26262 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 88 / Thursday, May 7, 2015 / Notices 

Director of the Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) on 

matters related to activities of the 

Agency to produce evidence to make 

health care safer, higher quality, more 

accessible, equitable, and affordable, 

and to work within the U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services and with 

other partners to make sure that the 

evidence is understood and used. 

Seven current members’ terms will 

expire in November 2015. To fill these 

positions, we are seeking individuals 

who are distinguished in: (1) The 

conduct of research, demonstration 

projects, and evaluations with respect to 

health care; (2) the fields of health care 

quality research or health care 

improvement; (3) the practice of 

medicine; (4) other health professions; 

(5) representing the private health care 

sector (including health plans, 

providers, and purchasers) or 

administrators of health care delivery 

systems; (6) the fields of health care 

economics, information systems, law, 

ethics, business, or public policy; and, 

(7) representing the interests of patients 

and consumers of health care. 42 U.S.C. 

299c(c)(2). Individuals are particularly 

sought with experience and success in 

activities specified in the summary 

above. 

DATES: Nominations should be received 

on or before 60 days after date of 

publication. 

ADDRESSES: Nominations should be sent 

to Ms. Karen Brooks, AHRQ, 540 

Gaither Road, Room 3006, Rockville, 

Maryland 20850. Nominations may also 

be emailed to Karen.Brooks@

ahrq.hhs.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jaime Zimmerman, AHRQ, at (301) 427– 

1456. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 42 U.S.C. 

299c provides that the Secretary shall 

appoint to the National Advisory 

Council for Healthcare Research and 

Quality twenty one appropriately 

qualified individuals. At least seventeen 

members shall be representatives of the 

public and at least one member shall be 

a specialist in the rural aspects of one 

or more of the professions or fields 

listed in the above summary. In 

addition, the Secretary designates, as ex 

officio members, representatives from 

other Federal agencies, principally 

agencies that conduct or support health 

care research, as well as Federal officials 

the Secretary may consider appropriate. 

42 U.S.C. 299c(c)(3). The Council meets 

in the Washington, DC, metropolitan 

area, generally in Rockville, Maryland, 

approximately three times a year to 

provide broad guidance to the Secretary 

and AHRQ’s Director on the direction of 

and programs undertaken by AHRQ. 

Seven individuals will be selected by 

the Secretary to serve on the Council 

beginning with the meeting in the 

spring of 2016. Members generally serve 

3-year terms. Appointments are 

staggered to permit an orderly rotation 

of membership. 

Interested persons may nominate one 

or more qualified persons for 

membership on the Council. Selfnominations are accepted. Nominations 

shall include: (1) A copy of the 

nominee’s resume or curriculum vitae; 

and (2) a statement that the nominee is 

willing to serve as a member of the 

Council. Selected candidates will be 

asked to provide detailed information 

concerning their financial interests, 

consultant positions and research grants 

and contracts, to permit evaluation of 

possible sources of conflict of interest. 

Please note that once a candidate is 

nominated, AHRQ may consider that 

nomination for future positions on the 

Council. Federally registered lobbyists 

are not permitted to serve on this 

advisory board pursuant to the 

Presidential Memorandum entitled 

‘‘Lobbyists on Agency Boards and 

Commissions’’ dated June 10, 2010, and 

the Office of Management and Budget’s 

‘‘Final Guidance on Appointment of 

Lobbyists to Federal Boards and 

Commissions,’’ 76 FR 61756 (October 5, 

2011). 

The Department seeks a broad 

geographic representation. In addition, 

AHRQ conducts and supports research 

concerning priority populations, which 

include: low-income groups; minority 

groups; women; children; the elderly; 

and individuals with special health care 

needs, including individuals with 

disabilities and individuals who need 

chronic care or end-of-life health care. 

See 42 U.S.C. 299(c). Nominations of 

persons with expertise in health care for 

these priority populations are 

encouraged. 

