2012-20958. Proposed Extension of Existing Collection; Comment Request

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the existing collection: Uniform Billing Form (OWCP-04). A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addresses section of this Notice.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the addresses section below on or before October 26, 2012.

ADDRESSES:

Ms Yoon Ferguson, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW., Room S-3201, Washington, DC 20210, telephone [phone], fax [phone], Email [e-mail]. Please use only one method of transmission for comments (mail, fax, or Email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is the agency responsible for administration of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq., the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA), 30 U.S.C. 901 et seq., and the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C. 7384 et seq. All three of these statutes require that OWCP pay for medical treatment of beneficiaries; this medical treatment can include inpatient/outpatient hospital services, as well as services provided by nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and home health aides in the home. In order to determine whether billed amounts are appropriate, OWCP needs to identify the patient, the specific services that were rendered and their relationship to the work-related injury or illness. The regulations implementing these statutes require the use of Form OWCP-04 or UB-04 for the submission of medical bills from institutional providers (20 CFR 10.801, 30.701, 725.405, 725.406, 725.701 and 725.704). The Uniform Billing form, known as the paper UB-04, has been approved by the American Hospital Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), by various other government health care providers, and the private sector to request payment to institutional providers of medical services. The paper UB-04 has been designed by the National Uniform Billing Committee and is neither a government-printed form nor distributed by OWCP. However, this collection includes the paper UB-04 as a collection instrument, with detailed instructions prepared by OWCP to ensure that it obtains only the information needed to consider requests for payment from institutional providers using this billing form. This information collection is currently approved for use through November 30, 2012.

II. Review Focus

The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments which:

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

III. Current Actions

The Department of Labor seeks the approval of the extension of this currently approved information collection in order to carry out its responsibility to provide payment for covered medical services to beneficiaries who are covered under FECA, BLBA and EEOICPA.

Type of Review: Extension

Agency: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs

Title: Uniform Billing Form

OMB Number: 1240-0019

Agency Number: OWCP-04

Affected Public: Individuals or households; Businesses or other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions

Total Respondents: 6,947

Total Responses: 230,997

Time per Response: 1-7 minutes

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 26,599

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0

Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also become a matter of public record.

Dated: August 21, 2012.

Yoon Ferguson,

Agency Clearance Officer, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor.