2020-17738. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 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 (the 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 October 13, 2020.

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, you may make your request using one of following:

1. Access CMS' website address at website address at https://www.cms.gov/​Regulations-and-Guidance/​Legislation/​PaperworkReductionActof1995/​PRA-Listing.html.

2. Call the Reports Clearance Office at [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William N. Parham at [phone].

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-10390 Hospice Quality Reporting Program

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: Revision of a currently approved collection without change; Title of Information Collection: Hospice Quality Reporting Program; Use: The Hospice Item Set (HIS) is a standardized, patient-level data collection tool developed specifically for use by hospices. It is currently used for the collection of quality measure data pertaining to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Since April 1, 2017, hospices have been using the HIS V2.00.0 which specifies the collection of data items that support eight National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed Quality Measures (QMs) and an additional measure pair for hospice. All Medicare-certified hospice providers are required to submit HIS admission and discharge records to CMS for each patient admission and discharge. The HIS contains data elements that are used by the CMS to calculate these measures and also allows CMS to collect quality data from hospices in compliance with Section 3004 of the Affordable Care Act. The information collection request was revised to remove Section O of the HIS discharge assessment now that we proposed to replace it with the claims-based Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life quality measure. Form Number: CMS-10390 (OMB control number: 0938-1153); Frequency: On Occasion; Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments, Private Sector (not-for-profit institutions); individuals or households; Number of Respondents: 4,688; Total Annual Responses: 1,328,417; Total Annual Hours: 636,312. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Cindy Massuda at [phone].)

Dated: August 10, 2020.

William N. Parham, III,

Director, Paperwork Reduction Staff, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.