CMS Seeks Comments on CAHPS for MIPS Survey Revision Through June 26, 2026

Content

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 (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 June 26, 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 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,
please access the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address into your web browser: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.

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: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey for Merit-based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS); Use: This is a request to revise the information collection for the CAHPS for MIPS Survey. The CAHPS for MIPS survey is used in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) to collect data on fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries' experiences of care with eligible clinicians participating in MIPS and is designed to gather only the necessary data that CMS needs for assessing physician quality performance, and related public reporting on physician performance, and should complement other data collection efforts. The survey consists of the core Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey, version 3.0, plus additional survey questions to meet CMS's information and program needs. The survey information is used for quality reporting, the compare tool on the Medicare.gov website, and annual statistical experience reports describing MIPS data for all MIPS eligible clinicians.

This 2026 information collection request addresses the requirements related to the statutorily required quality measurement.
The CAHPS for MIPS survey results in burden to three different types of entities: groups, virtual groups, and subgroups; vendors;
and beneficiaries associated with administering the survey. Virtual groups are subject to the same requirements as groups
and subgroups; therefore, we will refer only to “groups” as an inclusive term for all entities unless otherwise noted.

The revision consists of a change to the vendor participation form to collect cost information from survey vendors. The collection
of this cost information was proposed in the CY 2025 PFS final rule (89 FR 62010) and (89 FR 62123). The revision also includes
changes to the vendor participation form to collect information related to the addition of web to the existing mail-phone
administration protocol. The addition of web as the first mode of administration was proposed in the CY 2026 PFS final rule
(90 FR 49266) and (90 FR 49760). The changes to the vendor participation form consist of:

• 2 new items to collect information on cost.
• 1 new item to collect information related to web administration of the survey.
• 12 items revised to collect information related to web administration of the survey. The cost information is readily available to survey vendors, as a result adding it to the vendor participation form does not affect burden. The web survey requires vendors to collect additional information to complete the vendor participation form. We estimate an additional hour of burden for a total of 11 hours per application, an increase to the 10 hours per application first established in the CY 2018 Quality Payment Program final rule (82 FR 30216). We also assume this change would not affect survey vendor participation. Form Number: CMS-10450 (OMB control number: 0938-1222); Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: Business or other for-profits and Not-for-profit institutions and Individuals and Households; Number of Respondents: 26,976; Total Annual Responses: 26,976; Total Annual Hours: 6,139 (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Julie Johnson at 410-786-1507.)

William N. Parham, III, Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs. [FR Doc. 2026-08160 Filed 4-24-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4120-01-P

Download File

Download