Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 17, 2024 / Notices 76115 

regarding this collection contact LuAnn 

Piccione at (410) 786–5423.) 

William N. Parham, III, 

Director, Division of Information Collections 

and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic 

Operations and Regulatory Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21063 Filed 9–16–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[Document Identifiers: CMS–R–297/CMS– 

L564 and CMS–2088–17] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services, Health and Human 

Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Notice. 

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 

60 days for public comment on the 

proposed action. Interested persons are 

invited to send comments regarding our 

burden estimates 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 must be received by 

November 18, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: When commenting, please 

reference the document identifier or 

OMB control number. To be assured 

consideration, comments and 

recommendations must be submitted in 

any one of the following ways: 

1. Electronically. You may send 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) that are 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: ll, Room C4–26–05, 

7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, 

Maryland 21244–1850. 

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/PRAListing. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William N. Parham at (410) 786–4669. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Contents 

This notice sets out a summary of the 

use and burden associated with the 

following information collections. More 

detailed information can be found in 

each collection’s supporting statement 

and associated materials (see 

ADDRESSES). 

CMS–R–297/CMS–L564 Medicare 

Request for Employment Information 

CMS–2088–17 The Community Mental 

Health Center Cost Report 

Under the 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 

requires Federal agencies to publish a 

60-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. 

Information Collections 

1. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Extension of a currently 

approved information collection; Title 

of Information Collection: Medicare 

Request for Employment Information; 

Use: Section 1837(i) of the Social 

Security Act (the Act) provides for a 

SEP for individuals who delay enrolling 

in Medicare Part B because they are 

covered by a group health plan based on 

their own or a spouse’s current 

employment status. Disabled 

individuals with Medicare may also 

delay enrollment because they have 

large group health plan coverage based 

on their own or a family member’s 

current employment status. When these 

individuals apply for Medicare Part B, 

they must provide proof that the group 

health plan coverage is (or was) based 

on current employment status. Form 

CMS L564 provides this proof so that 

SSA can determine eligibility for the 

SEP. Individuals eligible for the SEP can 

enroll in Part B without incurring a late 

enrollment penalty (LEP). Individuals 

may also use this form to prove that 

their group health plan coverage is 

based on current employment status and 

to have the assessed Medicare LEP 

reduced. Form Number: CMS–R–297/ 

CMS–L564 (OMB control number: 

0938–0787); Frequency: Annually; 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households, Business or other for-profits 

and Not-for-profit institutions; Number 

of Respondents: 594,998; Total Annual 

Responses: 594,998; Total Annual 

Hours: 243,949. (For policy questions 

regarding this collection contact 

Candace Carter at 410–786–8466 or 

Candace.Carter@cms.hhs.gov.) 

2. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Extension of a currently 

approved collection; Title of 

Information Collection: Community 

Mental Health Center Cost Report Use: 

CMS requires the Form CMS–2088–17 

to determine a provider’s reasonable 

cost incurred in furnishing medical 

services to Medicare beneficiaries and 

reimbursement due to or from a 

provider. In addition, CMHCs may 

receive reimbursement through the cost 

report for Medicare reimbursable bad 

debts. CMS uses the Form CMS–2088– 

17 for rate setting; payment refinement 

activities, including market basket 

analysis; Medicare Trust Fund 

projections; and to support program 

operations. The primary function of the 

cost report is to determine provider 

reimbursement for services rendered to 

Medicare beneficiaries. Each CMHC 

submits the cost report to its contractor 

for reimbursement determination. 

Section 1874A of the Act describes 

the functions of the contractor. CMHCs 

must follow the principles of cost 

reimbursement, which require they 

maintain sufficient financial records 

and statistical data for proper 

determination of costs. The S series of 

worksheets collects the provider’s 

location, CBSA, date of certification, 

operations, and unduplicated census 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
76116 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 17, 2024 / Notices 

days. The A series of worksheets 

collects the provider’s trial balance of 

expenses for overhead costs, direct 

patient care services, and non-revenue 

generating cost centers. The B series of 

worksheets allocates the overhead costs 

to the direct patient care and nonrevenue generating cost centers using 

functional statistical bases. The 

Worksheet C computes the 

apportionment of costs between 

Medicare beneficiaries and other 

patients. The D series of worksheets are 

Medicare specific and calculate the 

reimbursement settlement for services 

rendered to Medicare beneficiaries. The 

Worksheet F collects the provider’s 

revenues and expenses data from the 

provider’s income statement. Form 

Number: CMS–2088–17 (OMB control 

number: 0938–0378); Frequency: 

Annually; Affected Public: Private 

Sector, Business or other for-profits, 

Not-for-profits institutions; Number of 

Respondents: 191; Total Annual 

Responses: 191; Total Annual Hours: 

17,190. (For policy questions regarding 

this collection contact Jill Keplinger at 

410–786–4550.) 

