[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 227 (Monday, November 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70447-70449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28639]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1597-N]
Medicare Program; Semi-Annual Meeting of the Advisory Panel on
Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP Panel)--March 11 and 12, 2013
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the first semi-annual meeting of the
Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP, the Panel), (the
Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Panel) for 2013. The purpose of
the Panel is to advise the Secretary of the Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS) (the Secretary) and the Administrator of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the Administrator) on
the clinical integrity of the APC groups and their associated weights,
and hospital outpatient therapeutic supervision issues.
DATES: Meeting Date: The first semi-annual meeting in 2013 is scheduled
for the following dates and times.
Note: The times listed in this notice are Eastern Daylight Time
(EDT) and are approximate times; consequently, the meetings may last
longer than the times listed in this notice, but will not begin
before the posted times:
Monday, March 11, 2013, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT
Deadlines
Deadline for Presentations and Comments
The email copy of a presentation or comment and form CMS-20017 must
be in the Designated Federal Official's (DFO's) email inbox
([email protected]) by 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, January 25, 2013. The
hardcopy of the presentation must be received by the DFO on or before
Friday, February 1, 2013. Presentations and comments that are not
received by the due dates will be considered late and will not be
included on the agenda. (See below for submission instructions for both
hardcopy and electronic submissions.)
Meeting Registration Timeframe: Monday, January 9, 2013 through
Friday, February 22, 2013 at 5 p.m. EDT.
Participants planning to attend this meeting in person must
register online, during the above specified timeframe at: https://www.cms.gov/apps/events/default.asp. On this Web page, double click the
``Upcoming Events'' hyperlink, and then double click the ``HOP Panel''
event title link and enter the required information. Include any
requests for special accommodations. Note: Participants who do not plan
to attend this meeting in person should not register. No registration
is required for participants that plan to view the meeting via webcast.
[[Page 70448]]
Submission Instructions for Presentations and Comments
Because of staffing and resource limitations, we cannot accept
written comments and or presentations by FAX.
Presentations
Presentation subject matter must be within the scope of the Panel
designated in the Charter. Any presentations outside of the scope of
this Panel will be returned and/or amendments requested. Unrelated
topics include, but are not limited to, the conversion factor, charge
compression, revisions to the cost report, pass-through payments,
correct coding, new technology applications (including supporting
information/documentation), provider payment adjustments, supervision
of hospital outpatient diagnostic services and the types of
practitioners that are permitted to supervise hospital outpatient
services. The Panel may not recommend that services be designated as
nonsurgical extended duration therapeutic services.
All presentations are limited to 5 minutes total presentation time,
regardless of the number of individuals or organizations represented by
a single presentation. Presenters may use their 5 minutes to represent
either one or more agenda items.
All presentations will be considered public information and may be
posted on the CMS Web site and will be shared with the public.
Presenters should not send pictures of patients or Medicare
beneficiaries in any of the documents (unless their faces have been
blocked out) or include any examples with personally identifiable
information.
In order to consider presentation and/or comment requests, we will
need to receive the following information:
1. A hardcopy of your presentation; only hardcopy comments and
presentations can be reproduced for public dissemination.
2. An email copy of your presentation sent to the DFO mailbox,
[email protected].
3. Form CMS-20017 with complete contact information that includes
name, address, phone, and email addresses for all presenters and a
contact that can answer any questions and or provide revisions that are
requested for the presentation.
[cir] Presenters must clearly explain the action(s) that they are
requesting CMS to take in the appropriate section of the form. A
presenter's relationship to the organization that they represent must
also be clearly listed.
[cir] The form is now available through the CMS Forms Web site. The
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for linking to this form is as follows:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/cmsforms/downloads/cms20017.pdf.
Meeting Location and Webcast: The meeting will be held in the
Auditorium, CMS Central Office, 7500 Security Boulevard, Woodlawn,
Maryland 21244-1850.
Alternately, the public may view this meeting via a webcast. During
the scheduled meeting, webcasting is accessible online at: http://cms.gov/live or http://www.ustream.tv. Viewers interested in receiving
the webcast from http://www.ustream.tv will need to type ``CMS Public
Events'' in the search bar to access the webcast.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For inquiries about the Panel, contact
the DFO: Chuck Braver, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop: C4-05-17,
Woodlawn, MD 21244-1850. Phone: (410) 786-3985. Email:
[email protected]
Mail hardcopies and email copies to the following addresses: Chuck
Braver, DFO, CMS, CM, HAPG, DOC--HOP Panel, 7500 Security Blvd. Mail
Stop: C4-05-17, Woodlawn, MD 21244-1850 Email: [email protected]
Note: We recommend that you advise couriers of the following
information: When delivering hardcopies of presentations to CMS,
call (410) 786-4532 or (410) 786-6719 to ensure receipt of documents
by appropriate staff.
