[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 4 (Thursday, January 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1025-1026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-283]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Care Financing Administration
[Document Identifier: HCFA-R-137]
Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
AGENCY: Health Care Financing Administration, HHS.
In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Care Financing
Administration (HCFA), Department of Health and Human Services, is
publishing the following summary of proposed collections for public
comment. Interested persons are invited to send 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.
We are, however, requesting an emergency review of the Information
collections referenced below. In compliance with the requirement of
section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we have
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the following
requirements for emergency review. We are requesting an emergency
review because the collection of this information is needed prior to
the expiration of the normal time limits under OMB's regulations at 5
CFR Part 1320. The Agency cannot reasonably comply with the normal
clearance procedures because public harm is likely to result due to the
possibility of the Medicare program being unable to recover mistaken
payments. The collection of this information is needed in order for
Medicare to recover mistaken payments where a group health plan (GHP)
should have paid primary to Medicare. Medicare supplies the
questionnaire/instructions to identified employers and uses the
completed questionnaires to identify situations where Medicare should
pay secondary to a GHP for future claims and/or mistakenly paid primary
to a GHP in the past. The instructions direct employers to supply
information needed for compliance with the Debt Collection Improvement
Act of 1996 (DCIA 1996) and reflect Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA
1997) changes to the Medicare Secondary Payer provisions relating to
end stage renal disease and third party payers, etc. The information
collected for DCIA 1996 compliance will include the names, addresses
and tax identification numbers (TINs) of the following entities: the
GHP, the insurer, any third party administrator for the GHP, any other
plan sponsor, and the claims' processor. (This is in addition to the
TIN information which is already collected with respect to the
employer.)
The above referenced revisions are critical to HCFA compliance with
the DCIA 1996, which in turn is critical to HCFA's goal of obtaining a
clean Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit opinion under the Chief
Financial Officer Act. One of the factors in obtaining a clean opinion
is compliance with applicable statutes and regulations. Additionally,
Congress has expressed a continuing interest in agencies' compliance
with DCIA 1996.
Thus, additional questions and information were incorporated about
these MSP changes in our revised booklet.
We believe that compliance with the Data Match does not impose
capital cost. HCFA continues to strive to make the process as efficient
as possible. We offer the following supporting information:
A. Employers are only required to complete the questionnaires for
those workers who are Medicare beneficiaries (or whose spouses are
Medicare beneficiaries.) They do not complete the questionnaire for
their entire workforce.
[[Page 1026]]
Employers are questioned only when a worker's income is above the
tolerance level.
B. All employers may complete the Data Match questionnaire manually
(handwritten, typed, etc.).
C. Employers with 20 through 499 employees who are Medicare
beneficiaries (or spouses of beneficiaries) for whom they must complete
the questionnaires may submit the Data Match Questionnaire via a
``Bulletin Board.'' The use of the ``Bulletin Board'' requires only
access to a personal computer and a modem.
D. For large employers, whose business is likely to operate in a
mainframe environment with 500 or more employees who are Medicare
beneficiaries (or spouses of beneficiaries) for whom they must complete
the questionnaires, we offer the option of an electronic media
submission of the questionnaire.
In order to capture accurate information in a timely manner, we
would like to expedite the review and clearance process of this booklet
outside of the normal time frame.
HCFA is requesting OMB review and approval of this collection
within eleven working days, with a 180-day approval period. Written
comments and recommendations will be accepted from the public if
received by the individuals designated below within ten working days.
During this 180-day period, we will publish a separate Federal Register
notice announcing the initiation of an extensive 60-day agency review
and public comment period on these requirements. We will submit the
requirements for OMB review and an extension of this emergency
approval.
Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection;
Title of Information Collection: Internal Revenue Service/Social
Security Administration/Health Care Financing Administration Data Match
and Supporting Regulations in 42 CFR Section 411.20-411.206;
Form No.: HCFA-R-137 (OMB# 0938-0565);
Use: The purpose of this collection is to save the Medicare
program, money. MSP is essentially the same concept known in the
private insurance industry as coordination of benefits, and refers to
those situations where Medicare assumes a secondary payer role (private
insurance being the primary payer) for covered services provided to a
Medicare beneficiary. It is HCFA's responsibility to implement the
various Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) provisions;
Frequency: Semi-annually;
Affected Public: Federal Government, Individuals or Households,
Business or other for-profit, Not-for-profit institutions, Farms,
State, and Local or Tribal Government;
Number of Respondents: 276,251;
Total Annual Responses: 276,251;
Total Annual Hours: 1,096,181.
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, to
Paperwork@hcfa.gov, or call the Reports Clearance Office on (410) 786-
1326.
Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding the
burden or any other aspect of these collections of Information
requirements. However, as noted above, comments on these Information
collection and recordkeeping requirements must be mailed and/or faxed
to the designees referenced below, within ten working days:
Health Care Financing Administration, 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; and
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC
20503, Fax Number: (202) 395-6974 or (202) 395-5167 Attn: Allison
Herron Eydt, HCFA Desk Officer.
Dated: December 30, 1998.
John P. Burke III,
HCFA Reports Clearance Officer, HCFA Office of Information Services,
Security and Standards Group, Division of HCFA Enterprise Standards.
[FR Doc. 99-283 Filed 1-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-03-P