Sharon B. Arnold, 

Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. 2015–10983 Filed 5–6–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

intention of the Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request 

that the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) approve the proposed 

changes to the currently approved 

information collection project: ‘‘Medical 

Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance 

Component.’’ In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 

3501–3521, AHRQ invites the public to 

comment on this proposed information 

collection. 

This proposed information collection 

was previously published in the Federal 

Register on February 18th, 2015 and 

allowed 60 days for public comment. No 

comments were received. The purpose 

of this notice is to allow an additional 

30 days for public comment. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by June 8, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be submitted to: AHRQ’s OMB Desk 

Officer by fax at (202) 395–6974 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer) or by 

email at 

OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer). 

Copies of the proposed collection 

plans, data collection instruments, and 

specific details on the estimated burden 

can be obtained from the AHRQ Reports 

Clearance Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 

Clearance Officer, (301) 427–1477, or by 

email at doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project 

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey— 

Insurance Component 

Employer-sponsored health insurance 

is the source of coverage for 78 million 

current and former workers, plus many 

of their family members, and is a 

cornerstone of the U.S. health care 

system. The Medical Expenditure Panel 

Survey—Insurance Component (MEPS– 

IC) measures on an annual basis the 

extent, cost, and coverage of employersponsored health insurance. These 

statistics are produced at the National, 

State, and sub-State (metropolitan area) 

level for private industry. Statistics are 

also produced for State and local 

governments. The MEPS–IC was last 

approved by OMB on November 21, 

2013 and will expire on November 30, 

2016. The OMB control number for the 

MEPS–IC is 0935–0110. All of the 

supporting documents for the current 

MEPS–IC can be downloaded from 

OMB’s Web site at http:// 

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 88 / Thursday, May 7, 2015 / Notices 26263 

PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=201310- 

0935-001. 

In order to ensure that the MEPS–IC 

is able to capture important changes in 

the employer-sponsored health 

insurance market due to the 

implementation of the Patient 

Protection and Affordable Care Act 

(ACA), AHRQ will field a longitudinal 

survey in 2015 to include a sample of 

5,000 small private sector employers 

that responded to the 2014 MEPS–IC. 

The OMB clearance that was approved 

on November 21, 2013 included the 

2014 longitudinal survey, a survey of 

3,000 respondents to the 2013 MEPS–IC, 

but did not include the 2015 

longitudinal survey. This submission is 

for the 2015 longitudinal survey only; 

there are no other changes. 

This research has the following goals: 

(1) Provide data for Federal 

policymakers evaluating the effects of 

National and State health care reforms. 

(2) Provide descriptive data on the 

current employer-sponsored health 

insurance system and data for modeling 

the differential impacts of proposed 

health policy initiatives. 

(3) Supply critical State and National 

estimates of health insurance spending 

for the National Health Accounts and 

Gross Domestic Product. 

(4) Support evaluation of the impact 

on health insurance offered by small 

employers due to the implementation of 

Small Business Health Options Program 

(SHOP) exchanges under the ACA, 

through the addition of a longitudinal 

component to the sample. 

The MEPS–IC is conducted pursuant 

to AHRQ’s statutory authority to 

conduct surveys to collect data on the 

cost, use and quality of health care, 

including the types and costs of private 

insurance. 42 U.S.C. 299b–2(a). 

Method of Collection 

To achieve the goals of this project for 

both private sector and state and local 

government employers, the following 

data collections will be implemented: 

(1) Prescreener Questionnaire—The 

purpose of the Prescreener 

Questionnaire, which is collected via 

telephone, varies depending on the 

insurance status of the establishment 

contacted. (Establishment is defined as 

a single, physical location in the private 

sector and a governmental unit in state 

and local governments.) For 

establishments that do not offer health 

insurance to their employees, the 

prescreener is used to collect basic 

information such as number of 

employees via a phone call. For 

establishments that do offer health 

insurance, the prescreener is used to 

collect contact names and address 

information is that are used to mail a 

written establishment and plan 

questionnaires. Obtaining this contact 

information helps ensure that the 

questionnaires are directed to the 

person best equipped to complete them. 

