Notice2026-08460
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 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
April 30, 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 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 information technology to minimize the information collection burden.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 83 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 83 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23271-23273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08460]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[Document Identifier: CMS-P-0015A and CMS-643]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
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 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
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collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology to minimize the information collection
burden.
DATES: Comments must be received by June 29, 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
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. 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.
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 N. Parham at (410) 786-4669.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Contents
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 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
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: 31,891 (For policy questions
regarding this collection contact William Long at 410-786-7927.)
2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement with
change of a previously approved collection; Title of Information
Collection: Hospice Survey and Deficiencies Report Form and Supporting
Regulations; Use: A hospice is a heath care entity that provides
palliative care (relief of pain and uncomfortable symptoms), as opposed
to curative care, to terminally ill individuals. In addition to meeting
the patient's medical needs, hospice care addresses the physical,
psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the patient, as well as
psychosocial needs of the patient's family/caregiver related to the
terminal illness. The emphasis of the hospice program is on keeping the
hospice patient at home with family and friends as long as possible.
The CMS-643 form is primarily a coding worksheet designed to
facilitate data collection during a hospice survey for Medicare
participation. It is used to collect several data elements related to
patient health and safety, record reviews and data about the specific
hospice's operations, staffing and demographics. CMS has made several
revisions to this form based on duplication of collected information
from the CMS-643 and the CMS-417 form titled ``Hospice Request for
Certification in the Medicare
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Program'' (OMB Control number: 0938-0313). The CMS-643 is completed by
surveyors during onsite survey activity and poses minimal to no burden
on the hospice provider.
The data collected on the CMS-643 form is entered into the internet
Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) surveyor database
during the course of an initial, recertification or complaint survey.
Hospice surveyors that have access to the electronic iQIES system while
onsite at a hospice, can enter the CMS-643 form data directly into the
system. If this access is not available to the surveyor, they can
record their finding directly onto the CMS-643 form and input the data
into the system later. We removed the requirement for the surveyors to
sign CMS-643 to certify their findings as this process has been
automated once information is entered into the iQIES database. Form
Number: CMS-643 (OMB control number: 0938-0379); Frequency: Yearly;
Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments; Number of
Respondents: 7,029; Total Annual Responses: 2,343; Total Annual Hours:
1,172. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Caecilia
Andrews at 410-786-2190.)
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts,
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-08460 Filed 4-29-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 30, 2026.
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