[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 164 (Tuesday, August 25, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 45248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22719]



[[Page 45248]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research


Contract Review Meeting

    In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), announcement is made of the following 
technical review committee to meet during the month of August 1998.

    Name: Technical Review Committee of the Agency for Health Care 
Policy and Research Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household and 
Medical Provider Components.
    Date and Time: August 25, 1998, 8:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m.
    Place: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Executive 
Office Center, 6th Floor Conference Room, 2101 East Jefferson 
Street, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    This meeting will be closed to the public.
    Purpose: The Technical Review Committee's charge is to provide, 
on behalf of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) 
Contracts Review Committee, recommendations to the Administrator, 
AHCPR, regarding the technical merit of contract proposals submitted 
in response to a specific Request for Proposals regarding the AHCPR 
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household and Medical 
Provider Components, announced in the Commerce Business Daily on 
April 6, 1998.
    This contract will continue the Agency for Health Care Policy 
and Research's operations is support of the Medical Expenditure 
Panel Survey Household and Medical Provider Components. This effort 
consists of simultaneous data collection and data preparation 
activities.
    The purpose of MEPS is to provide policymakers, health care 
administrators, businesses, researchers and others with timely, 
comprehensive information about health care use and costs in the 
United States. MEPS is unparalleled for the degree of detail in its 
data as well as its ability to link health expenditure and health 
insurance information to the demographic, employment and health 
status characteristics of survey respondents. Moreover, MEPS is the 
only national survey that provides a foundation for estimating the 
impact of changes in source of payment and insurance coverage on 
different economic groups or special populations such as the poor, 
elderly, families, veterans, the uninsured, and racial and ethnic 
minorities. The MEPS consists of several components: the Household 
Component (HC), Medical Provider Component (MPC), Insurance 
Component (IC) and the Nursing Home Component (NHC).
    The objective of the MEPS Household Component and the Medical 
Provider Component is to produce mean and distributional estimates, 
at both national and regional levels, representing calendar year and 
cross-sectional time points for a variety of health related 
measures. These data are particularly important because they can be 
generalized to the entire civilian noninstitutionalized population, 
and because the survey design permits the conduct of research where 
families as well as individuals are the units of analysis.
    Because of its uniqueness and importance, AHCPR is committed to 
the timely dissemination of all MEPS data products and micro data 
files. The timely dissemination, release and dissemination of such 
products and files is of the utmost importance to the overall 
success of the MEPS project.
    Agenda: The Committee meeting will be devoted entirely to the 
technical review and evaluation of contract proposals submitted in 
response to the above-referenced Request for Proposals. The 
Administrator, AHCPR, has made a formal determination that this 
meeting will not be open to the public. This action is necessary to 
safeguard confidential proprietary information and personal 
information concerning individuals associated with the proposals 
that may be revealed during this meeting, and to protect the free 
exchange of views, and avoid undue interference with Committee and 
Department operations.
    This is accordance with section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, 5 U.S.C., Appendix 2, implementing regulations, 41 
CFR 101-6.1023 and procurement regulations, 48 CFR section 
315.604(d).
    Anyone wishing to obtain information regarding this meeting 
should contact Doris Lefkowitz, Center for Cost and Financing 
Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 2101 East 
Jefferson Street, Suite 500, Rockville, Maryland 20852, telephone 
(301) 594-1406.

    Dated: August 18, 1998.
John M. Eisenberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-22719 Filed 8-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M