SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (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 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires federal agencies to publish a 30-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 that summarizes the following proposed collection(s) of information for public comment:

1. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement without change of a previously approved collection; Title: Medicare Program: Procedures for Making National Coverage Decisions; Use: This collection is required by a notice (78 FR 48164-69) published on August 7, 2013 which delineates the process for making a national coverage determination (NCD) including information for external parties to submit a formal request for a new NCD or a reconsideration of an existing NCD. An NCD is defined in 1862(l) of the Social Security Act (the Act) as “a determination by the Secretary with respect to whether or not a particular item or service is covered nationally under this title.” This information collection will assist us in obtaining the information we require to make a national coverage determination in a timely manner and ensuring that the Medicare program continues to meet the needs of its beneficiaries. Form Number: CMS-R-290 (OMB control number: 0938-0776); Frequency: Annual; Affected Public: Private Sector: Business or other for-profits; Number of Respondents: 30; Total Annual Responses: 30; Total Annual Hours: 1,200. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Lori M. Ashby at 410-786-6322.)

2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement without change of a previously approved collection: Title of Information Collection: Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) Registry; Use: The data collection is required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination (NCD) entitled, “Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)”. The TAVR device is only covered when specific conditions are met including that the heart team and hospital are submitting data in a prospective, national, audited registry. The data includes patient, practitioner and facility level variables that predict outcomes such as all cause mortality and quality of life. CMS finds that the Society of Thoracic Surgery/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy (STS/ACC TVT) Registry, one registry overseen by the National Cardiovascular Data Registry, meets the requirements specified in the NCD on TAVR. The TVT Registry will support a national surveillance system to monitor the safety and efficacy of the TAVR technologies for the treatment of aortic stenosis.

The data will also include the variables on the eight item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-10) to assess heath status, functioning and quality of life. In the KCCQ, an overall summary score can be derived from the physical function, symptoms (frequency and severity), social function and quality of life domains. For each domain, the validity, reproducibility, responsiveness and interpretability have been independently established. Scores are transformed to a range of 0-100, in which higher scores reflect better health status.

The conduct of the STS/ACC TVT Registry and the KCCQ-10 is in accordance with Section 1142 of the Social Security Act (the Act) that describes the authority of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Under section 1142, research may be conducted and supported on the outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care services and procedures to identify the manner in which disease, disorders, and other health conditions can be prevented, diagnosed, treated, and managed clinically. Section 1862(a)(1)(E) of the Act allows Medicare to cover under coverage with evidence development (CED) certain items or services for which the evidence is not adequate to support coverage under section 1862(a)(1)(A) and where additional data gathered in the context of a clinical setting would further clarify the impact of these items and services on the health of beneficiaries.

The data collected and analyzed in the TVT Registry will be used by CMS to determine if the TAVR is reasonable and necessary ( e.g., improves health outcomes) for Medicare beneficiaries under Section 1862(a)(1)(A) of the Act. Furthermore, data from the Registry will assist the medical device industry and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in surveillance of the quality, safety and efficacy of new medical devices to treat aortic stenosis. For purposes of the TAVR NCD, the TVT Registry has contracted with the Data Analytic Centers to conduct the analyses. In addition, data will be made available for research purposes under the terms of a data use agreement that only provides de-identified datasets. Form Number: CMS-10443 (OMB control number: 0938-1202); Frequency: Annual; Affected Public: Individuals, Households and Private Sector; Number of Respondents: 49,704; Total Annual Responses: 198,816; Total Annual Hours: 63,790. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Nina Arya at 667-290-9456).

89 FR 94731