionally licensed. Editorial and formatting corrections were 
made in response to prior comments received during the approval of the 
current version of this application. Other minor editorial and 
formatting corrections were made to better clarify the purpose of this 
application. Form Number: CMS-855(O) (OCN: 0938-1135); Frequency: 
Occasionally; Affected Public: Individuals; Number of Respondents: 
48,500; Total Annual Responses: 48,500; Total Annual Hours: 24,125. 
(For policy questions regarding this collection contact Kimberly 
McPhillips at 410-786-5374. For all other issues call 410-786-1326.)
    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 
Email your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, 
and CMS document identifier, to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9eceffeefbece9f1ecf5defdf3edb0f6f6edb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="237342534651544c514863404e500d4b4b500d444c55">[email protected]</span></a>, 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 by the OMB desk 
officer at the address below, no later than 5 p.m. on May 29, 2012.
    OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: CMS 
Desk Officer, Fax Number: (202) 395-6974, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f6b9bfa4b7a98583949b9f85859f9998b6999b94d8939986d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f8b7b1aab9a78b8d9a95918b8b919796b897959ad69d9788d69f978e">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Dated: April 24, 2012.
Martique Jones,
Director, Regulations Development Group, Division B, Office of 
Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2012-10225 Filed 4-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P


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