Hospice currently serves approximately
42% of dying patients in the United States. Medicare covers most
hospice patients under a benefit created in 1983 to provide
palliative care at the end of life. Despite its 30-year history as
a Medicare benefit, to date no single survey has been
systematically administered by all hospices across the country to
assess experiences of hospice care. This submission requests
approval for national implementation of the CAHPS® Hospice Survey
and as well as approval for a mode experiment to test for mode
effects, if any, when the survey is implemented. The CAHPS® Hospice
Survey will sample caregivers of patients who died while under
hospice care. Survey administration will start between 2 and 3
months after the death of the patient. The sample will be provided
by the hospice program. This information will ultimately be used to
improve hospice care throughout the country. The mod experiment is
intended to determine what mode effects, if any, are found while
implementing the survey. Three modes will be tested: mail-only,
telephone-only, and mixed-mode (mail with telephone follow up). The
mode experiment will occur simultaneously with the first year of
National Implementation of the survey, which is also covered as
part of this submission.
CMS believes this increase is
due to an increase in the number of respondents (from 951,482 to
1,032,004), the number of hospices participating in the program
during the same period (from 3,414 to 3,670) and the general
increase in beneficiary use of the hospice benefit.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.