[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73858-73859]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23741]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10393, CMS-10861 and CMS-10146]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human 
Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is 
announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention 
to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in 
the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information, including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an 
existing collection of information, and to allow a second opportunity 
for public comment on the notice. Interested persons are invited to 
send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the 
proposed information collection for the proper performance of the 
agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology to minimize the information collection 
burden.

DATES: Comments on the collection(s) of information must be received by 
the OMB desk officer by November 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice, please access 
the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address 
into your web browser: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Parham at (410) 786-4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. The term ``collection of 
information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and 
includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public 
submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. 
Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires 
federal agencies to publish a 30-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each 
proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of 
information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, CMS is publishing this notice that 
summarizes the following proposed collection(s) of information for 
public comment:
    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a previously 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Beneficiary and 
Family Centered Data Collection; Use: To ensure the QIOs are 
effectively meeting their goals, CMS collects information about 
beneficiary experience receiving support from the QIOs. This is a 
request to revise the information collection. The revisions to this 
information collection include the deletion of the previously approved 
Direct Feedback Survey and associated instructions and the General 
Feedback Web Survey and associated instructions. The information 
collection uses both qualitative and quantitative strategies to ensure 
CMS and the QIOs understand beneficiary experiences through all 
interactions with the QIO including initial contact, interim 
interactions, and case closure. Information collection

[[Page 73859]]

instruments are tailored to reflect the steps in each type of process, 
as well as the average time it takes to complete each process. The 
information collection will:
    <bullet> Allow beneficiaries to directly provide feedback about the 
services they receive under the QIO program;
    <bullet> Provide quality improvement data for QIOs to improve the 
quality of service delivered to Medicare beneficiaries; and
    <bullet> Provide evaluation metrics for CMS to use in assessing 
performance of QIO contractors.
    To achieve the above goals, information collection will include: 
Experience Survey: The Experience Survey will be administered via 
telephone and mail to beneficiaries/representatives after the Quality 
of Care (Medical Record Review) complaint/Immediate Advocacy/appeal 
case has been closed. The goal of the Experience Survey is to assess 
beneficiary overall and specific experiences with the BFCC QIOs. Form 
Number: CMS-10393 (OMB control number: 0938-1177); Frequency: Once; 
Affected Public: Individuals or households; Number of Respondents: 
9,000; Number of Responses: 9,000; Total Annual Hours: 2,250. (For 
policy questions regarding this collection, contact Renee Graves-Dorsey 
at 410-786-7142.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: New collection (Request 
for a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection: 
Medicare Health Outcomes Survey Field Test; Use: CMS is required to 
collect and report quality and performance of Medicare health plans 
under provisions of the Social Security Act. Specifically, Section 
1851(d) of the Act (Providing Information to Promote Informed Choice) 
requires CMS to collect data for MA plan comparison, including data on 
enrollee satisfaction and health outcomes, and report this information 
and other plan quality and performance indicators to Medicare 
beneficiaries prior to the annual enrollment period. The HOS meets the 
requirement for collecting and publicly reporting quality and other 
performance indicators, as HOS survey measures are incorporated into 
the Medicare Part C Star Ratings that are published each fall for 
consumers on the Medicare website.
    This request is to conduct a field test with the goal of evaluating 
the measurement properties of new survey items, and the effects of new 
content and a web-based mode on response patterns and measure scores as 
compared to existing HOS survey items and protocols. Within each of the 
proposed field test protocol arms, there will be two versions of the 
questionnaire (see Attachments A and B) that will be identical except 
for slight differences in selected items where empirical data are 
needed to ascertain which of the two versions produces the best results 
(see Attachment C). The two versions of the questionnaire will test 
alternatives for selected new survey content that will potentially 
enhance and refine existing measures, allow CMS to develop new and 
methodologically simpler cross-sectional and longitudinal measures, 
expand on CMS's measurement of physical functioning and mental health, 
and add to CMS's efforts to measure and address health equity.
    The data collected in this field test will be used by CMS to inform 
decisions on possible changes to HOS content and survey administration 
procedures. The items in the questionnaire reflect current health 
priorities and would provide CMS with data to study new longitudinal 
PROMs, cross-sectional measures, and enhancements to existing HOS 
measures for MA plans to use as a focus of their quality improvement 
efforts. Potential new measures derived from new HOS items will go 
through the Measures Under Consideration (MUC) process and rule-making 
before they are added to Star Ratings. Form Number: CMS-10861 (OMB 
Control Number: 0938-New); Frequency: Once; Affected Public: 
Individuals and Households; Number of Respondents: 136; Number of 
Responses: 6,800; Total Annual Hours: 2,267. (For policy questions 
regarding this collection contact Kimberly DeMichele at 410-786-4286.)
    3. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Notice of Denial 
of Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage; Use: Part D plan sponsors are 
required to issue the Notice of Denial of Medicare Prescription Drug 
Coverage notice when a request for a prescription drug or payment is 
denied, in whole or in part. The written notice must include a 
statement, in understandable language, the reasons for the denial and a 
description of the appeals process.
    The purpose of this notice is to provide information to enrollees 
when prescription drug coverage has been denied, in whole or in part, 
by their Part D plans. The notice must be readable, understandable, and 
state the specific reasons for the denial. The notice must also remind 
enrollees about their rights and protections related to requests for 
prescription drug coverage and include an explanation of both the 
standard and expedited redetermination processes and the rest of the 
appeal process. Form Number: CMS-10146 (OMB control number 0938-0976); 
Frequency: Daily; Affected Public: Private sector (Business or other 
for-profits); Number of Respondents: 743; Total Annual Responses: 
2,631,728; Total Annual Hours: 657,932. (For policy questions regarding 
this collection contact: Coretta Edmondson at 410-786-0512.)

    Dated: October 24, 2023.
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and 
Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-23741 Filed 10-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P