[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 143 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 44091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18993]



[[Page 44091]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-3117-N]


Medicare Program; Meeting of the Medicare Coverage Advisory 
Committee--September 9, 2003

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting of the Medicare 
Coverage Advisory Committee (the Committee). The Committee provides 
advice and recommendations to us about clinical issues. The Committee 
advises us on whether adequate evidence exists to determine whether 
specific medical items and services are reasonable and necessary under 
the Medicare statute. The Committee will discuss and make 
recommendations concerning the quality of the evidence and related 
issues for the use of ocular photodynamic therapy (OPT) with 
verteporfin in routine clinical use in the population of Medicare 
beneficiaries who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 
occult with no classic choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Notice of 
this action is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App. 2, section 10(a)(1) and (a)(2)).

DATES: The public meeting announced will be held on Tuesday, September 
9, 2003 from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., e.d.t.
    Deadline for Presentations and Comments: Interested persons may 
present data, information, or views orally or in writing, on issues 
pending before the Committee. Written presentations and comments must 
be submitted to the Executive Secretary, Michelle Atkinson, by 
telephone at 410-786-2881 or by e-mail at [email protected] by 
August 21, 2003, 5 p.m., e.d.t.
    Special Accommodations: Persons attending the meeting who are 
hearing or visually impaired, or have a condition that requires special 
assistance or accommodations, are asked to notify the Executive 
Secretary by August 21, 2003 (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor, 
Room: Harbor 1, 12th floor, 301 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 
21201. Refer to Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee meeting if making 
reservations through the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor.
    Presentations and Comments: Submit formal presentations and written 
comments to Michelle Atkinson by telephone at 410-786-2881, by e-mail 
at [email protected], or by mail to the Executive Secretary, Office 
of Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C1-09-06, Baltimore, MD 
21244.
    Web site: You may access up-to-date information on this meeting at 
http://www.cms.gov/coverage.
    Hotline: You may access up-to-date information on this meeting on 
the CMS Advisory Committee Information Hotline, 1-877-449-5659 (toll 
free), or in the Baltimore area, (410) 786-9379.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Atkinson, Executive 
Secretary, by telephone at 410-786-2881, or by email at 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 14, 1998, we published a notice 
in the Federal Register (63 FR 68780) to describe the Medicare Coverage 
Advisory Committee (the Committee), which provides advice and 
recommendations to us about clinical issues. This notice announces the 
following public meeting of the Committee.
    Meeting Topic: The Committee will discuss the evidence, hear 
presentations and public comment, and make recommendations regarding 
the use of ocular photodynamic therapy (OPT) with verteporfin in 
routine clinical use in the population of Medicare beneficiaries who 
have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and occult with no classic 
choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Background information about this 
topic, including panel materials, is available on the Internet at 
http://www.cms.gov/coverage.
    Procedure and Agenda: This meeting is open to the public. The 
Committee will hear oral presentations from the public. The Committee 
may limit the number and duration of oral presentations to the time 
available. If you wish to make formal presentations, you must notify 
the Executive Secretary named in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section, and submit the following by August 21, 2003, 5 p.m., e.d.t.: A 
brief statement of the general nature of the evidence or arguments you 
wish to present, and the names and addresses of proposed participants. 
A written copy of your presentation must be provided to each Panel 
member before offering your public comments. We will request that you 
declare at the meeting whether or not you have any financial 
involvement with manufacturers of any items or services being discussed 
(or with their competitors).
    After the public and the CMS presentations, the Committee will 
deliberate openly on the topic. Interested persons may observe the 
deliberations, but the Committee will not hear further comments during 
this time except at the request of the chairperson. The Committee will 
also allow an unscheduled open public session for any attendee to 
address issues specific to the topic. At the conclusion of the day, the 
members will vote and the Committee will make its recommendation.

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 10(a)(1) and (a)(2).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.774, 
Medicare--Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)


    Dated: July 16, 2003.
Steve Phurrough,
Acting Director, Coverage and Analysis Group, Office of Clinical 
Standards and Quality, Chief Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 03-18993 Filed 7-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P