[Federal Register: March 28, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 60)]
[Notices]
[Page 15206-15207]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28mr03-79]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1474-N]
Medicare Program; Town Hall Meeting on the Inpatient
Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a town hall meeting to allow the public
to discuss the inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective
payment system (PPS). Beneficiaries, providers, physicians, inpatient
rehabilitation facilities staff, industry representatives, and other
interested parties are invited to this meeting to present their views
regarding the IRF PPS. The meeting is open to the public, but
attendance is limited to space available.
DATES: Meeting Date: The town hall meeting announced in this notice
will be held on Monday, May 19, 2003, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (eastern
daylight saving time).
ADDRESSES: The town hall meeting will be held in the auditorium at the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, MD 21244.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: August Nemec, 410-786-0612. You may
also send inquiries about this meeting via e-mail to
ANemec@cms.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On August 7, 2001, we published a final rule entitled ``Medicare
Program; Prospective Payment System for Inpatient Rehabilitation
Facilities (CMS-1069-F)'' in the Federal Register (66 FR 41316), that
established a prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient
rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) as authorized under section 1886(j) of
the Social Security Act (the Act). The IRF PPS regulations are codified
at 42 CFR part 412, subpart P. In the August 7, 2001 final rule, we set
forth per discharge Federal prospective payment rates for the fiscal
year (FY) 2002 that provided payment for inpatient operating and
capital costs of furnishing covered rehabilitation services (that is,
routine, ancillary, and capital costs) but not costs of approved
educational activities, bad debts, and other services or items that are
outside the scope of the IRF PPS. The provisions of that final rule
were effective for cost reporting
[[Page 15207]]
periods beginning on or after January 1, 2002. (On July 1, 2002, we
published a correcting amendment to the final rule in the Federal
Register (67 FR 44073). Any reference to the August 7, 2001 final rule
in this proposed rule includes the provisions effective in the
correcting amendment.)
Section 1886(j)(5) of the Act and Sec. 412.628 of the regulations
requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register, on or before
August 1 of the preceding fiscal year, the classifications and
weighting factors for the IRF case-mix groups (CMGs) and a description
of the methodology and data used in computing the prospective payment
rates for the upcoming fiscal year. On August 1, 2002, we published a
notice in the Federal Register (67 FR 49928) to update the IRF Federal
prospective payment rates from FY 2002 to FY 2003 using the methodology
described in Sec. 412.624 of the regulations. As stated in that
notice, we used the same classifications and weighting factors for the
IRF CMGs that were set forth in the August 7, 2001 final rule to update
the IRF Federal prospective payment rates from FY 2002 to FY 2003. The
FY 2003 Federal prospective payment rates are effective for discharges
on or after October 1, 2002 and before October 1, 2003.
After implementing the IRF PPS on January 1, 2002 and through the
first quarter of calendar year 2002, we held conference calls with the
IRF industry. These conference calls were beneficial for our staff and
the IRF industry to understand and address the issues and concerns of
implementing this new PPS. Since the IRF PPS has been implemented for
over one year, we believe that this town hall meeting will provide
interested parties with the opportunity to discuss issues and concerns
regarding the IRF PPS.
In the near future, we anticipate publishing a proposed rule to set
forth proposed updated FY 2004 IRF prospective payment rates and to
propose other changes to the IRF PPS. It is important to note that if
the proposed rule is published before the IRF town hall meeting,
statements and comments made or received during the town hall meeting
will not be accepted and considered as official comments on the
proposed rule. To be considered as official comments, the procedures
described in the DATES, ADDRESSES, and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
sections of the proposed rule must be followed.
II. Meeting Format
The meeting will begin with an overview of the goals of the
meeting. The meeting moderator will be introduced along with members of
the CMS IRF PPS Panel. After a brief overview of the IRF PPS, the
moderator will lead a discussion of the written statements received
before the town hall meeting as described below. We have developed an
agenda (to be posted on the CMS Web site discussed below) for the
meeting consisting of the following aspects of the IRF PPS: (1) The IRF
patient classification and payment systems; (2) the IRF patient
assessment instrument; and (3) the requirements for a hospital or a
unit of a hospital to be classified as an IRF.
Beginning on or about April 28, 2003, information about the IRF PPS
town hall meeting will be posted at the following Web site address:
www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/irfpps/default.asp. At this address,
interested parties will find important information on the town hall
meeting including an agenda for the meeting and handouts to be used
during the discussions.
We will limit the time for participants to make formal statements
according to the number of registered participants. Individuals who
wish to make formal statements must contact August Nemec as soon as
possible. Those individuals must subsequently submit their formal
statement in writing so that it is received by CMS no later than 5
p.m., Monday, May 12, 2003. Send written submissions to: August Nemec,
Division of Institutional Post Acute Care, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C5-06-27,
Baltimore, Maryland 21244 or ANemec@cms.hhs.gov. If time permits,
statements from individuals not registered to speak will be heard after
individuals with scheduled statements.
III. Registration Instructions
The Division of Institutional Post Acute Care is coordinating
meeting registration. While there is no registration fee, all
individuals must register to attend. Because this meeting will be
located on Federal property, for security reasons, any persons wishing
to attend this meeting must register by writing or e-mailing the actual
names of the attendees to August Nemec at least 72 hours in advance of
the meeting date. Attendees must show photographic identification to
the Federal Protective Service or Guard Service personnel before they
will be permitted to enter the building. Individuals who have not
registered in advance will not be allowed to enter the building to
attend the meeting. The meeting is limited to registered persons, and
seating capacity is limited to the first 250 registrants.
Individuals requiring sign language interpretation for the hearing
impaired or other special accommodations should contact August Nemec at
least 10 days before the meeting.
Authority: Section 1886(j) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395ww(j)).
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773,
Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: March 24, 2003.
Thomas A. Scully,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 03-7495 Filed 3-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P