Notice2025-08104
Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Pharmacy Billing Requirement
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 9, 2025
Issuing agencies
Labor DepartmentWorkers' Compensation Programs Office
Abstract
The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance request for comment to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This request 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 OWCP is soliciting comments on the information collection for Pharmacy Billing Requirement.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 89 (Friday, May 9, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 89 (Friday, May 9, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19731-19732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08104]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
[OMB Control No. 1240-0050]
Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Pharmacy Billing
Requirement
AGENCY: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Labor.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
request for comment to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This request
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 OWCP is soliciting comments on the information
collection for Pharmacy Billing Requirement.
DATES: All comments must be received on or before July 8, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comment as follows. Please note that late,
untimely filed comments will not be considered.
Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments in the following
way:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments for WCPO-2025-0006.
Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> will be posted to the docket, with no changes.
Because your comment will be made public, you are responsible for
ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential
information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such
as your or anyone else's Social Security number or confidential
business information.
<bullet> If your comment includes confidential information that you
do not wish to be made available to the public, submit the comment as a
written/paper submission.
Written/Paper Submissions: Submit written/paper submissions in the
following way:
<bullet> Mail/Hand Delivery: Mail or visit DOL-OWCP, Office of
Workers'
[[Page 19732]]
Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue NW, Room S3215, Washington, DC 20210.
<bullet> OWCP will post your comment as well as any attachments,
except for information submitted and marked as confidential, in the
docket at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anjanette Suggs, Office of Workers'
Compensation Programs, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1360667474603d727d79727d7667677653777c7f3d747c65"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b0c3c5d7d7c39ed1dedad1ded5c4c4d5f0d4dfdc9ed7dfc6">[email protected]</span></a> (email) or (202) 354-
9660 (voice).
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.
These statutes require OWCP to pay for appropriate medical and
vocational rehabilitation services provided to beneficiaries. In order
for OWCP's billing contractor to pay providers of these services with
its automated bill processing system, providers must ``enroll'' with
one or more of the OWCP programs that administer the statutes by
submitting certain profile information, including identifying
information, tax I.D. information, and whether they possess specialty
or sub-specialty training. Form OWCP-1168 is used to obtain this
information from each provider. This information collection is
currently approved for use through September 30, 2025. All three of
these statutes require that OWCP pay for covered medical treatment
provided to beneficiaries; this medical treatment can include medicinal
drugs dispensed by pharmacies. In order to determine whether amounts
billed for drugs are appropriate, OWCP must receive the required data
elements, including the name of the patient/beneficiary, the National
Drug Code (NDC) number of the drugs prescribed, the quantity provided,
the prescription number and the date the prescription was filled. The
regulations implementing these statutes require the collection of
information needed to enable OWCP to determine if bills for drugs
submitted directly by pharmacies, or reimbursement requests submitted
by claimants, should be paid. There is no standardized paper form for
submission of the billing information collected in this Information
Collection Request (ICR). Over the past several years, almost all
pharmacy bills submitted to OWCP have been submitted electronically
using one of the industry-wide standard formats for the electronic
transmission of billing data through nationwide data clearinghouses
devised by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP).
None of the electronic billing formats have been designed by or
provided by OWCP; they are billing formats commonly accepted by other
Federal programs and in the private health insurance industry for
drugs. Nonetheless, the three programs (FECA, BLBA and EEOICPA) provide
instructions for the submission of necessary pharmacy bill data
elements in provider manuals distributed or made available to all
pharmacies enrolled in the programs.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
OWCP is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information
collection related to the Pharmacy Billing Requirements. OWCP is
particularly interested in comments that:
Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether
the information has practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of OWCP's estimate of the burden related to
the information collection, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used in the estimate;
Suggest methods to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Minimize the burden of the information collection 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
submission of responses.
Documents related to this information collection request are
available at <a href="https://regulations.gov">https://regulations.gov</a> and at DOL-OWCP located at 200
Constitution Avenue NW, Room S-3215, Washington, DC 20210. Questions
about the information collection requirements may be directed to the
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION section of this notice.
III. Current Actions
This information collection request concerns Pharmacy Billing
Requirements. OWCP has updated the data with respect to the number of
respondents, responses, burden hours, and burden costs supporting this
information collection request from the previous information collection
request.
Type of Review: Extension, without change, of a currently approved
collection.
Agency: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.
OMB Number: 1240-0050.
Affected Public: Private Sector.
Number of Respondents: 874,414.
Number of Responses: 874,414.
Annual Burden Hours: 14,481.
Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper Cost: $0.00.
OWCP Forms: OWCP Form Pharmacy Billing Requirements.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized in
the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the
proposed information collection request; they will become a matter of
public record and will be available at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov">https://www.reginfo.gov</a>.
Anjanette Suggs,
Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2025-08104 Filed 5-8-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-CR-P
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