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[Federal Register: June 4, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 107)]
[Notices]               
[Page 31790]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04jn10-59]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10203]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
    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: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare Health 
Outcomes Survey (HOS); Use: CMS has a responsibility to its Medicare 
beneficiaries to require that care provided by managed care 
organizations under contract to CMS is of high quality. One way of 
ensuring high quality care in Medicare Managed Care Organizations 
(MCOs), or more commonly referred to as Medicare Advantage 
Organizations (MAOs), is through the development of standardized, 
uniform performance measures to enable CMS to gather the data needed to 
evaluate the care provided to Medicare beneficiaries.
    The goal of the Medicare HOS program is to gather valid, reliable, 
clinically meaningful health status data in Medicare managed care for 
use in quality improvement activities, plan accountability, public 
reporting, and improving health. All managed care plans with Medicare 
Advantage (MA) contracts must participate. CMS, in collaboration with 
the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), launched the 
Medicare HOS as part of the Effectiveness of Care component of the 
former Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set, now known as the 
Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS[supreg]).
    The HOS measure was developed under the guidance of a Technical 
Expert Panel comprised of individuals with specific expertise in the 
health care industry and outcomes measurement. The measure includes the 
most recent advances in summarizing physical and mental health outcomes 
results and appropriate risk adjustment techinques. In addition to 
health outcomes measures, the HOS is used to collect the Management of 
Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults, Physical Activity in Older 
Adults, Fall Risk Management, and Osteoporosis Testing in Older Women 
HEDIS[supreg] measures. The collection of Medicare HOS is necessary to 
hold Medicare managed care contractors accountable for the quality of 
care they are delivering. This reporting requirement allows CMS to 
obtain the information necessary for proper oversight of the Medicar 
Advantage program. Form Number: CMS-10203 (OMB: 0938-0701; 
Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Individuals and households; Number 
of Respondents: 1,099,560 Total Annual Responses: 1,099,560; Total 
Annual Hours: 366,520 (For policy questions regarding this collection 
contact Chris Haffer at 410-786-8764. 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 at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/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 August 3, 2010:
    1. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically to 
http://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/OMB 
Control Number, Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 
Maryland 21244-1850.

    Date: May 28, 2010.
Martique Jones,
Director, Regulations Development Division-B, Office of Strategic 
Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2010-13303 Filed 6-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
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