(2) Establishment Questionnaire—The 

purpose of the mailed Establishment 

Questionnaire is to obtain general 

information from employers who 

provide health insurance to their 

employees. The Questionnaire collects 

such information as total active 

enrollment in health insurance, other 

employee benefits offered, demographic 

characteristics of employees, and retiree 

health insurance. 

(3) Plan Questionnaire—The purpose 

of the mailed Plan Questionnaire is to 

collect plan-specific information on 

each plan (up to four) offered by 

establishments that provide health 

insurance to their employees. This 

questionnaire asks about total 

premiums, employer and employee 

contributions to the premium, and plan 

enrollment for each type of coverage 

offered—single, employee-plus-one, and 

family—within a plan. It also asks for 

information on deductibles, copays, and 

other plan characteristics. 

(4) Longitudinal Sample (LS)—For 

2015, an additional sample of small 

employers (those with 100 or fewer 

employees) will be included in the 

collection. The LS will consist of 5,000 

small, private-sector employers who 

responded to the 2014 MEPS–IC regular 

survey. These employers will be 

surveyed again in 2015—using the same 

collection methods as the regular 

survey—in order to track changes in 

their health insurance offerings, 

characteristics, and costs. 

The primary objective of the MEPS– 

IC is to collect information on employersponsored health insurance. Such 

information is needed in order to 

provide the tools for Federal, State, and 

academic researchers to evaluate current 

and proposed health policies and to 

support the production of important 

statistical measures for other Federal 

agencies. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated 

annualized burden hours for the 

respondent’s time to provide the 

requested data for the 2015 longitudinal 

survey. The Prescreener questionnaire 

will be completed by 4,300 respondents 

and takes about 51⁄2 minutes to 

complete. The Establishment 

questionnaire will be completed by 

2,054 respondents and takes about 23 

minutes to complete. The Plan 

questionnaire will be completed by 

2,054 respondents and will require an 

average of 1.4 responses per respondent. 

Each Plan questionnaire takes about 11 

minutes to complete. The total burden 

hours are estimated to be 1,686 hours. 

Exhibit 2 shows the estimated 

annualized cost burden associated with 

the respondents’ time to participate in 

this data collection. The annualized cost 

burden is estimated to be $52,709. 

EXHIBIT 1—ESTIMATED BURDEN HOURS FOR THE 2015 LONGITUDINAL SURVEY

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Hours per 

response 

Total burden 

hours 

Prescreener Questionnaire ............................................................................ 4,326 1 0.09 389 

Establishment Questionnaire ......................................................................... 2,078 1 0.38* 790 

Plan Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 2,078 1 .4 0.18 524 

Total ........................................................................................................ 8,482 na na 1,703 

* The burden estimate printed on the establishment questionnaire is 45 minutes which includes the burden estimate for completing the establishment questionnaire, an average of 1.4 plan questionnaires, plus the prescreener. The establishment and plan questionnaires are sent to the 

respondent as a package and are completed by the respondent at the same time. 

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26264 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 88 / Thursday, May 7, 2015 / Notices 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED COST BURDEN FOR THE 2015 LONGITUDINAL SURVEY

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Total 

burden hours 

Average hourly 

wage rate* 

Total cost 

burden 

Prescreener Questionnaire .......................................................................... 4,326 389 $30.95 $12,040 

Establishment Questionnaire ....................................................................... 2,078 790 30.95 24,451 

Plan Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 2,078 524 30.95 16,218 

Total ...................................................................................................... 8,482 1,703 na $52,709 

* Based upon the mean hourly wage for Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists occupation code 13–1141, at http://www.bls.gov/ 

oes/current/oes131141.htm (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.) 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ’s 

information collection are requested 

with regard to any of the following: (a) 

whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of AHRQ health care 

research and information dissemination 

functions, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of AHRQ’s estimate of 

burden (including hours and costs) of 

the proposed collection(s) of 

information; (c) ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (d) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and 

included in the Agency’s subsequent 

request for OMB approval of the 

proposed information collection. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. 

