2022-04054. Submission for Review: CAHPS Enrollee Survey; OMB Number 3206-0274

AGENCY:

Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION:

60-Day notice and request for comments

SUMMARY:

Healthcare and Insurance, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on the administration of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) survey for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. CAHPS® surveys ask consumers and patients to report on and evaluate their experiences with health care. These surveys cover topics that are important to consumers and focus on aspects of quality that consumers are best qualified to assess, such as the communication skills of providers and ease of access to health care services.

DATES:

Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 26, 2022. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by the following method:

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments. All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number or RIN for this document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting the Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415, Attention: Michael Kaszynski, Senior Policy Analyst at [e-mail] ; 202-606-1413.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35) as amended by the Clinger-Cohen Act (Pub. L. 104-106), OPM is soliciting comments for this collection. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments that:

1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

Program Description

OPM uses the CAHPS results as part of the FEHB Plan Performance Assessment (PPA). The PPA enables a consistent, objective evaluation of carrier performance and also provides more transparency for enrollees. This assessment uses a discrete set of quantifiable measures to examine key aspects of performance in the areas of clinical quality, customer service and resource use. Eight CAHPS measures are part of this discrete set of quantifiable measures.

Taken together with more traditional assessments of contract administration, these measures help ensure that enrollees receive high quality affordable healthcare and a positive customer experience. The PPA is linked to carrier profit and adjustment factors. FEHB contracts include language to incorporate the PPA as a determinant of the Service Charge or Performance Adjustment.

Analysis

Agency: Healthcare and Insurance, Office of Personnel Management.

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 8910.

Title: CAHPS Survey.

OMB Number: 3206-0274.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Federal Employees and Retirees.

Number of Respondents: 73,505.

Estimated Time per Respondent: 15 minutes.

Total Burden Hours: 18,376 hours.

Kellie Cosgrove Riley,

Director, Office of Privacy and Information Management.