William N. Parham, III, 

Director, Division of Information Collections 

and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic 

Operations and Regulatory Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21055 Filed 9–16–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–3465–PN] 

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; 

Application From the Accreditation 

Commission for Health Care, Inc. 

(ACHC) for Continued Approval of Its 

Home Health Agency Accreditation 

Program 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), Health and 

Human Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Proposed notice. 

SUMMARY: This proposed notice 

acknowledges the receipt of an 

application from the Accreditation 

Commission for Health Care, Inc. 

(ACHC) for continued recognition as a 

national accrediting organization for 

home health agencies (HHAs) that wish 

to participate in the Medicare or 

Medicaid programs. The statute requires 

that within 60 days of receipt of an 

organization’s complete application, the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS) must publish a notice 

that identifies the national accrediting 

body making the request, describes the 

nature of the request, and provides at 

least a 30-day public comment period. 

DATES: To be assured consideration, 

comments must be received at one of 

the addresses provided below, no later 

than 5 p.m. on October 17, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: In commenting, refer to file 

code CMS–3465–PN. 

Comments, including mass comment 

submissions, must be submitted in one 

of the following three ways (please 

choose only one of the ways listed): 

1. Electronically. You may submit 

electronic comments on this regulation 

to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the ‘‘Submit a comment’’ instructions. 

2. By regular mail. You may mail 

written comments to the following 

address ONLY: 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, Department of Health and 

Human Services, Attention: CMS–3465– 

PN, P.O. Box 8013, Baltimore, MD 

21244–8013. 

Please allow sufficient time for mailed 

comments to be received before the 

close of the comment period. 

3. By express or overnight mail. You 

may send written comments to the 

following address ONLY: 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, Department of Health and 

Human Services, Attention: CMS–3465– 

PN, Mail Stop C4–26–05, 7500 Security 

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

For information on viewing public 

comments, see the beginning of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Erin Imhoff (410) 786–2337. 

Lillian Williams (410) 786–8636. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Inspection of Public Comments: All 

comments received before the close of 

the comment period are available for 

viewing by the public, including any 

personally identifiable or confidential 

business information that is included in 

a comment. We post all comments 

received before the close of the 

comment period on the following 

website as soon as possible after they 

have been received: http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the search 

instructions on that website to view 

public comments. CMS will not post on 

Regulations.gov public comments that 

make threats to individuals or 

institutions or suggest that the 

commenter will take actions to harm an 

individual. CMS continues to encourage 

individuals not to submit duplicative 

comments. We will post acceptable 

comments from multiple unique 

commenters even if the content is 

identical or nearly identical to other 

comments. 

I. Background 

Under the Medicare program, eligible 

beneficiaries may receive covered 

services from a home health agency 

(HHA), provided certain requirements 

are met. Sections 1861(m) and (o), 1891 

and 1895 of the Social Security Act (the 

Act) establish distinct criteria for an 

entity seeking designation as an HHA. 

Regulations concerning provider 

agreements are at 42 CFR part 489 and 

those pertaining to activities relating to 

the survey and certification of facilities 

and other entities are at 42 CFR part 

488. The regulations at 42 CFR parts 409 

and 484 specify the conditions that an 

HHA must meet to participate in the 

Medicare program, the scope of covered 

services, and the conditions for 

Medicare payment for home health care. 

Generally, to enter into a provider 

agreement with the Medicare program, 

an HHA must first be certified by a state 

survey agency as complying with the 

conditions or requirements set forth in 

42 CFR part 484 of our regulations. 

Thereafter, the HHA is subject to regular 

surveys by a state survey agency to 

determine whether it continues to meet 

these requirements. 

However, there is an alternative to 

surveys by state agencies. Section 

1865(a)(1) of the Act provides that, if a 

provider entity demonstrates through 

accreditation by an approved national 

accrediting organization that all 

applicable Medicare conditions are met 

or exceeded, we will deem those 

provider entities as having met the 

requirements. Accreditation by an 

accrediting organization is voluntary 

and is not required for Medicare 

participation. 

If an accrediting organization is 

recognized by the Secretary of Health 

and Human Services as having 

standards for accreditation that meet or 

exceed Medicare requirements, any 

provider entity accredited by the 

national accrediting body’s approved 

program would be deemed to meet the 

Medicare conditions. A national 

accrediting organization applying for 

CMS approval of their accreditation 

program under 42 CFR part 488, subpart 

A, must provide CMS with reasonable 

assurance that the accrediting 

organization requires the accredited 

provider entities to meet requirements 

that are at least as stringent as the 

Medicare conditions. Our regulations 

concerning the approval of accrediting 

organizations are set forth at § 488.5. 

The regulations at § 488.5(e)(2)(i) 

require accrediting organizations to 

reapply for continued approval of their 

accreditation program every 6 years or 

sooner as determined by CMS. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1