[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1785-1786]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-640]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Care Financing Administration
42 CFR Parts 416 and 488
(HCFA-1885-4N)
RIN 0938-AH81
Medicare Program; Update of Ratesetting Methodology, Payment
Rates, Payment Policies, and the List of Covered Procedures for
Ambulatory Surgical Centers Effective October 1, 1998; Extension of
Comment Period
AGENCY: Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of extension of comment period for proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: This document extends the comment period for the fourth time
on a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on June 12, 1998,
(63 FR 32290). In that rule we proposed to make various changes,
including changes to the ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment
methodology and the list of Medicare covered procedures. The comment
period is extended for 60 days.
DATES: The comment period is extended to 5 p.m. on March 9, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments (one original and three copies) to the
following address: Health Care Financing Administration, Department of
Health and Human Services, Attention: HCFA-1885-P, P.O. Box 26688,
Baltimore, MD 21207-0488.
If you prefer, you may deliver your written comments (one original
and three copies) to one of the following addresses: Room 443-G, Hubert
H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20201, or Room C5-09-26, Central Building, 7500 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
Because of staffing and resource limitations, we cannot accept
comments by facsimile (FAX) transmission. In commenting, please refer
to file code HCFA-1885-P. Comments received timely will be available
for public inspection as they are received, generally beginning
approximately 3 weeks after publication of a document, in Room 443-G of
the Department's offices at 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington,
DC, on Monday through Friday of each week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(phone: (202) 690-7890).
For comments that relate to information collection requirements,
mail a copy of comments to: Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, New Executive
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, Attn: Allison Herron Eydt, HCFA
Desk Officer.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terri Harris, (410) 786-6830.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 12, 1998, we issued a proposed rule
in the Federal Register (63 FR 32290) that would do the following:
Update the criteria for determining which surgical
procedures can be appropriately and safely performed in an ASC.
Make additions to and deletions from the current list of
Medicare covered ASC procedures based on the revised criteria.
Rebase the ASC payment rates using cost, charge, and
utilization data collected by a 1994 survey of ASCs.
Refine the ratesetting methodology that was implemented by
a final notice published on February 8, 1990, in the Federal Register.
Require that ASC payment, coverage, and wage index updates
be implemented annually on January 1 rather than having these updates
occur randomly throughout the year.
Reduce regulatory burden.
Make several technical policy changes.
The proposed rule would also implement requirements of section
1833(i)(1) and (2) of the Social Security Act. We indicated that
comments would be considered if we received them by August 11, 1998.
We received requests from numerous ASCs and professional
associations for more time to analyze the potential consequences of the
rule. We issued a notice in the Federal Register on August 14, 1998,
(63 FR 43655) announcing extension of the public comment period to
September 10, 1998.
On September 8, 1998, we published a proposed rule in the Federal
Register entitled ``Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System for
Hospital Outpatient Services'' (63 FR 47552). We received additional
requests from ASCs and professional associations for more time to
analyze the impact of the hospital outpatient proposed rule, and for a
delay in the implementation of the ASC final rule to be concurrent with
implementation of the hospital outpatient prospective payment system.
On October 1, 1998, we reopened the comment period for the June 12,
1998, ASC proposed rule until November 9, 1998, to coincide with the
comment period for the September 8, 1998, hospital outpatient proposed
rule. We also gave notice in the October 1, 1998, Federal Register (63
FR 52663) of a delay in the adoption of the provisions of the June 12,
1998, ASC proposed rule as a final rule to be concurrent with the
adoption as final of the hospital outpatient prospective payment system
as soon as possible after January 1, 2000. In the November 13, 1998,
Federal Register (63 FR 63430), we further extended the comment period
until January 8, 1999.
Published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register is a
document extending for an additional 60 days the comment period for the
September 8, 1998, hospital outpatient proposed rule (63 FR 47552).
Because Medicare payments to ASCs are closely linked to the way
Medicare proposes to pay hospitals under a prospective payment system
for surgical services furnished on an outpatient basis, we are
extending the comment period for the June 12, 1998, ASC proposed rule
for an additional 60 days to be concurrent with the extended comment
period for the September 8, 1998, hospital outpatient proposed rule.
The comment period will close at 5 p.m. on March 9, 1999.
[[Page 1786]]
Authority: Secs. 1102 and 1871 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1302 and 1395hh).
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.774,
Medicare--Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: January 4, 1999.
Nancy-Ann Min DeParle,
Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration.
Dated: January 6, 1999.
Donna E. Shalala,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-640 Filed 1-8-99; 9:17 am]
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