Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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 (the 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.

DATES:

Comments must be received by January 18, 2022.

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 http://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.

To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice, you may make your request using one of following:

1. Access CMS' website address at website address at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.html.

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 ).

CMS-10157—The HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS)

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: Extension of a currently approved collection; Title of Information Collection: The HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS); Use: CMS created the HETS application to provide Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant 270/271 health care eligibility inquiries (270) and responses (271) on a real-time basis. In creating the HETS application, federal law requires that CMS take precautions to minimize the security risk to federal information systems. Accordingly, CMS is requiring that trading partners who wish to connect to the HETS 270/271 application via the CMS Extranet and/or internet agree to specific trading partner terms as a condition of receiving access to Medicare eligibility information. Applicants will complete the entire Trading Partner Agreement form to indicate agreement with CMS trading partner terms and provide sufficient information to establish connectivity to the service and assure that those entities that access the Medicare eligibility information are aware of applicable provisions and penalties for the misuse of information.

CMS uses the Trading Partner Agreement Form to capture certain information whereby a person certifies that they are fully aware of any and all penalties related to the use of PHI and their access to this data from the HETS application. The information is an attestation by the authorized representative of an entity that wishes to access the Medicare eligibility information to conduct real-time eligibility transactions. The authorized representative is a person responsible for business decisions on behalf of the Organization who is submitting the access request. The data captured includes the authorized representative's name, title contact number and the name of the submitting entity. Other data captured is the submitter's National Provider Identifier (NPI), business name, billing address, physical address, and telephone number. Form Number: CMS-10157 (OMB control number: 0938-0960); Frequency: Annually; Affected Public: Private Sector, Businesses or other for-profits; Number of Respondents: 1,000; Total Annual Responses: 1,000; Total Annual Hours: 250. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Rupinder Singh at 410-786-7484.)