[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 184 (Tuesday, September 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56808-56809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22634]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1626-N]
Medicare Program; Solicitation of Nominations to the Advisory
Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice solicits nominations for up to four new members to
the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP, the Panel).
There are vacancies on the Panel effective September 30, 2014.
The purpose of the Panel is to advise the Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the clinical integrity of
the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) groups and their associated
weights, and supervision of hospital outpatient services.
The Secretary rechartered the Panel in 2012 for a 2-year period
effective through November 19, 2014. CMS intends to recharter the Panel
for another 2-year period prior to expiration of the current charter.
DATES: Submission of Nominations: We will consider nominations if they
are received no later than 5 p.m. (e.s.t.) November 24, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Please submit nominations electronically to the following
email address: [email protected].
Web site: For additional information on the Panel and updates to
the Panel's activities, we refer readers to our Web site at the
following address: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons wishing to nominate
individuals to serve on the Panel or to obtain further information may
contact Carol Schwartz at the following email address:
[email protected] or call (410) 786-3985.
News Media: Representatives should contact the CMS Press Office at
(202) 690-6145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (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 that are components of the Medicare
Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), and the
appropriate supervision level for hospital outpatient services. The
Panel is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which
sets forth standards for the formation and use of advisory panels. The
panel may consider data collected or developed by entities and
organizations (other than the Department of Health and Human Services)
as part of their deliberations.
The Charter provides that the Panel shall meet up to three times
annually. We consider the technical advice provided by the Panel as we
prepare the proposed and final rules to update the OPPS for the
following calendar year.
The Panel shall consist of a chair and up to 19 members who are
full-time employees of hospitals, hospital systems, or other Medicare
providers that are subject to the OPPS. (For purposes of the Panel,
consultants or independent contractors are not considered to be
representatives of providers.)
The current Panel members are as follows: (Note: The asterisk [*]
indicates the Panel members whose terms end effective September 30,
2014.)
E. L. Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair, a CMS Medical Officer.
Karen Borman, M.D.
Kari S. Cornicelli, C.P.A., FHFMA.*
Brain D. Kavanagh, M.D., M.P.H.*
Scott Manaker, M.D., Ph.D.*
John Marshall, CRA, RCC, RT.*
Jim Nelson
Leah Osbahr
Jacqueline Phillips
Johnathan Pregler, M.D.
Traci Rabine
Wendy Resnick, FHFMA
Michael Rabovsky, M.D.
Marianna V. Spanki-Varelas M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.
Gale Walker
Kris Zimmer
Panel members serve on a voluntary basis, without compensation,
according
[[Page 56809]]
to an advance written agreement; however, for the meetings, CMS
reimburses travel, meals, lodging, and related expenses in accordance
with standard Government travel regulations. CMS has a special interest
in ensuring, while taking into account the nominee pool, that the Panel
is diverse in all respects of the following: Geography; rural or urban
practice; race, ethnicity, sex, and disability; medical or technical
specialty; and type of hospital, hospital health system, or other
Medicare provider subject to the OPPS.
Based upon either self-nominations or nominations submitted by
providers or interested organizations, the Secretary, or her designee,
appoints new members to the Panel from among those candidates
determined to have the required expertise. New appointments are made in
a manner that ensures a balanced membership under the FACA guidelines.
II. Criteria for Nominees
The Panel must be fairly balanced in its membership in terms of the
points of view represented and the functions to be performed. Each
Panel member must be employed full-time by a hospital, hospital system,
or other Medicare provider subject to payment under the OPPS. All
members must have technical expertise to enable them to participate
fully in the Panel's work. Such expertise encompasses hospital payment
systems; hospital medical care delivery systems; provider billing
systems; APC groups; Current Procedural Terminology codes; and alpha-
numeric Health Care Common Procedure Coding System codes; and the use
of, and payment for, drugs, medical devices, and other services in the
outpatient setting, as well as other forms of relevant expertise. For
supervision deliberations, the Panel shall have members that represent
the interests of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), who advise CMS only
regarding the level of supervision for hospital outpatient services.
It is not necessary for a nominee to possess expertise in all of
the areas listed, but each must have a minimum of 5 years experience
and currently have full-time employment in his or her area of
expertise. Generally, members of the Panel serve overlapping terms up
to 4 years, based on the needs of the Panel and contingent upon the
rechartering of the Panel. A member may serve after the expiration of
his or her term until a successor has been sworn in.
Any interested person or organization may nominate one or more
qualified individuals. Self-nominations will also be accepted. Each
nomination must include the following:
Letter of Nomination stating the reasons why the nominee
should be considered.
Curriculum vitae or resume of the nominee that includes an
email address where the nominee can be contacted.
Written and signed statement from the nominee that the
nominee is willing to serve on the Panel under the conditions described
in this notice and further specified in the Charter.
The hospital or hospital system name and address, or CAH
name and address, as well as all Medicare hospital and or Medicare CAH
billing numbers of the facility where the nominee is employed.
III. Copies of the Charter
To obtain a copy of the Panel's Charter, we refer readers to our
Web site at the following: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.
IV. Collection of Information Requirements
This document does not impose information collection requirements,
that is, reporting, recordkeeping or third-party disclosure
requirements. Consequently, there is no need for review by the Office
of Management and Budget under the authority of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995.
Dated: September 15, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-22634 Filed 9-22-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P