[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88052-88053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25792]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifiers: CMS-R-71 and CMS-R-262]


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 January 6, 2025.

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: __, 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/PRA-Listing.

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-71 Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Assumption of 
Responsibilities and Supporting Regulations
CMS-R-262 CMS Plan Benefit Package (PBP) and Formulary CY 2026

    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 collection; Title of Information Collection: Quality 
Improvement Organization (QIO) Assumption of Responsibilities and 
Supporting Regulations; Use: The Peer Review Improvement Act of 1982 
amended Title XI of the Social Security Act to create the Utilization 
and Quality Control Peer Review Organization (PRO) program which 
replaces the Professional Standards Review Organization (PSRO) program 
and streamlines peer review activities. The term PRO has been renamed 
Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). This information collection 
describes the review functions to be performed by the QIO. It outlines 
relationships among QIOs, providers, practitioners, beneficiaries, 
intermediaries, and carriers. Form Number: CMS-R-71 (OMB control 
number: 0938-0445); Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Business or 
other for-profit and Not-for-profit institutions; Number of 
Respondents: 6,120; Total Annual Responses: 502,246; Total Annual 
Hours: 1,091,597. (For policy questions regarding this collection 
contact Cheryl Lehane at 617-461-4888.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: CMS Plan Benefit 
Package (PBP) and Formulary CY 2026; Use: Under the Medicare 
Modernization Act (MMA), Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug 
Plan (PDP) organizations are required to submit plan benefit packages 
for all Medicare beneficiaries residing in their service area. The plan 
benefit package submission consists of the Plan Benefit Package (PBP) 
software, formulary file, and supporting documentation, as necessary. 
MA and PDP organizations

[[Page 88053]]

use the PBP software to describe their organization's plan benefit 
packages, including information on premiums, cost sharing, 
authorization rules, and supplemental benefits. They also generate a 
formulary to describe their list of drugs, including information on 
prior authorization, step therapy, tiering, and quantity limits.
    CMS requires that MA and PDP organizations submit a completed PBP 
and formulary as part of the annual bidding process. During this 
process, organizations prepare their proposed plan benefit packages for 
the upcoming contract year and submit them to CMS for review and 
approval. CMS uses this data to review and approve the benefit packages 
that the plans will offer to Medicare beneficiaries. This allows CMS to 
review the benefit packages in a consistent way across all submitted 
bids during with incredibly tight timeframes. This data is also used to 
populate data on Medicare Plan Finder, which allows beneficiaries to 
access and compare Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plans. Form 
Number: CMS-R-262 (OMB control number: 0938-0763); Frequency: Annually; 
Affected Public: Public sector (Individuals and Households), Private 
sector (Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profit institutions); 
Number of Respondents: 785; Total Annual Responses: 8,337; Total Annual 
Hours: 46,026. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Kristy Holtje at 410-786-2209 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#543f263d27202d7a3c3b38203e31143739277a3c3c277a333b22"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="670c150e14131e490f080b130d0227040a14490f0f1449000811">[email protected]</span></a>).

William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-25792 Filed 11-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>