Notice2026-02966
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
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
February 13, 2026
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Abstract
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 also required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information before the agency's request is submitted to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 30 (Friday, February 13, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6845-6846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02966]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[Document Identifier: CMS-10945]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human
Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
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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 also required to publish notice
in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of
information before the agency's request is submitted to OMB for
approval.
DATES: Comments on the collection(s) of information must be received by
the OMB desk officer by April 14, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 60 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 60-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms
for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice, please access
the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address
into your web browser: <a href="https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing">https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Parham at (410) 786-4669.
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.
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 information
technology to minimize the information collection burden.
Information Collection
1. Type of Information Collection Request: New collection (Request
for a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection:
Administrative Procedures for Chronic and Post-Acute Care Quality
Programs; Use: This is a request for a new information collection for
certain procedural requirements associated with the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS') quality reporting programs (QRPs)
and value-based purchasing (VBP) programs. CMS' QRPs and VBP programs
promote higher quality, more efficient healthcare for Medicare
beneficiaries by collecting and reporting on quality-of-care metrics.
This information is made available to consumers, both to empower
Medicare beneficiaries and inform decision-making, as well as to
incentivize providers to make continued quality improvements.
Specifically, CMS has implemented QRPs for multiple settings,
including for the home health (HH), hospice, inpatient rehabilitation
facility (IRF), long-term acute care hospital (LTCH), and skilled
nursing facility (SNF) settings, to achieve its overarching priorities
and initiatives. Any Hospice, HH Agency (HHA), IRF, LTCH, or SNF--
collectively referred to as providers--that does not meet the reporting
requirements for their respective program may be subject to a payment
reduction in its annual payment update (APU).
CMS has also implemented value-based purchasing (VBP) programs to
provide incentive payments to providers who deliver high quality care
to patients, as measured by their performance on specific quality
metrics.
These QRPs and SNF VBP Program include quality measures calculated
using data collected through claims,
[[Page 6846]]
staffing data, standardized assessment tools, patient surveys, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Healthcare
Safety Network (NHSN). SNFs participating in the SNF QRP and VBP
Program are also required to participate in a MDS data validation
process.
Quality measures calculated using data collected through claims are
referred to as claims-based measures. Claims data are reported to
Medicare for payment purposes, and there is no additional burden
required from providers. Quality measures calculated from staffing data
use the data submitted by SNFs to the Payroll-based Journal as required
by Section 6106 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and there is no
additional burden required from providers.
These QRPs, as pay-for-reporting programs, strive to have a
streamlined measure set that provides meaningful measurement and
differentiates providers by quality of care while limiting burden to
the fullest extent possible. CMS provides confidential feedback reports
that providers may use to assess their performance and operationalize
quality improvement activities throughout the quality reporting period.
These reports include the data that CMS has collected from the provider
and the provider's claims, and some also include information about how
the provider's data compares relative to the performance of other
providers.
CMS also uses SNF quality reporting information to set payment
adjustments for the SNF VBP program. For example, the SNF VBP Interim
(Partial-Year) Workbook and Full-Year Workbooks allow SNFs to assess
their current performance in each measure. The SNF VBP Performance
Score Report allows SNFs to assess how the SNF VBP Program scored their
current measure performance and determine the SNF VBP Program's
incentive payment adjustments for the coming fiscal year. Form Number:
CMS-10945 (OMB control number: 0938-NEW); Frequency: Annually; Affected
Public: Private Sector--Not-for-profit institutions and Business or
other for-profits and State, Local or Tribal Governments; Number of
Respondents: 33,340; Total Annual Responses: 72; Total Annual Hours:
18. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Heidi
Magladry at (410)786-6034.)
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts,
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-02966 Filed 2-12-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 13, 2026.
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