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: Revision with of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Program; Use: CMS requires MA organizations and Part D sponsors to use the standardized documents being submitted for OMB approval to satisfy disclosure requirements mandated by section 1851 (d)(3)(A) of the Act and § 422.111 for MA organizations and section 1860D-1(c) of the Act and § 423.128(a)(3) for Part D sponsors.

The regulatory provisions at §§ 422.111(b) and 423.128(b) require MA organizations and Part D sponsors to disclose plan information, including: service area, benefits, access, grievance and appeals procedures, and quality improvement/assurance requirements. MA organizations and sponsors may send the ANOC separately from the EOC but must send the ANOC for enrollee receipt by September 30. The required due date for the EOC is 15 days prior to the start of the AEP. Form Number: CMS-10260 (OMB control number 0938-1051); Frequency: Annually; Affected Public: Private sector and ( printed page 6847) Business or other for-profits; Number of Respondents: 712; Number of Responses: 45,996; Total Annual Hours: 12,316. (For questions regarding this collection, contact: Lauren Yeary at (410) 786-3211 or lauren.dulay@cms.hhs.gov).

2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision with change of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: National Implementation of the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS); Use: The Agency for Healthcare Research an Quality (AHRQ) and its Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Consortium, in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), have developed standardized CAHPS Surveys and tools for a variety of patient populations, including commercially insured ambulatory patients, patients whose care is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, dialysis patients, home health patients, hospital inpatients, dental patients, and patients who receive behavioral health care and services. The purpose of the CAHPS family of surveys is to collect data about patients' assessment and rating of the care they receive from their health care provider or health care system.

The national implementation of OAS CAHPS is designed to allow third-party, CMS- approved survey vendors to administer OAS CAHPS using mail-only, telephone-only, mixed mode (mail with telephone follow-up), mixed-mode (web with mail follow-up), or mixed-mode (web with telephone follow-up). The CMS-approved survey vendors who administer the survey use an electronic data collection system if they administer a telephone-only or mixed-mode survey using web. Form Number: CMS-10500 (OMB control number: 0938-1240); Frequency: Once; Affected Public: Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profits institutions; Number of Respondents: 2,045,727; Total Annual Responses: 2,045,727; Total Annual Hours: 500,805. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Memuna Ifedirah 410-786-6849.)

3. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Elimination of Cost-Sharing for Full Benefit Dual-Eligible Individuals Receiving Home and Community-Based Services; Use: Section 1860 D-14 of the Social Security Act (the Act) sets forth requirements for premium and cost-sharing subsidies for low-income beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D. Based on this statute, 42 CFR 423.771, provides guidance concerning limitations for payments made by and on behalf of low-income Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in Part D plans. 42 CFR 423.771 (b) establishes requirements for determining a beneficiary's eligibility for full subsidy under the Part D program. Regulations set forth in §§ 423.780 and 423.782 outline premium and cost sharing subsidies to which full subsidy eligible are entitled under the Part D program.

Each month CMS deems individuals automatically eligible for the full subsidy, based on data from State Medicaid Agencies and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA sends a monthly file of Supplementary Security Income-eligible beneficiaries to CMS. Similarly, the State Medicaid agencies submit Medicare Modernization Act files to CMS that identify full subsidy beneficiaries. CMS deems the beneficiaries as having full subsidy and auto-assigns these beneficiaries to benchmark Part D plans. Part D plans to receive premium amounts based on the monthly assessments. Form Number: CMS-10344 (OMB control number: 0938-1127); Frequency: Monthly; Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments and Not-for-profits institutions; Number of Respondents: 51; Total Annual Responses: 51; Total Annual Hours: 612. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Roland Herrera 410-786-0668.)