[Federal Register: August 13, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 157)]
[Notices]
[Page 47193]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13au08-85]
[[Page 47193]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-7011-N]
Medicare Program: Request for Cosponsors for E-prescribing
Educational Conference
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the opportunity for public and private-
sector organizations to act as potential cosponsors for a 2-day
conference that we are sponsoring to educate stakeholders about the new
e-prescribing initiative as described in section 132 of the Medicare
Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.
DATES: Deadline for Cosponsor proposals: Proposals must be received no
later than Friday, August 15, 2008, 5 p.m., d.s.t.
ADDRESSES: Address for Cosponsor proposals: Proposals must be sent
electronically to the following: e.prescribing@cms.hhs.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tracy Self, (410) 786-2133,
Tracy.Self@cms.hhs.gov, or Rachael Horvath, (410) 786-7424,
Rachael.horvath@cms.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 132 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers
Act of 2008 (MIPPA) (Pub. L. 110-275) authorizes the Secretary to
provide incentive payments for 2009 through 2013 to successful
electronic prescribers. As described in section 132 of MIPPA,
successful electronic prescribers are based on either the reporting of
applicable electronic prescribing measures established under the
Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) or through the use of
Part D data.
II. Goals of the Conference
We are sponsoring a 2-day conference on October 6 and 7, 2008, from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. d.s.t. at the Sheraton Boston Hotel and Towers,
Boston, Massachusetts 02199.
The goals of the conference are to--
Equip health care professionals and other stakeholders
with the knowledge and the tools to integrate e-prescribing into their
business model;
Generate discussion about the use of e-prescribing and
other e-health initiatives to increase patient compliance and overall
improved health outcomes;
Educate health care professionals about the structure and
the agency's plans for implementation of the incentive payment
structure in regard to e-prescribing and PQRI;
Identify and promote opportunities to overcome barriers to
adoption of this new technology; and,
Address constituent concerns about privacy, security and
risk management in regard to the implementation of this new provision.
III. Cosponsor Proposals and Evaluation Criteria
This notice is an invitation to submit proposals for cosponsorship
of the conference to the following: interested physician and provider
organizations (including those representing primary care, specialty
care, surgical and medicine-based specialties), not-for-profit
organizations representing health information networks, health care
professionals, retail and community pharmacies, and organizations
representing State and local officials.
Interested parties must submit proposals detailing how they will
support CMS in a nonfiduciary relationship by developing conference
content, identifying speakers, and implementing outreach activities to
educate eligible professionals and impacted consumer constituencies
about the MIPPA provision.
Each proposal must state that the organization has expressed a
willingness to serve as a cosponsor and must be accompanied by
documentation that indicates said sponsor meets the evaluation criteria
as described in this notice. In order to permit an evaluation of
possible sources of conflict of interest, potential cosponsors may be
asked to provide detailed information concerning financial interests
related to e-health implementation.
Cosponsors will be selected based on the following evaluation
criteria. Cosponsors must:
Be a non-profit entity representing impacted
constituencies of e-prescribing.
Have no direct for-profit interest in the implementation
of this provision;
Demonstrate a substantial interest in e-prescribing
technology and implementation and knowledge of current e-prescribing
standards for Medicare Part D [Note: Documentation should include the
organization's goals and mission; and details of previous activities to
support e-prescribing including newsletter articles, internet sources,
research papers, educational conferences, public testimony, or other
similar documentation];
Propose activities and connections that are likely to
provide a substantial public health benefit, consistent with HHS goals
and the e-prescribing initiative including but not limited to
encouraging attendance through member networks, use of cosponsor's logo
in support of conference outreach and identifying and engaging industry
leaders for this event;
Have the expertise and capacity to carry out its proposed
activities; and,
Demonstrate a willingness to work collaboratively with
other public and private sector organizations to achieve the e-health
initiatives.
We will select organizations that meet the established evaluation
criteria to enter into formal cosponsor agreements to consult on the
conference program content, speaker selection, and outreach strategies
in addition to other tasks as described in individual cosponsor
agreements. Potential cosponsors understand that any cosponsor
agreements will clearly indicate that there will be no Federal
endorsement of the cosponsor or any policies, activities, products or
services thereof.
Authority: Sections 1848(k)(6), 1848(m)(5)(A), and 1851(d) of
the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1395(w)-4(k)(6), 42 U.S.C.
1395(w)-4(m)(5)(A), and 42 U.S.C. 1395w-21.
Dated: August 8, 2008.
Kerry Weems,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. E8-18678 Filed 8-8-08; 12 pm]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P