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[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 223 (Friday, November 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70930-70931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29076]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10360 and CMS-10106]

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 of 
Information Collection: Consumer Research on Public Reporting of 
Hospital Outpatient Measures; Use: One of the primary missions of CMS 
is to improve the quality and efficiency of care in the Fee-for-Service 
(FFS) program. One of the several vehicles used for this mission is the 
public reporting of quality, efficiency and cost information about 
hospital care on the Hospital Compare Web site. This vehicle also 
serves to provide Medicare beneficiaries and other consumers with the 
type of data needed to make informed decisions about which providers to 
use for their care.
    In 2001, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 
announced the Quality Initiative to ensure the quality of health care 
for all Americans through accountability and public disclosure. The 
goals of the initiative are to empower consumers with quality-of-care 
information so they can make more informed decisions about their health 
care and to stimulate and support providers and clinicians to improve 
the quality of health care. As part of the DHHS Transparency Initiative 
on Quality Reporting, CMS plans to add new patient safety measures in 
the areas of hospital acquired conditions and healthcare associated 
infections, to the Hospital Compare Web site in 2011. CMS also intends 
to begin utilizing displays of composite measures summarizing both 
process and outcome measures. This information collection request 
covers consumer research on displays, labels, and explanatory language 
to insure that the Web site is understood by viewers in a manner 
consistent with CMS's intended communication message. Form Number: CMS-
10360 (OMB: 0938-New); Frequency: Once; Affected Public: 
Individuals and Households; Number of Respondents: 248; Total Annual 
Responses: 248; Total Annual Hours: 241. (For policy questions 
regarding this collection contact David Miranda at 410-786-7819. For 
all other issues call 410-786-1326.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare 
Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information; Use: Unless 
permitted or required by law, the Health Insurance Portability and 
Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits Medicare (a HIPAA covered entity) 
from disclosing an individual's protected health information without a 
valid authorization. In order to be valid, an authorization must 
include specified core elements and statements. Medicare will make 
available to Medicare beneficiaries a standard, valid authorization to 
enable beneficiaries to request the disclosure of their protected 
health information. This standard authorization will simplify the 
process of requesting information disclosure for beneficiaries and 
minimize the response time for Medicare. The completed authorization 
will allow Medicare to disclose an individual's personal health 
information to a third party at the individual's request. Form Number: 
CMS-10106 (OMB: 0938-0930); Frequency: Reporting--On occasion; 
Affected Public: Individuals or households; Number of Respondents: 
1,004,000; Total Annual Responses: 1,004,000; Total Annual Hours: 
251,000. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Lindsay Dixon-Brown at 410-786-1178. For all other issues call 410-786-
1326.)
    To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms 
for the

[[Page 70931]]

proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access CMS' Web Site 
at http:[sol][sol]www.cms.hhs.gov[sol]PaperworkReductionActof1995, or 
E-mail 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 January 18, 2011:
    1. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically to 
http:[sol][sol]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[sol]OMB Control Number, Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security 
Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.

    Dated: November 12, 2010.
Michelle Shortt,
Director, Regulations Development Group, Office of Strategic Operations 
and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2010-29076 Filed 11-18-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
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