Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services.

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 any of the following subjects: 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 3, 2017.

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' Web site address at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PaperworkReductionActof1995.

2. Email your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, and CMS document identifier, to Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov.

3. Call the Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-1326.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786-1326.

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-10632 Evaluating Coverage to Care (C2C)

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: New collection (Request for a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection: Evaluating Coverage to Care (C2C); Use: CMS OMH has contracted with the RAND Corporation to evaluate From Coverage to Care (C2C). From the beginning of the Affordable Care Act's implementation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) recognized that achieving better health and reduced health care costs would require individuals to take an active role in their health care and regularly use primary and preventive care services. To address this need, CMS OMH launched From Coverage to Care (C2C) in June 2014. C2C was designed to help consumers understand what it means to have health insurance coverage, how to find a provider, when and where to seek appropriate health services, and why prevention and partnering with a provider is important for achieving optimal health. It was also designed to equip health care providers and stakeholders in the community who support consumers' connection to care with the tools needed to promote consumer engagement and to promote changes in the health care system that improve access to care. As part of C2C, CMS produced a range of consumer-oriented materials, both web-based and in print. The most in-depth of the print materials is an eight-step booklet titled “A Roadmap to Better Care and a Healthier You.” Based on the need for the information to be communicated in smaller, more digestible packets, booklets were developed to correspond to each of the eight steps. Four of the most popular pages of the Roadmap have been made available as single-page handouts for easier distribution. These materials are currently available in eight languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese.

Since the national launch in 2014, CMS has disseminated C2C through speaking engagements, webinars, and meetings sponsored by CMS regional offices. CMS fills product orders and recently completed a redesign of the C2C Web site. C2C has grown to address emerging needs of consumers, as well as stakeholders or organizations that work with and support consumers, across the full continuum of health insurance and care: Plan selection, enrollment, finding a provider, and engaging in care over time.

RAND spent the past year designing and preparing for this evaluation to assess C2C's impact on consumer health insurance literacy and care utilization. This evaluation will also help CMS understand how C2C is spread within a community and disseminated to consumers, and in turn how best to maximize C2C's impact. The next three years will be dedicated to implementing the evaluation described in this submission. We are proposing four data collection activities: (1) A cross-sectional survey of organizations that have ordered and used the materials with consumers; (2) A cross-sectional survey of consumers, drawn from the Knowledge Networks panel, to measure the association between C2C and consumer knowledge and behavior; (3) semi-structured interviews with staff from a limited set of community organizations as part of a case study; and (4) focus groups of consumers as part of a case study. The case study will be conducted in a community where English is not the preferred language, and where C2C materials in another language (e.g., Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese) were used with consumers. Form Number: CMS-10632 (OMB control number: 0938-New); Frequency: Occasionally; Affected Public: Individuals or Households; Number of Respondents: 3,460; Total Annual Responses: 3,460; Total Annual Hours: 1,176. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Ashley Peddicord-Austin at 410-786-0757).