Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
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 Pap...
[Document Identifiers: CMS-10968, CMS-R-235 and CMS-10391]
AGENCY:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human 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 (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
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information technology to minimize the information collection burden.
DATES:
Comments must be received by November 13, 2026.
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
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.
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
).
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 Collections
1.
Type of Information Collection Request:
New collection (Request for a new OMB control number);
Title of Information Collection:
Provider Experience of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) Program;
Use:
The purpose of this Information Collection Request (ICR) is to gather survey data to support the program evaluation of the CMS QIN-QIO Quality Improvement program. The CMS QIN-QIO Quality Improvement program advances quality improvement efforts across healthcare settings to maximize impact and deliver value to taxpayers in alignment with CMS and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) priorities. Through QIN-QIO 13th Statement of Work (SOW), CMS has engaged six QIN-QIO contractors to improve healthcare quality for Medicare beneficiaries by enhancing health outcomes, patient safety, and the overall quality of care.
QIN-QIO contractors provide technical assistance (TA) to CMS identified nursing homes, hospitals, and outpatient clinical practices, helping strengthen quality management infrastructure and improve healthcare quality and safety for Medicare beneficiaries. They support providers and target populations by implementing evidence-based, tailored quality improvement strategies that address a range of operational and performance challenges. This survey collects data pertaining to assistance provided by the QIN-QIO contractors to these providers. This survey provides an independent assessment of these services, providing program management with information to improve services to the provider community in support of Medicare beneficiaries.
CMS evaluates the quality and effectiveness of the QIN-QIO program as authorized in Part B of Title XI of the Social Security Act. This ICR is to conduct data collection using surveys with administrators or quality improvement directors of nursing homes, hospitals, and clinicians in outpatient clinical practice settings.
Form Number:
CMS-10968 (OMB control number: 0938-NEW);
Frequency:
Annually;
Affected Public:
Private Sector—Not-for-profit institutions and Business or other for-profits;
Number of Respondents:
1,500;
Total Annual Responses:
1,500;
Total Annual Hours:
501. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Jeff Mokry at
Jeff.Mokry@cms.hhs.gov.)
2.
Type of Information Collection Request:
Revision of a currently approved collection;
Title of Information Collection:
Use Agreement (DUA) Limited Data Set (LDS) Forms Research Identifiable Files (RIF) Forms;
Use:
The Privacy Act of 1974, § 552a requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to track all disclosures of the agency's Personally Identifiable Information (PII). CMS is also required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 to properly protect all Protected Health Information (PHI) data maintained by the agency and account for the disclosure of PHI. When entities, such as academic, federal or state agency researchers request CMS PII/PHI data, they enter into a Data Use Agreement (DUA) with CMS. The DUA stipulates that the recipient of CMS data must properly protect the data according to all applicable data security standards and provide for its appropriate destruction at the completion of the project/study or the expiration date of the DUA. The DUA form enables the data recipient and CMS to document the request and approval for release of CMS data.
Form Number:
CMS-R-235 (OMB control number: 0938-0734);
Frequency:
Annually;
Affected Public:
Private Sector, State, Local or Tribal Government, Not-for-profit institutions and Business or other for-profits;
Number of Respondents:
5,250;
Total Annual Responses:
5,250;
Total Annual Hours:
3,667.5. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact James Krometis at (410) 786-0340.)
3.
Type of Information Collection Request:
Extension of a currently approved collection;
Title of Information Collection:
Methods for Assuring Access to Covered Medicaid Services Under 42 CFR 447.203 and 447.204;
Use:
Sections 447.203 and 447.204 require that states: “assure that payments are consistent with efficiency, economy, and quality of care and are sufficient to enlist enough providers so that care and services are available under the plan at least to the extent that such care and services are available to the general population in the geographic area.” The information is used by states to: document that access to care is in compliance with section 1902(a)(30)(A) of the Social Security Act, identify issues with access within a state's Medicaid program, and inform any necessary programmatic changes to
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address issues with access to care. CMS will use the information to monitor ongoing compliance with section 1902(a)(30)(A) of the Social Security Act, and to make informed approval decisions on State plan amendments that propose to make Medicaid rate reductions or restructure payment rates. Beneficiaries, providers, and other affected stakeholders may use the information to raise access issues to state Medicaid agencies and work with agencies to address those issues.
Form Number:
CMS-10391 (OMB control number: 0938-1134);
Frequency:
Annually;
Affected Public:
State, Local, or Tribal Governments;
Number of Respondents:
51;
Total Annual Responses:
346;
Total Annual Hours:
15,305. (For questions regarding this collection contact Jocelyn Velez at 410-786-2367.)
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
www.regulations.gov
www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing
44 U.S.C. 3501-3520
5 CFR 1320.3(c)