[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4729-4730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01642]
[[Page 4729]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-3293-N]
Medicare Program; Physician Compare Town Hall Meeting, February
24, 2014
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 solicit input
from stakeholders on the future of the Physician Compare Web site.
Stakeholders will be able to participate in the session in person and
via telephone. Following a short initial presentation, the meeting
agenda will provide the opportunity for on-site session attendees to
give brief three-minute comments on the issues of interest. As time
allows, telephone participants will also have the opportunity to
provide brief three-minute comments on these issues. The meeting is
open to the public, but attendance is limited to space available.
DATES: Registration Date: All participants must register by Monday,
February 17, 2014. Requests for special accommodations must be received
no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (e.s.t.) on Friday,
February, 21, 2014.
Meeting Date: Monday, February 24, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m. e.s.t.; check-in will begin at 12:00 p.m. e.s.t.
ADDRESSES: Main auditorium (Central building) at the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD
21244.
Written Questions or Statements: Any interested party may send
written comments by mail or electronically. We will accept written
testimony, questions, or other statements, not to exceed two single-
spaced, typed pages, before the meeting, and up until March 3, 2014, at
5:00 p.m. e.s.t. Send written testimony, questions, or other statements
to: Division of Electronic and Clinician Quality (DECQ), Mailstop S3-
02-01, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore Maryland 21244-1850, Attention: Rashaan Byers or
Regina Chell, or, [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rashaan Byers, (410) 786-2305,
[email protected], or Regina Chell, (410) 786-6551,
[email protected].
You may also send inquires about this meeting via email to
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 10331(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(Pub. L. 111-148, enacted on March 23, 2010, as amended by the Health
Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111-15, and
collectively known as the Affordable Care Act) requires by January 1,
2013, and with respect to reporting periods that begin no earlier than
January 1, 2012, that CMS develop a plan for making publicly available
through Physician Compare information on physician performance that
provides comparable information on quality and patient experience
measures. We met this requirement ahead of the deadline, and continue
to build on the plan through rulemaking.
Specifically, we began finalizing the first phase of the plan in
the 2012 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule with comment period
(76 FR 73417) and the 2013 PFS final rule with comment period (77 FR
69166) to add quality data to Physician Compare via a phased approach.
According to this plan, we will post the first set of measure data on
the site in early 2014, reflecting data collected in program year 2012,
if technically feasible. These data will include Physician Quality
Reporting System (PQRS) Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) measures
for group practices and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) collected
via the web interface. In the 2014 PFS final rule with comment period
(78 FR 74229), we further built on the plan for public reporting
including PQRS GPRO Registry and EHR measures in addition to a larger
pool of web interface measures, as well as Clinician and Group Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) measures for
certain group practices and ACOs. We also finalized public reporting of
2014 individual quality measures in calendar year (CY) 2015 as
specified in the 2014 PFS rule, if technically feasible.
Since Physician Compare's inception in 2010, we have been working
continually to enhance the site and its functionality, improve the
information available, and include more and increasingly useful
information about physicians and other healthcare professionals who
take part in Medicare. This effort, along with the addition of quality
measures on the site, will help it serve its two-fold purpose:
To provide information for consumers to encourage informed
healthcare decisions; and,
To create explicit incentives for physicians to maximize
performance.
In an effort to maximize Physician Compare and make it as useful
and beneficial as possible for consumers, we are seeking input
regarding the types of information that could potentially be included
on Physician Compare in the future. This Town Hall meeting is an
opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions regarding the future of
public reporting on Physician Compare. We are looking to receive input
on questions such as,
What types of measures could be most useful to consumers?
What measures would most accurately identify quality care?
What measures would most accurately/completely represent
the various Medicare specialties?
What non-CMS measures should potentially be considered for
Physician Compare and what are the logistical means of obtaining these
measure data?
Is it appropriate to reduce the length of the measure
preview period from 30 days to 2 weeks?
We are also seeking input regarding the inclusion of additional
information that may be of interest to consumers. Specifically, we are
looking to receive input on questions such as,
Is there additional Board Certification information we
should consider including on Physician Compare?
What other types of quality improvement programs or
quality initiatives should we potentially consider publishing
participation information for?
Are there additional medical qualifications we should
consider publishing on Physician Compare?
Is there additional healthcare professional or group
practice information we should include on Physician Compare, such as
office hours or Web site addresses, etc.?
For all of the above questions, we also seek input on accessing the
most up-to-date and accurate data sources for this information.
II. Meeting Format
The initial portion of the meeting will be a short background
presentation on the Physician Compare Web site and public reporting
plan to date, followed by a presentation setting out the key issues of
interest for the day. The remainder of the meeting will be reserved for
individual statements from interested parties.
Time for participants to make a statement will be limited according
to
[[Page 4730]]
the number of registered participants. Therefore, individuals who wish
to make a statement must send an email to [email protected]
as soon as possible to register for the meeting and to sign up to make
a statement. Participants will be permitted to speak in the order in
which they sign up starting with participants who attend in person and
followed by participants who attend via telephone. Comments from
individuals not registered to speak will be heard after scheduled
statements, only if time permits. Written submissions will also be
accepted through March 3, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. e.s.t.
III. Registration Instructions
The Division of Electronic and Clinician Quality (DECQ) within the
Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) of CMS is coordinating
the meeting registration for the Town Hall Meeting. Although there is
no registration fee, individuals must register to attend. You may
register by sending an email to [email protected]. Please use
the subject line ``Physician Compare Town Hall Registration'' and
include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and, if
available, fax number. Indicate if you wish to participate in person or
via telephone. You will receive a registration confirmation with
instructions for your arrival at the CMS complex or for accessing the
meeting via telephone. If capacity has been reached, you will be
notified that the meeting has reached capacity.
Individuals requiring sign language interpretation or other special
accommodations must send an email to [email protected]
indicating the needed accommodations by the date listed in the DATES
section of this notice.
IV. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines
Because this meeting will be located on federal property, for
security reasons, any persons wishing to attend this meeting must
register by close of business on the date specified in the DATES
section of this notice. Individuals who have not registered in advance
will not be allowed to enter the building to attend the meeting.
Seating capacity is limited to the first 250 registrants.
The on-site check-in for visitors starts at 12:00 p.m. e.s.t. on
the day of the meeting. Please allow sufficient time to go through the
security checkpoints. It is suggested that you arrive at 7500 Security
Boulevard no later than 12:30 p.m. so that you will be able to arrive
promptly at the meeting by 1:00 p.m. All items brought to the building,
whether personal or for the purpose of demonstration or to support a
presentation, are subject to inspection.
Security measures will include inspection of vehicles, inside and
out, at the entrance to the grounds. Visitors to the complex are
required to show a valid U.S. Government issued photo identification,
preferably a driver's license, at the time of entry. In addition, all
persons entering the building must pass through a metal detector. All
items brought to CMS, including personal items such as laptops, cell
phones, smart phones, tablets, etc. are subject to physical inspection.
Authority: (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No.
93.773, Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774,
Medicare--Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: January 23, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-01642 Filed 1-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P