73032 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 236 / Friday, December 7, 2012 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[Document Identifier: CMS–10450 and CMS– 

10079] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

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) 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 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. 

1. Type of Information Collection 

Request: New collection; Title: 

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare 

Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey 

for Physician Quality Reporting; Use: 

The Physician Quality Reporting System 

(PQRS) was established in 2006 as a 

voluntary ‘‘pay-for-reporting’’ program 

that allows physicians and other eligible 

healthcare professionals to report 

information to Medicare about the 

quality of care provided to beneficiaries 

who have certain medical conditions. 

PQRS provides incentive payments to 

physicians who report quality data. 

Since program inception, these results 

have not been publicly available for use 

by consumers. 

The Physician Compare Web site was 

launched December 30, 2010, to meet 

requirements set forth by Section 10331 

of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The 

ACA requires CMS to establish a 

Physician Compare Web site by January 

1, 2011, containing information on 

physicians enrolled in the Medicare 

program and other eligible professionals 

who participate in the Physician Quality 

Reporting Initiative. By no later than 

January 1, 2013 (and for reporting 

periods beginning no earlier than 

January 1, 2012), CMS is required to 

implement a plan to make information 

on physician performance publicly 

available through Physician Compare. A 

key component of the reporting 

requirements under the ACA is public 

reporting on physician performance that 

includes patient experience measures. 

The collection and reporting of a 

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare 

Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey 

for Physician Quality Reporting will 

fulfill this requirement. 

The U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) has developed 

the National Quality Strategy that was 

called for under the ACA to create 

national aims and priorities to guide 

local, state, and national efforts to 

improve the quality of health care. This 

strategy has established six priorities 

that support the three-part aim. The 

three-part aim focuses on better care, 

better health, and lower costs through 

improvement. The six priorities include: 

Making care safer by reducing harm 

caused by the delivery of care; ensuring 

that each person and family are engaged 

as partners in their care; promoting 

effective communication and 

coordination of care; promoting the 

most effective prevention and treatment 

practices for the leading causes of 

mortality, starting with cardiovascular 

disease; working with communities to 

promote wide use of best practices to 

enable healthy living; and making 

quality care more affordable for 

individuals, families, employers, and 

governments by developing and 

spreading new health care delivery 

models. Because the CAHPS Survey for 

Physician Quality Reporting focuses on 

patient experience implementation of 

the survey supports the six national 

priorities for improving care, 

particularly engaging patients and 

families in care and promoting effective 

communication and coordination. 

This survey supports the 

administration of the Quality 

Improvement Organizations Program 

(QIO). The Social Security Act, as set 

forth in Part B of Title XI—Section 

1862(g), established the Utilization and 

Quality Control Peer Review 

Organization Program, now known as 

the QIO Program. The statutory mission 

of the QIO Program is to improve the 

effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and 

quality of services delivered to Medicare 

beneficiaries. This survey will provide 

patient experience of care data that is an 

essential component of assessing the 

quality of services delivered to Medicare 

beneficiaries. It also would permit 

beneficiaries to have this information to 

help them choose health care providers 

that provide services that meet their 

needs and preferences, thus encouraging 

providers to improve quality of care that 

Medicare beneficiaries receive. Form 

Number: CMS–10450 (OCN: 0938– 

New); Frequency: Annual; Affected 

Public: Individuals and Households; 

Number of Respondents: 234,600 Total 

Annual Responses: 117,300; Total 

Annual Hours: 39,530. (For policy 

questions regarding this collection 

contact Regina Chell at 410–786–6551. 

For all other issues call 410–786–1326.) 

2. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Revision of a currently 

approved collection; 

Title of Information Collection: 

Hospital Wage Index Occupational Mix 

Survey and Supporting Regulations in 

42 CFR, Section 412.64; Use: Section 

304(c) of Public Law 106–554 amended 

section 1886(d)(3)(E) of the Social 

Security Act to require CMS to collect 

data every 3 years on the occupational 

mix of employees for each short-term, 

acute care hospital participating in the 

Medicare program, in order to construct 

an occupational mix adjustment to the 

wage index, for application beginning 

October 1, 2004 (the FY 2005 wage 

index). The purpose of the occupational 

mix adjustment is to control for the 

effect of hospitals’ employment choices 

on the wage index. Refer to the 

summary of changes document for a list 

of current changes. Form Number: 

CMS–10079 (OMB#: 0938–0907); 

Frequency: Reporting—Yearly, 

Biennially and Occasionally ; Affected 

Public: Private Sector—Business or 

other for-profits and Not-for-profit 

institutions; Number of Respondents: 

3,500; Total Annual Responses: 3,500; 

Total Annual Hours: 1,680,000. (For 

policy questions regarding this 

collection contact Gerry Mondowney at 

410–786–1172. 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 

Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov, or call the 

Reports Clearance Office on (410) 786– 

1326. 

In commenting on the proposed 

information collections please reference 

the document identifier or OMB control 

number. To be assured consideration, 

comments and recommendations must 

be submitted in one of the following 

ways by February 5, 2013: 

1. Electronically. You may submit 

your comments electronically to http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for ‘‘Comment or 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with 
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 236 / Friday, December 7, 2012 / Notices 73033 

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/OMB 

Control Number _________, Room C4– 

26–05, 7500 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, Maryland 21244–1850. 

