[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]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P