2024-00270. 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 March 11, 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: __, 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–10549 Generic Clearance for Questionnaire Testing and Methodological Research for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS)

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 Collection

1. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension without change of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Generic Clearance for Questionnaire Testing and Methodological Research for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS); Use: The purpose of this OMB clearance package is to extend the approval of the current generic clearance for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The MCBS Questionnaire Testing and Methodological Research encompasses development and testing of MCBS questionnaires, instrumentation, and data collection protocols, as well as a mechanism for conducting methodological experiments. The current clearance includes six types of potential research activities: (1) cognitive interviewing, (2) focus groups, (3) usability testing, (4a) field testing within the MCBS production environment, (4b) field testing as a separate data collection effort outside of the MCBS production environment, (5) respondent debriefings, and (6) research about incentives.

The MCBS is a continuous, multipurpose survey of a nationally representative sample of aged, disabled, and institutionalized Medicare beneficiaries. The MCBS, which is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is the only comprehensive source of information on the health status, health care use and expenditures, health insurance coverage, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the entire spectrum of Medicare beneficiaries. The core of the MCBS is a series of interviews with a stratified random sample of the Medicare population, including aged and disabled enrollees, residing in the community or in institutions. Questions are asked about enrollees' patterns of health care use, charges, insurance coverage, and payments over time. Respondents are asked about their sources of health care coverage and payment, their demographic characteristics, their health and work history, and their family living circumstances. In addition to collecting information through the core questionnaire, the MCBS collects information on special topics. Form Number: CMS–10549 (OMB control number: 0938–1275); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Individuals or Households; Number of Respondents: 11,655; Total Annual Responses: 11,655; Total Annual Hours: 3,947. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact William Long at 410–786–7927.)

Dated: January 4, 2024.

William N. Parham, III,

Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.