Dated: April 27, 2015. 

Sharon B. Arnold, 

Deputy Director, AHRQ. 

[FR Doc. 2015–10981 Filed 5–6–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1623–N] 

Medicare Program; Public Meeting on 

July 16, 2015 Regarding New and 

Reconsidered Clinical Diagnostic 

Laboratory Test Codes for the Clinical 

Laboratory Fee Schedule for Calendar 

Year 2016 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

public meeting to receive comments and 

recommendations (including 

accompanying data on which 

recommendations are based) from the 

public on the appropriate basis for 

establishing payment amounts for new 

or substantially revised Healthcare 

Common Procedure Coding System 

(HCPCS) codes being considered for 

Medicare payment under the clinical 

laboratory fee schedule (CLFS) for 

calendar year (CY) 2016. This meeting 

also provides a forum for those who 

submitted certain reconsideration 

requests regarding final determinations 

made last year on new test codes and for 

the public to provide comment on the 

requests. 

DATES: Meeting Date: The public 

meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 

16, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 

Eastern Daylight Savings Time. 

Deadline for Registration of Presenters 

and Submission of Presentations: All 

presenters for the public meeting must 

register and submit their presentations 

electronically to Glenn McGuirk at 

Glenn.McGuirk@cms.hhs.gov by July 2, 

2015. 

Deadline for Submitting Requests for 

Special Accommodations: Requests for 

special accommodations must be 

received no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 

2, 2015. 

Deadline for Submission of Written 

Comments: We intend to publish our 

proposed determinations for new test 

codes and our preliminary 

determinations for reconsidered codes 

(as described below) for CY 2016 by 

early September 2015. Interested parties 

may submit written comments on these 

determinations by early October, 2015 

to the address specified in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice or 

electronically to Glenn McGuirk at 

Glenn.McGuirk@cms.hhs.gov (the 

specific date for the publication of these 

determinations on the CMS Web site, as 

well as the deadline for submitting 

comments regarding these 

determinations will be published on the 

CMS Web site). 

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be 

held in the main auditorium of the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS), Central Building, 7500 

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 

Maryland 21244–1850. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Glenn McGuirk, (410) 786–5723. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Section 531(b) of the Medicare, 

Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits 

Improvement and Protection Act of 

2000 (BIPA) (Pub. L. 106–554) requires 

the Secretary of the Department of 

Health and Human Services (the 

Secretary) to establish procedures for 

coding and payment determinations for 

new clinical diagnostic laboratory tests 

under Part B of title XVIII of the Social 

Security Act (the Act) that permit public 

consultation in a manner consistent 

with the procedures established for 

implementing coding modifications for 

International Classification of Diseases 

(ICD–9–CM). The procedures and public 

meeting announced in this notice for 

new tests are in accordance with the 

procedures published on November 23, 

2001 in the Federal Register (66 FR 

58743) to implement section 531(b) of 

BIPA. 

Section 942(b) of the Medicare 

Prescription Drug, Improvement, and 

Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. 

L. 108–173) added section 1833(h)(8) of 

the Act. Section 1833(h)(8)(A) of the Act 

requires the Secretary to establish by 

regulation procedures for determining 

the basis for, and amount of, payment 

for any clinical diagnostic laboratory 

test with respect to which a new or 

substantially revised Healthcare 

Common Procedure Coding System 

(HCPCS) code is assigned on or after 

January 1, 2005 (hereinafter referred to 

as ‘‘new tests’’). A code is considered to 

be substantially revised if there is a 

substantive change to the definition of 

the test or procedure to which the code 

applies (such as, a new analyte or a new 

methodology for measuring an existing 

analyte-specific test). (See section 

1833(h)(8)(E)(ii) of the Act). 

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