40112 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 126 / Thursday, June 29, 2000 / Notices

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.

Type of Information Collection

Request: Revision of a currently

approved collection; Title of Information Collection:

Qualification Application and

Supporting Regulations in 42 CFR

417.408 and 417.143;

Form No.: HCFA–901–1 (OMB# 0938–

0470);

Use: Prepaid health plans must meet

certain regulatory requirements to be

federally qualified health maintenance

organizations. This application is the

collection form used to obtain the

information from health plans that

allow HCFA staff to determine

compliance with the regulations.; Frequency: Other: One-time;

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit, Not-for-profit institutions, and

State, Local, or Tribal Government;

Number of Respondents: 35;

Total Annual Responses: 35;

Total Annual Hours: 3,500.

To obtain copies of the supporting

statement and any related forms for the

proposed paperwork collections

referenced above, access HCFA’s Web

Site address at http://www.hcfa.gov/

regs/prdact95.htm, or E-mail your

request, including your address, phone

number, OMB number, and HCFA

document identifier, to

Paperwork@hcfa.gov, or call the Reports

Clearance Office on (410) 786–1326.

Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collections must be mailed

within 60 days of this notice directly to

the HCFA Paperwork Clearance Officer

designated at the following address:

HCFA, Office of Information Services,

Security and Standards Group, Division

of HCFA Enterprise Standards,

Attention: Dawn Willinghan, Room N2–

14–26, 7500 Security Boulevard,

Baltimore, Maryland 21244–1850.

Dated: June 16, 2000.

John P. Burke III,

HCFA Reports Clearance Officer, HCFA Office

of Information Services, Security and

Standards Group, Division of HCFA

Enterprise Standards.

[FR Doc. 00–16456 Filed 6–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120–03–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

[HCFA–1030–N]

Medicare Program; Medicare+Choice

Deeming Authority

AGENCY: Health Care Financing

Administration (HCFA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that 30

days after the publication of the

Medicare+Choice (M+C) final rule, we

will begin to accept applications from

private accrediting organizations who

seek M+C deeming authority.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice is effective

on July 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia Kurtz, (410) 786–4670.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 4001 of the Balanced Budget

Act of 1997 (BBA) (Pub. L. 105–33),

enacted on August 5, 1987, added

section 1852(e)(4) to the Social Security

Act (the Act), which gives us the

authority to determine that a

Medicare+Choice Organization (M+CO)

is ‘‘deemed’’ to be in compliance with

certain Medicare requirements if the

M+CO has been accredited (and is

periodically reaccredited) by an

accrediting organization that we have

determined applies and enforces

requirements at least as stringent as

those the M+CO would be deemed to

meet. Section 518 of the Balance Budget

Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) (Pub. L.

106–113), enacted on November 29,

1999, amended section 1852(e)(4) of the

Act to expand the scope of deeming

from two to six areas. Accrediting

organizations may seek authority for any

of the categories. The BBRA specified

that we cannot require an accrediting

entity to be able to certify plans for all

the deeming categories. It also required

us to determine, within 210 days from

the day the application is determined to

be complete, the eligibilty of the

accrediting organizations to be granted

deeming authority. Conditions and

procedures for granting deeming

authority to accrediting organizations

are outlined in § 422.157 and § 422.158

of title 42 of the Code of Federal

Regulations.

Applications

This notice announces that 30 days

after the publication of the M+C final

rule, we will begin to accept

applications from national private

accrediting organizations who seek M+C

deeming authority. To receive an

application packet, please contact

Patricia Kurtz at (410) 786–4670 or via

e-mail at pkurtz@hcfa.gov or mail your

inquires to: Patricia Kurtz, Health Care

Financing Administration, Health Plan

Administration Group, Room C4–24–04,

7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD.

21244.

Authority: Section 1852(e)(4) of the Social

Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–22(e)(4))

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.773 Medicare—Hospital

Insurance Program; and No. 93.774,

Medicare—Supplementary Medical

Insurance Program)

Dated: June 19, 2000.

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle,

Administrator, Health Care Financing

Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–16058 Filed 6–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service

Request to Office of Management and

Budget for Reinstatement of Agency

Information Collection for Indian SelfDetermination and Education

Assistance Contracts

AGENCIES: Bureau of Indian Affairs, DOI

and Indian Health Service, DHHS.

ACTION: 30-Day Notice of Submission to

OMB.

SUMMARY: The Department of the

Interior and the Department of Health

and Human Services announce

submission to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) of a request for

reinstatement of information collection,

OMB #1076–0136, ‘‘Indian SelfDetermination and Education

Assistance Act Programs.’’ The

information collection will be used to

process contracts, grants or cooperative

agreements for award by the Bureau of

Indian Affairs and the Indian Health

Service as authorized by the Indian SelfDetermination and Education

Assistance Act as amended and set forth