[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31558-31560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12466]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1458-N]
Medicare Program; Second Semi-Annual Meeting of the Advisory
Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP Panel) August 26-27, 2013
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the second semi-annual meeting of the
Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP, the 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 Ambulatory Payment
Classification (APC) groups and their associated weights, and hospital
outpatient therapeutic services supervision issues.
DATES: Meeting Date: The second semi-annual meeting in 2013 is
scheduled for the following dates and times. 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, August 26, 2013, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.
Meeting Information Updates: The actual meeting hours and days will
be posted in the agenda. As information and updates regarding the
onsite and webcaste meeting, agenda, and presentations become
available, they will be posted on the CMS Web site at: http://cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html
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, July, 19, 2013. The
hardcopy of the presentation must be received by the DFO on or before
Friday, July 26, 2013. Presentations and comments 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, July 08, 2013 through
Friday, August 09, 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.
Participants who do not plan to attend this meeting in person
should not register. No registration is required for participants who
plan to view the meeting via webcast.
Submission Instructions for Presentations and Comments
Because of staffing and resource limitations, we cannot accept
written comments and or presentations by FAX.
Meeting Location and Webcast
The meeting will be held in the CMS Central Office, Auditorium,
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.
[[Page 31559]]
Advisory Committees' Information Lines: The phone number for the
CMS Federal Advisory Committee Hotline is (410) 786-3985.
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 August 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.
III. Presentation
The presentation subject matter must be within the scope of the
panel designated in the Charter. The subject matter 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.
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.
Presentations may not contain any pictures, illustrations, or
personally identifiable information.
To consider presentation and/or comment requests, we will need to
receive the following information:
A hardcopy of your presentation; only hardcopy comments
and presentations can be reproduced for public dissemination.
An email copy of your presentation sent to the DFO
mailbox, [email protected].
Form CMS-20017 with complete contact information that
includes name, address, phone number, and email addresses for all
presenters and a contact that can answer any questions and or provide
revisions that are requested for the presentation.
Presenters must clearly explain the actions 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.
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.
IV. 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.
V. 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 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.
VI. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines
The meeting will be held in a Federal government building;
therefore, federal security measures are applicable.
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 government-issued
photographic identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard
Service personnel before entering the building. Persons without proper
identification will be denied access 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.
[[Page 31560]]
VII. Special Accommodations
Individuals attending the meeting who are hearing or visually
impaired and have special requirements or other special accommodations
must include the request for these services during registration.
VIII. 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.
IX. 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: May 17, 2013.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2013-12466 Filed 5-23-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P