[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 249 (Friday, December 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79123-79124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-31408]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1202-CN]


Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated 
Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities--Correction Notice

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

[[Page 79124]]


ACTION: Correction notice.

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SUMMARY: This correction notice corrects technical errors that appeared 
in the notice published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2002 
entitled ``Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and 
Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities--Update.''

EFFECTIVE DATE: This correction is effective October 1, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Ullman, (410) 786-5667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the July 31, 2002 notice entitled 
``Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled 
Nursing Facilities--Update'' (67 FR 49798), there were two technical 
errors in the preamble involving the Skilled Nursing Facilities 
Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) wage index values. In addition, 
the list of urban areas in one of the wage index tables inadvertently 
omitted the name of a constituent county for a particular urban area. 
Finally, the preamble explanation of another table, Table 12, 
inadvertently cited the wrong figure from that table. Accordingly, we 
are correcting the SNF PPS wage index values and the list of urban 
areas, as published in Table 7, and are also correcting the total 
change figure provided in the explanation of Table 12.
    Specifically, in the discussion of Table 12 (``Projected Impact of 
FY 2003 Update to the SNF PPS'') that appeared on page 49817, the 
explanation of column 5 of that table erroneously cited the figure at 
the bottom of the column (-9.1 percent) as the projected total change 
in aggregate payments for FY 2003. In fact, the figure at the bottom of 
column 5 represents the projected change in payments only for voluntary 
facilities, while the figure representing the total projected change 
for all facilities (-8.8 percent) actually appears at the top of column 
5.
    In addition, in Table 7, the wage index value for the Kankakee, IL 
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (area 3740) is corrected from 
0.8122 to 1.0790, and the wage index value for the Killeen-Temple, TX 
MSA (area 3810) is corrected from 0.9570 to 1.0399. In addition, the 
county of Bell, TX is added to the list of constituent counties for the 
Killeen-Temple, TX MSA (area 3810). Finally, in the discussion of Table 
12, the figure representing the projected decrease in aggregate 
payments is corrected from 9.1 percent to 8.8 percent. These 
corrections are effective October 1, 2002.
    In accordance with our longstanding policies, these technical and 
tabulation errors are being corrected prospectively, effective October 
1, 2002. This correction notice conforms the published SNF PPS wage 
index values to the prospectively revised values. As such, this 
correction does not represent any changes to the policies set forth in 
the notice.
    The corrections appear in this document under the heading 
``Correction of Errors.'' The provisions in this correction notice are 
effective as if they had been included in the document published in the 
Federal Register on July 31, 2002.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    We ordinarily publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the 
Federal Register to provide a period for public comment before 
provisions of a notice such as this take effect. We can waive this 
procedure, however, if we find good cause that a notice and comment 
procedure is impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public 
interest and incorporate a statement of the finding and its reasons in 
the notice issued.
    We find it unnecessary to undertake notice and comment rulemaking 
because this notice merely provides technical corrections to the 
regulations and does not make any substantive changes to the 
regulations. Therefore, for good cause, we waive notice and comment 
procedures.

Correction of Errors

    In FR Doc. 02-19373 of July 31, 2002 (67 FR 49798), we are making 
the following corrections:

Corrections to Preamble

    1. On page 49809, in column 3 of Table 7, ``Wage Index for Urban 
Areas,'' the entry of ``0.8122'' for the Kankakee, IL MSA (area 3740) 
is revised to read ``1.0790'' (effective October 1, 2002).
    2. On page 49809, in column 3 of Table 7, ``Wage Index for Urban 
Areas'', the entry of ``0.9570'' for the Killeen-Temple, TX MSA (area 
3810) is revised to read ``1.0399'' (effective October 1, 2002).
    3. On page 49809, in column 3 of Table 7, ``Bell, TX'' is added to 
the list of constituent counties for the Killeen-Temple, TX MSA (area 
3810) (effective October 1, 2002).
    4. On page 49817, in column 3, in the fifth paragraph, the phrase 
``9.1 percent'' is revised to read ``8.8 percent.''

    Authority: Section 1888 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395yy))


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93-773, 
Medicare-- Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)

    Dated: December 7, 2002.
Ann Agnew,
Executive Secretary to the Department.
[FR Doc. 02-31408 Filed 12-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P