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.

Information Collection

1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently approved Information Collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey; Use: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the largest single payer of health care in the United States. The agency plays a direct or indirect role in administering health insurance coverage for more than 160 million people across the Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Health Insurance Marketplace populations. A critical aim for CMS is to be a trustworthy partner in supporting innovative approaches to improving quality, accessibility, and affordability in health care, an effective steward of taxpayer funds, and a major force against fraud, waste, and abuse across all of its programs. CMS also aims to empower patients by giving them greater control over their health care information and improve their access to healthcare services through technology.

The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is the most comprehensive and complete survey available on the Medicare population ( printed page 46786) and is essential in capturing information not otherwise collected through operational or administrative data on the Medicare program. The MCBS is a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of Medicare beneficiaries that is sponsored by CMS and is directed by the Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics (OEDA). MCBS data collection is primarily conducted by phone and is supplemented with limited video interviewing or in-person visits. The survey captures beneficiary information whether aged or disabled, living in the community or facility, or serviced by managed care or fee-for-service. Data produced as part of the MCBS are enhanced with administrative data ( e.g., fee-for-service claims, prescription drug event data, enrollment, etc.) to provide users with more accurate and complete estimates of total health care costs and utilization. The MCBS has been continuously fielded for more than 30 years, encompassing over 1.2 million interviews and more than 140,000 survey participants. Respondents participate in up to 11 interviews over a four-year period. The MCBS provides a holistic view of Medicare beneficiaries' social and medical risk factors and rich information on the relationship between these risk factors, healthcare utilization, and health outcomes, at a point in time and over time.

The MCBS continues to provide unique insight into the Medicare program and helps CMS and its external stakeholders better understand and evaluate the impact of existing programs and significant new policy initiatives. MCBS data are used to assess potential changes to the Medicare program. For example, MCBS data were instrumental in supporting the initial implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit and continue providing a means to evaluate prescription drug costs and out-of-pocket burden for these drugs to Medicare beneficiaries. Beginning in Winter 2027, this proposed revision to the clearance will result in a net decrease to respondent burden by removing multiple questionnaire items and only adding a limited number of new items most relevant to the current health care landscape. Form Number: CMS-P-0015A (OMB control number: 0938-0568); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profit institutions; Number of Respondents: 13,568; Total Annual Responses: 35,015; Total Annual Hours: 31,917 (For policy questions regarding this collection contact William Long at 410-786-7927.)

2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Beneficiary and Family Centered Data Collection; Use: To ensure the QIOs are effectively meeting their goals, CMS collects information about beneficiary experience receiving support from the QIOs. This is a revision package. We are revising the postal survey mail letter with a new help desk mailbox, and a toll-free number.

The information collection uses both qualitative and quantitative strategies to ensure CMS and the QIOs understand beneficiary experiences through all interactions with the QIO including initial contact, interim interactions, and case closure. Information collection instruments are tailored to reflect the steps in each type of process, as well as the average time it takes to complete each process. The previously approved information collection instruments are included with this submission.

The information collection will:

• Allow beneficiaries to directly provide feedback about the services they receive under the QIO program;
• Provide quality improvement data for QIOs to improve the quality of service delivered to Medicare beneficiaries; and
• Provide evaluation metrics for CMS to use in assessing performance of QIO contractors.

To achieve the above goals, information collection will include the Experience Survey which will be administered via telephone and mail to beneficiaries/representatives after the Quality of Care (Medical Record Review) complaint/Immediate Advocacy/appeal case has been closed. The goal of the Experience Survey is to assess beneficiary overall and specific experiences with the BFCC QIOs. There are no changes to the survey. Form Number: CMS-10393 (OMB control number: 0938-1177); Frequency: Once; Affected Public: Individuals or households; Number of Respondents: 9,000; Number of Responses: 9,000; Total Annual Hours: 2,250. (For policy questions regarding this collection, contact Kaysha Meredith at 410-786-2449.)

91 FR 46785