[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 175 (Friday, September 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55917-55918]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23120]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1587-N2]
Medicare Program; Notification of Closure of St. Vincent's
Medical Center; Extension of the Deadline for Submission of
Applications
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of extension of the Deadline for Submission of
Applications.
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SUMMARY: This notice extends the deadline for hospitals to apply to the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to receive St. Vincent's
Medical Center's full time equivalent (FTE) resident cap slots. The
application deadline, which was September 28, 2011, has been extended
to December 1, 2011.
DATES: The application deadline is extended to 5 p.m. (e.s.t.) on
December 1, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Renate Dombrowski, (410) 786-4645.
Miechal Lefkowitz, (212) 616-2517.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 31, 2011, we published a notice in
the Federal Register (76 FR 31340) to announce the closure of St.
Vincent's Medical Center and the initiation of an application process
for hospitals to apply to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) to receive St. Vincent's Medical Center's full time equivalent
(FTE) resident cap slots, as provided under section 5506 of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111-148), as amended by the
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-
[[Page 55918]]
152) (collectively, the ``Affordable Care Act''), ``Preservation of
Resident Cap Positions from Closed Hospitals.'' Specifically, section
5506 of the Affordable Care Act authorizes the Secretary to
redistribute residency cap slots after a hospital that trained
residents in an approved medical residency program(s) closes. St.
Vincent's Medical Center's official date of termination of the Medicare
provider agreement and date of closure is October 31, 2010. The
published notice, announcing the hospital closure and initiating the
application process to preserve St. Vincent's resident cap positions
stated that the application deadline was September 28, 2011. The date
of September 28, 2011, was chosen since the procedure described in the
November 24, 2010 Federal Register (75 FR 72215) for initiating an
application process specifies that the application deadline would be 4
months after issuance of the notice to the public (that is, September
28, 2011, is 4 months after May 31, 2011).
Specifically, section 5506 of the Affordable Care Act instructs the
Secretary to increase the FTE resident caps for other hospitals based
upon the FTE resident positions in teaching hospitals that closed ``on
or after a date that is 2 years before the date of enactment'' (that
is, March 23, 2008). In the November 24, 2010 Federal Register (75 FR
72215), we stated that hospitals wishing to apply for FTE resident cap
slots from teaching hospitals that closed between March 23, 2008 and
through and including August 3, 2010, must submit applications to CMS
by April 1, 2011. We further stated that for any teaching hospital
closures occurring after August 3, 2010, separate notice would be made
announcing the closure and initiating an application process for those
slots and a future application deadline. The first application process
with the application deadline of April 1, 2011, spanned over a 2-year
timeframe (covering all hospital closures between March 28, 2008 and
through and including August 3, 2010), and involved 15 closed teaching
hospitals, generating a very large number of applications and slots to
be redistributed. The closure of St. Vincent's Medical Center occurred
on October 31, 2010, and the notice announcing the closure and
initiating the application process was published on May 31, 2011,
establishing the September 28, 2011 application deadline. Thus, the
application period CMS initiated for the preservation of FTE resident
slots due to the closure of St. Vincent's Medical Center overlaps with
the period during which CMS is processing and reviewing the
applications received under the first expansive section 5506
application process, and issuing final determinations to hospitals that
may receive increases to their FTE resident caps. Moreover, we note
that St. Vincent's Medical Center is located in the same CBSA as 3 (of
the 15) hospitals that closed between March 23, 2008 through August 3,
2010, and many of the hospitals wishing to apply for slots from St.
Vincent's Medical Center have indicated that it would be helpful to
receive the results of their applications submitted under the first
section 5506 process in order to make informed decisions regarding the
number of slots for which to apply from St. Vincent's Medical Center
under this separate application process. CMS does not have a specific
deadline by which to issue final determinations to hospitals that
receive slots under section 5506 of the Affordable Care Act under the
initial expansive application process, yet we understand the concerns
of these hospitals and believe it is appropriate, in this case, to
extend the application deadline for FTE resident slots from St.
Vincent's Medical Center. Accordingly, we are extending the application
deadline for FTE resident slots from St. Vincent's Medical Center from
September 28, 2011 to December 1, 2011. We will consider applications
received no later than 5 p.m. (e.s.t) December 1, 2011. Applications
must be received, not postmarked, by this date.
We continue to refer readers to http://www.cms.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/06_dgme.asp# TopOfPage to download a copy of the CMS
Evaluation Form 5506, which is the application form that hospitals are
to use to apply for slots under section 5506 of the Affordable Care
Act. In addition, readers can access this Web site for a copy of the CY
2011 OPPS November 24, 2010 final rule, for an explanation of the
policy and procedures for applying for slots and the redistribution of
the slots under sections 1886(h)(4)(H)(vi) and 1886(d)(5)(B)(v) of the
Social Security Act, as provided by section 5506 of the Affordable Care
Act. The mailing addresses for the CMS New York Regional Office and the
CMS Central Office are included in this application form.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773,
Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: September 1, 2011.
Donald M. Berwick,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-23120 Filed 9-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P