News Media: Representatives must contact our Public Affairs Office
at (202) 690-6145.
Advisory Committees' Information Lines: The phone numbers for the
CMS Federal Advisory Committee Hotline are 1-877-449-5659 (toll free)
and (410) 786-3985 (local).
Web Sites: For additional information on the Panel and updates to
the Panel's activities, we refer readers to view our Web site at the
following: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.
You may also search information about the Panel and its membership
in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) database at the following
URL: https://www.fido.gov/facadatabase/public.asp.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Secretary is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social
Security Act (the Act) and section 222 of the Public Health Service Act
(PHS Act) to consult with an expert outside advisory panel regarding
the clinical integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC)
groups and relative payment weights. The Panel (which was formerly
known as the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification
Groups) is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), to set forth
standards for the formation and use of advisory panels.
The Charter provides that the Panel shall meet up to 3 times
annually. We consider the technical advice provided by the Panel as we
prepare the proposed and final rules to update the outpatient
prospective payment system (OPPS).
II. Agenda
The agenda for the March 2013 meeting will provide for discussion
and comment on the following topics as designated in the Panel's
Charter:
Addressing whether procedures within an APC group are
similar both clinically and in terms of resource use.
Evaluating APC group weights.
Reviewing the packaging of OPPS services and costs,
including the methodology and the impact on APC groups and payment.
Removing procedures from the inpatient list for payment
under the OPPS.
Using single and multiple procedure claims data for CMS'
determination of APC group weights.
Addressing other technical issues concerning APC group
structure.
Recommending the appropriate supervision level (general,
direct, or personal) for individual hospital outpatient therapeutic
services.
The subject matter before the Panel will be limited to these and
related topics. Unrelated topics include, but are not limited to, the
conversion factor, charge compression, revisions to the cost report,
pass-through payments, correct coding, new technology applications
(including supporting information/documentation), provider payment
adjustments, hospital outpatient supervision of diagnostic services and
the types of practitioners who are permitted to supervise hospital
outpatient services.
The Panel may not recommend that services be designated as
nonsurgical extended duration therapeutic services.
The Panel may use data collected or developed by entities and
organizations, other than the DHHS and CMS in conducting its review. We
recommend organizations submit data for the Panel's and CMS staff's
review. The Agenda will be posted on the CMS Web site before the
meeting.
[[Page 70449]]
III. Oral Comments
In addition to formal oral presentations, which are limited to 5
minutes total per presentation, there will be an opportunity during the
meeting for public oral comments, which will be limited to 1 minute for
each individual and a total of 3 minutes per organization.
IV. Meeting Attendance
The meeting is open to the public; however, attendance is limited
to space available. Priority will be given to those who pre-register,
and attendance may be limited based on the number of registrants and
the space available.
Persons wishing to attend this meeting, which is located on Federal
property, must register by following the instructions in the ``Meeting
Registration Timeframe'' section of this notice. A confirmation email
will be sent to the registrants shortly after completing the
registration process.
V. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines
The following are the security, building, and parking guidelines:
Persons attending the meeting, including presenters, must
be pre-registered and on the attendance list by the prescribed date.
Individuals who are not pre-registered in advance may not
be permitted to enter the building and may be unable to attend the
meeting.
Attendees must present valid photo identification to the
Federal Protective Service or Guard Service personnel before entering
the building. Without a current, valid photo ID, persons may not be
permitted entry to the building.
Security measures include inspection of vehicles, inside
and out, at the entrance to the grounds.
All persons entering the building must pass through a
metal detector.
All items brought into CMS including personal items, for
example, laptops and cell phones are subject to physical inspection.
The public may enter the building 30 to 45 minutes before
the meeting convenes each day.
All visitors must be escorted in areas other than the
lower and first-floor levels in the Central Building.
The main-entrance guards will issue parking permits and
instructions upon arrival at the building.
VI. Special Accommodations
Individuals requiring sign-language interpretation or other special
accommodations must include the request for these services during
registration.
VII. Panel Recommendations and Discussions
The Panel's recommendations at any Panel meeting generally are not
final until they have been reviewed and approved by the Panel on the
last day of the meeting, before the final adjournment. These
recommendations will be posted to our Web site after the meeting.
VIII. Collection of Information Requirements
This document does not impose information collection and
recordkeeping requirements. Consequently, it need not be reviewed by
the Office of Management and Budget under the authority of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 35).
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program; No. 93.773
Medicare--Hospital Insurance Program; and No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: November 14, 2012.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2012-28639 Filed 11-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P