[Federal Register: December 24, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 247)]
[Notices]
[Page 74621-74622]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24de03-94]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1254-N]
Medicare Program; Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory
Payment Classification Groups--February 18, 19, and 20, 2004
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), this notice announces the
first biannual meeting of the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment
Classification (APC) Groups (the Panel) for 2004.
The purpose of the Panel is to review the APC groups and their
associated weights and to advise the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (the Secretary) and the Administrator of the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the Administrator) concerning the
clinical integrity of the APC groups and their associated weights. The
Secretary and Administrator consider the Panel's advice as CMS prepares
its annual updates of the hospital outpatient prospective payment
system (OPPS) through rulemaking.
DATES: The first biannual meeting for 2004 is scheduled for February
18, 19, and 20, 2004, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Multipurpose Room, 1st
Floor, at the CMS Central Office, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore,
Maryland 21244-1850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For copies of the charter, inquiries
regarding these meetings, meeting registration, and submission of oral
presentations or written agenda items, contact Shirl Ackerman-Ross, the
meeting coordinator and Designated Federal Official, FACA; CMS, Center
for Medicare Management, Hospital Ambulatory Policy Group, Division of
Outpatient Care; 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C4-05-17;
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or phone (410) 786-4474. Also, please refer to
the CMS Advisory Committees' Information Line at 1-877-449-5659 (toll
free) and (410) 786-9379 (local).
For additional information on the APC meeting agenda topics and/or
updates to the Panel's activities, search our Internet Web site: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/faca/apc/default.asp
.
To submit a request for a copy of the charter, search the Internet
at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/faca or e-mail SAckermannross@cms.hhs.gov.
Written materials may also be sent electronically to
outpatientpps@cms.hhs.gov.
News media representatives should contact our Public Affairs Office
at (202) 690-6145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the
Secretary) is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social Security
Act (the Act) to establish and consult with an expert, outside advisory
panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) groups. The Advisory
Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups (the Panel) meets up
to three times annually to review the APC groups and to provide
technical advice to the Secretary and to the Administrator of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the Administrator)
concerning the clinical integrity of the groups and their associated
weights. We will consider the technical advice provided by the Panel as
we prepare the proposed rule that proposes changes to the Outpatient
Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for the next calendar year.
The Panel may consist of a chair up to 15 members. These members
must be representatives of Medicare Providers who are subject to OPPS
and they may not be consultants. Panel members must have technical
expertise that will enable them to participate fully in the work of the
panel and must be currently employed full-time in their area of
expertise. The Administrator selected the Panel membership based upon
either self-nominations or nominations submitted by providers or
organizations.
The Panel presently consists of the following members and a Chair
(Vacant):
[sbull] Marilyn Bedell, M.S., R.N., O.C.N.
[sbull] Geneva Craig, R.N., M.A.
[sbull] Lora DeWald, M.Ed.
[sbull] Albert Brooks Einstein, Jr., M.D.
[sbull] Robert E. Henkin, M.D.
[sbull] Lee H. Hilborne, M.D., M.P.H.
[sbull] Stephen T. House, M.D.
[sbull] Frank G. Opelka, M.D., F.A.C.S.
[sbull] Kathleen Kinslow, C.R.N.A., Ed.D.
[sbull] Mike Metro, R.N., B.S.
[sbull] Gerald V. Naccarelli, M.D.
[sbull] Beverly K. Philip, M.D.
[sbull] Lynn R. Tomascik, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.A.A.
[sbull] Timothy Gene Tyler, Pharm.D.
[sbull] William Van Decker, M.D.
The agenda for the February 2004 meeting will provide for
discussion and comment on the following topics:
[sbull] Reconfiguration of APCs (for example, splitting of APCs,
moving Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes from one
APC to another and moving HCPCS codes from New Technology APCs to
Clinical APCs).
[sbull] Evaluation of APC weights.
[sbull] Packaging devices and drug costs into APCs: methodology,
effect on APCs, and need for reconfiguring APCs based upon device and
drug packaging.
[sbull] Removal of procedures from the inpatient list for payment
under the OPPS.
[sbull] Use of single and multiple procedure claims data.
[sbull] Packaging of HCPCS codes.
[sbull] Other technical issues concerning APC structure.
We are soliciting comments from the public on specific agenda items
falling within these agenda topics for the February 2004 Panel meeting.
We will consider specific agenda items for this meeting if they are
submitted in writing and fall within the agenda topics listed above. We
urge those who wish to comment to send comments as soon as possible but
no later than 5 p.m. (EST), Friday, February 6, 2004.
The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the
space available. Individuals or organizations wishing to make 5-minute
oral presentations should contact the meeting coordinator by 5 p.m.
(EST), Friday, February 6, 2004, in order to be scheduled. The number
of oral presentations may be limited by the time available. Oral
presentations must not exceed 5 minutes and may be further limited by
the Chair due to quantity of presentations.
Persons wishing to make oral presentations must submit a copy of
the presentation and the name, address, and telephone number of the
presenter. In addition, all presentations must contain, at a minimum,
the following supporting information and data:
[[Page 74622]]
[sbull] The presenter's financial relationship(s), if any, with any
company whose products, services, or procedures are under
consideration.
[sbull] Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes
involved.
[sbull] APC(s) affected.
[sbull] Description of the issue(s).
[sbull] Clinical description of the service under discussion (with
comparison to other services within the APC).
[sbull] Recommendations and rationale for change.
[sbull] Expected outcome of change and potential consequences of
not making the change.
Submit a written copy of the oral presentation or written agenda
items to the meeting coordinator listed above or electronically to the
following address: outpatientpps@cms.hhs.gov. Because of staffing and
resource limitations, we cannot accept comments by facsimile (FAX)
transmission and cannot acknowledge or respond individually to comments
that we receive.
In addition to formal presentations, there will be an opportunity
during the meeting for public comment, limited to 1 minute for each
individual or a total of 5 minutes per organization.
Persons wishing to attend this meeting, which is located on Federal
property, must call the meeting coordinator, Shirl Ackerman-Ross, at
(410) 786-4474, to register in advance no later than 5 p.m. (EST),
Wednesday, February 4, 2004. Persons attending must present a
photographic identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard
Service personnel before they will be allowed to enter the building.
Persons who are not registered in advance will not be permitted
into the building and will not be permitted to attend the meeting.
A member of our staff will be stationed at the Central Building,
first-floor lobby, to provide assistance to attendees. Please remember
that all visitors must be escorted if they have business in areas other
than the lower and first floor levels in the Central Building. Parking
permits and instructions are issued upon arrival by the guards at the
main entrance.
Special Accommodations: Individuals requiring sign-language
interpretation or other special accommodations should send a written
request for these services to the meeting coordinator, Shirl Ackerman-
Ross, at Center for Medicare Management, Hospital Ambulatory Policy
Group, Division of Outpatient Care; 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop
C4-05-17; Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 by 5 p.m. (EST), Wednesday, February
4, 2003.
Authority: Section 1833(t) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t), as
amended by section 201(h) of the BBRA of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-113) and
section 10(a) of Pub. L. 92-463 (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). The Panel is
governed by the provisions of Pub. L. 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C.
Appendix 2).
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773,
Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: December 9, 2003.
Thomas A. Scully,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 03-31045 Filed 12-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P