[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74621-74622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31045]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1254-N]


Medicare Program; Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory 
Payment Classification Groups--February 18, 19, and 20, 2004

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), this notice announces the 
first biannual meeting of the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment 
Classification (APC) Groups (the Panel) for 2004.
    The purpose of the Panel is to review the APC groups and their 
associated weights and to advise the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (the Secretary) and the Administrator of the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the Administrator) concerning the 
clinical integrity of the APC groups and their associated weights. The 
Secretary and Administrator consider the Panel's advice as CMS prepares 
its annual updates of the hospital outpatient prospective payment 
system (OPPS) through rulemaking.

DATES: The first biannual meeting for 2004 is scheduled for February 
18, 19, and 20, 2004, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Multipurpose Room, 1st 
Floor, at the CMS Central Office, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 
Maryland 21244-1850.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For copies of the charter, inquiries 
regarding these meetings, meeting registration, and submission of oral 
presentations or written agenda items, contact Shirl Ackerman-Ross, the 
meeting coordinator and Designated Federal Official, FACA; CMS, Center 
for Medicare Management, Hospital Ambulatory Policy Group, Division of 
Outpatient Care; 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C4-05-17; 
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or phone (410) 786-4474. Also, please refer to 
the CMS Advisory Committees' Information Line at 1-877-449-5659 (toll 
free) and (410) 786-9379 (local).
    For additional information on the APC meeting agenda topics and/or 
updates to the Panel's activities, search our Internet Web site: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/faca/apc/default.asp.
    To submit a request for a copy of the charter, search the Internet 
at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/faca or e-mail [email protected].
    Written materials may also be sent electronically to 
[email protected].
    News media representatives should contact our Public Affairs Office 
at (202) 690-6145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the 
Secretary) is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social Security 
Act (the Act) to establish and consult with an expert, outside advisory 
panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) groups. The Advisory 
Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups (the Panel) meets up 
to three times annually to review the APC groups and to provide 
technical advice to the Secretary and to the Administrator of the 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the Administrator) 
concerning the clinical integrity of the groups and their associated 
weights. We will consider the technical advice provided by the Panel as 
we prepare the proposed rule that proposes changes to the Outpatient 
Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for the next calendar year.
    The Panel may consist of a chair up to 15 members. These members 
must be representatives of Medicare Providers who are subject to OPPS 
and they may not be consultants. Panel members must have technical 
expertise that will enable them to participate fully in the work of the 
panel and must be currently employed full-time in their area of 
expertise. The Administrator selected the Panel membership based upon 
either self-nominations or nominations submitted by providers or 
organizations.
    The Panel presently consists of the following members and a Chair 
(Vacant):
    [sbull] Marilyn Bedell, M.S., R.N., O.C.N.
    [sbull] Geneva Craig, R.N., M.A.
    [sbull] Lora DeWald, M.Ed.
    [sbull] Albert Brooks Einstein, Jr., M.D.
    [sbull] Robert E. Henkin, M.D.
    [sbull] Lee H. Hilborne, M.D., M.P.H.
    [sbull] Stephen T. House, M.D.
    [sbull] Frank G. Opelka, M.D., F.A.C.S.
    [sbull] Kathleen Kinslow, C.R.N.A., Ed.D.
    [sbull] Mike Metro, R.N., B.S.
    [sbull] Gerald V. Naccarelli, M.D.
    [sbull] Beverly K. Philip, M.D.
    [sbull] Lynn R. Tomascik, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.A.A.
    [sbull] Timothy Gene Tyler, Pharm.D.
    [sbull] William Van Decker, M.D.
    The agenda for the February 2004 meeting will provide for 
discussion and comment on the following topics:
    [sbull] Reconfiguration of APCs (for example, splitting of APCs, 
moving Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes from one 
APC to another and moving HCPCS codes from New Technology APCs to 
Clinical APCs).
    [sbull] Evaluation of APC weights.
    [sbull] Packaging devices and drug costs into APCs: methodology, 
effect on APCs, and need for reconfiguring APCs based upon device and 
drug packaging.
    [sbull] Removal of procedures from the inpatient list for payment 
under the OPPS.
    [sbull] Use of single and multiple procedure claims data.
    [sbull] Packaging of HCPCS codes.
    [sbull] Other technical issues concerning APC structure.
    We are soliciting comments from the public on specific agenda items 
falling within these agenda topics for the February 2004 Panel meeting. 
We will consider specific agenda items for this meeting if they are 
submitted in writing and fall within the agenda topics listed above. We 
urge those who wish to comment to send comments as soon as possible but 
no later than 5 p.m. (EST), Friday, February 6, 2004.
    The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the 
space available. Individuals or organizations wishing to make 5-minute 
oral presentations should contact the meeting coordinator by 5 p.m. 
(EST), Friday, February 6, 2004, in order to be scheduled. The number 
of oral presentations may be limited by the time available. Oral 
presentations must not exceed 5 minutes and may be further limited by 
the Chair due to quantity of presentations.
    Persons wishing to make oral presentations must submit a copy of 
the presentation and the name, address, and telephone number of the 
presenter. In addition, all presentations must contain, at a minimum, 
the following supporting information and data:

[[Page 74622]]

    [sbull] The presenter's financial relationship(s), if any, with any 
company whose products, services, or procedures are under 
consideration.
    [sbull] Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 
involved.
    [sbull] APC(s) affected.
    [sbull] Description of the issue(s).
    [sbull] Clinical description of the service under discussion (with 
comparison to other services within the APC).
    [sbull] Recommendations and rationale for change.
    [sbull] Expected outcome of change and potential consequences of 
not making the change.
    Submit a written copy of the oral presentation or written agenda 
items to the meeting coordinator listed above or electronically to the 
following address: [email protected]. Because of staffing and 
resource limitations, we cannot accept comments by facsimile (FAX) 
transmission and cannot acknowledge or respond individually to comments 
that we receive.
    In addition to formal presentations, there will be an opportunity 
during the meeting for public comment, limited to 1 minute for each 
individual or a total of 5 minutes per organization.
    Persons wishing to attend this meeting, which is located on Federal 
property, must call the meeting coordinator, Shirl Ackerman-Ross, at 
(410) 786-4474, to register in advance no later than 5 p.m. (EST), 
Wednesday, February 4, 2004. Persons attending must present a 
photographic identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard 
Service personnel before they will be allowed to enter the building.
    Persons who are not registered in advance will not be permitted 
into the building and will not be permitted to attend the meeting.
    A member of our staff will be stationed at the Central Building, 
first-floor lobby, to provide assistance to attendees. Please remember 
that all visitors must be escorted if they have business in areas other 
than the lower and first floor levels in the Central Building. Parking 
permits and instructions are issued upon arrival by the guards at the 
main entrance.
    Special Accommodations: Individuals requiring sign-language 
interpretation or other special accommodations should send a written 
request for these services to the meeting coordinator, Shirl Ackerman-
Ross, at Center for Medicare Management, Hospital Ambulatory Policy 
Group, Division of Outpatient Care; 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop 
C4-05-17; Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 by 5 p.m. (EST), Wednesday, February 
4, 2003.

    Authority: Section 1833(t) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t), as 
amended by section 201(h) of the BBRA of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-113) and 
section 10(a) of Pub. L. 92-463 (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). The Panel is 
governed by the provisions of Pub. L. 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. 
Appendix 2).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773, 
Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)

    Dated: December 9, 2003.
Thomas A. Scully,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 03-31045 Filed 12-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P