Dated: December 4, 2012. 

Martique Jones, 

Director, Regulations Development Group, 

Division B, Office of Strategic Operations and 

Regulatory Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2012–29627 Filed 12–6–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[Document Identifiers: CMS–10333 and 

CMS–10381] 

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: Consumer 

Assistance Program Grants Use: Section 

1002 of the Affordable Care Act 

provides for the establishment of 

consumer assistance (or ombudsman) 

programs, starting in FY 2010. Federal 

grants will support these programs. 

These programs will assist consumers 

with filing complaints and appeals, 

assist consumers with enrollment into 

health coverage, collect data on 

consumer inquiries and complaints to 

identify problems in the marketplace, 

educate consumers on their rights and 

responsibilities, and with the 

establishment of the new Exchange 

marketplaces, resolve problems with 

premium credits for Exchange coverage. 

Importantly, these programs must 

provide detailed reporting on the types 

of problems and questions consumers 

may experience with health coverage, 

and how these problems and questions 

are resolved. In order to strengthen 

oversight, the law requires programs to 

report data to the Secretary of the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS). ‘‘As a condition of 

receiving a grant under subsection (a), 

an office of health insurance consumer 

assistance or ombudsman program shall 

be required to collect and report data to 

the Secretary on the types of problems 

and inquiries encountered by 

consumers’’ (Sec. 2793 (d)). Analysis of 

this data reporting will help identify 

patterns of practice in the insurance 

marketplaces and uncover suspected 

patterns of noncompliance. HHS must 

share program data reports with the 

Departments of Labor and Treasury, and 

state regulators. Program data also can 

offer CCIIO one indication of the 

effectiveness of state enforcement, 

affording opportunities to provide 

technical assistance and support to state 

insurance regulators and, in extreme 

cases, inform the need to trigger federal 

enforcement. 

The 60-day Federal Register notice 

published on July 27, 2012, and the 

comment period ended September 25, 

2012. We received a total of 21 

comments. All comments were 

summarized, consolidated (where 

overlap existed), and addressed. The 

majority of comments involved feedback 

on providing CAPs with more flexibility 

in collecting and reporting data. The 

implementation of a new progress report 

will allow CAPs to provide more 

information about their progress and 

activities. In addition, CMS received 

comments suggesting that collection of 

all of the CMS-required data elements is 

difficult and that adjustments to preexisting databases is too expensive and 

laborious. CMS recognizes these 

concerns and acknowledges that CAPs 

are in the best situation to determine the 

level of information that is able to be 

collected for any given consumer. CMS 

also received comments suggesting that 

CMS provide guidance to CAPs on how 

to accurately measure savings to 

consumers. CMS has provided CAPs 

with suggestions on ways to calculate 

recovered benefits and will explore 

whether more comprehensive guidance 

is necessary. The comments received in 

response to the 60-day notice have not 

resulted in a change in burden 

estimates. Form Number: CMS–10333 

(OCN: 0938–1097); Frequency: 

Quarterly and Annual; Affected Public: 

Private Sector: State, Local, or Tribal 

Governments; Number of Respondents: 

56; Total Annual Responses: 504; Total 

Annual Hours: 261 hours. (For policy 

questions regarding this collection 

contact Eliza Bangit at 301–492–4219. 

For all other issues call 410–786–1326.) 

2. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Revision of a currently 

approved collection; Title: ICD–10 

Industry Readiness Assessment; Use: 

The Congress addressed the need for a 

consistent framework for electronic 

transactions and other administrative 

simplification issues in the Health 

Insurance Portability and 

Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), 

Public Law 104–191, enacted on August 

21, 1996. Through subtitle F of title II 

of HIPAA, the Congress added to title XI 

of the Social Security Act (the Act) a 

new Part C, entitled ‘‘Administrative 

Simplification.’’ Part C of title XI of the 

Act now consists of sections 1171 

through 1180, which define various 

terms and impose several requirements 

on HHS, health plans, health care 

clearinghouses, and certain health care 

providers concerning the transmission 

of health information. Specifically, 

HIPAA requires the Secretary of HHS to 

adopt standards that covered entities are 

required to use in conducting certain 

health care administrative transactions, 

such as claims, remittance, eligibility, 

and claims status requests and 

responses. Findings from the ICD–10 

industry readiness assessment will be 

used by CMS to understand each 

sector’s progress toward compliance and 

to determine what communication and 

educational efforts can best help 

affected entities obtain the tools and 

resources they need to achieve timely 

compliance with ICD–10. Insights 

gleaned from the proposed research will 

be valid for education and outreach 

purposes only, and will not be used for 

policy purposes. Form Number: CMS– 

10381 (OMB#: 0938–1149); Frequency: 

Annual; Affected Public: Private 

Sector—Business or other for-profits, 

Not-for-profits; Number of Respondents: 

1,200; Total Annual Responses: 1,200; 

Total Annual Hours: 204. (For policy 

questions regarding this collection 

contact Rosali Topper at 410–786–7260. 

For all other issues call 410–786–1326.) 


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