[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 31125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12434]



[[Page 31125]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1279-N]


Medicare Program; Request for Nominations for the Program 
Advisory Oversight Committee for the Competitive Acquisition of Durable 
Medical Equipment and Other Items

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice solicits nominations for individuals to serve on 
the Program Advisory Oversight Committee that will advise the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services on the establishment of the competitive 
acquisition of durable medical equipment and certain other items and 
services under the Medicare program. This notice implements section 
302(b)(1) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and 
Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003. The Secretary will establish the 
committee. In addition, this committee is exempt from the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C., appendix 2.

DATES: Nominations will be considered if we receive all of the required 
information no later than 5 p.m., July 2, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send nominations to--Division of Community Post Acute Care, 
Mail stop C5-08-17, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850. Attention: Sean 
Dalenberg or Michael Keane. Nominations may also be e-mailed to 
[email protected] or [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Dalenberg at (410) 786-0300 or 
Michael Keane at (410) 786-4495. Press inquiries are handled through 
the CMS Press Office at (202) 690-6145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Payment for durable medical equipment (DME) is currently based on 
fee schedule amounts established using reasonable charge data from 
earlier years. Section 302(b)(1) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, 
Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. L. 108-173), 
requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services 
to replace the current DME payment methodology for certain items with a 
competitive acquisition process to improve the effectiveness of 
Medicare's methodology for setting DME payment amounts. This new 
bidding process will establish payment for certain durable medical 
equipment, enteral nutrition, and off-the-shelf orthotics. In addition, 
the statute requires the Secretary to establish and administer a 
Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) that will provide 
advice on the development and implementation of the Competitive 
Acquisition Program.

II. Goals, General Responsibilities, and Composition of the Program 
Advisory Oversight Committee

A. Goals and General Responsibilities

    Section 302 of the MMA, also states that the goals of the committee 
are to provide advice on the following:
     The implementation of the Competitive Acquisition Program.
     The establishment of financial standards that take into 
account the needs of small providers.
     The establishment of requirements for collection of data 
for the efficient management of the program.
     The development of proposals for efficient interaction 
among manufacturers, providers of services, suppliers, and individuals.
     The establishment of quality standards.
    In addition, the MMA states that the committee may also perform 
additional functions to assist the Secretary.
    In accordance with section 302 of the MMA, the Committee will be 
intact until December 31, 2009. Committee meetings are expected to 
occur every 2 months during the first year and quarterly thereafter. 
Committee meetings will be held in the Baltimore/Washington DC area. 
(We will reimburse travel expenses, which will be based on government 
per diem rates and travel policy.)

B. Composition of the Program Oversight Committee (PAOC)

    We have particular interest in individuals with expertise in DME, 
prosthetics, orthotics, or supplies (DMEPOS) and competitive bidding, 
as well as experience in furnishing services and items in the rural and 
the urban marketplace. The PAOC will be composed of 12 to 15 members 
from the following broad representation:
     Beneficiary/consumer representatives.
     Physicians and other practitioners.
     Manufacturers.
     Suppliers.
     Professional standards organizations.
     Financial standards specialists.
     Data management specialists.
     Association representatives.
     Experts in shipping fragile medical materials.
     Other. (If you believe that representatives of other 
specialties or with other skills should be included on the committee, 
you may indicate the category or respective categories and you may 
nominate an individual for that category.)

III. Submission of Nominations

    This notice is requesting nominations for membership on the PAOC. 
The Secretary will consider qualified individuals who are nominated and 
determined to have the expertise required to meet specific agency needs 
and who will ensure an appropriate balance of membership.
    Nominations may be made for one or more qualified individuals and 
self-nominations will also be accepted. Each nomination must include 
the following:
    1. A letter of nomination that includes the following--
    a. Contact information for both the nominator and nominee (if not 
the same).
    b. The category, as specified in section II.B. of this notice for 
which the nomination is being made (for example, suppliers or 
association representatives).
    2. A curriculum vitae or resume of the nominee that includes a 
statement of the nominee's current professional responsibilities (not 
to exceed five pages).
    3. A statement that the nominee is willing to serve on the 
committee for its duration (that is, until December 31, 2009). This 
statement should also include a discussion of the nominee's relevant 
experience (not to exceed three pages). (For self-nominations, this 
information may be included in the nomination letter.)

    Authority: Section 302(b) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, 
Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA).

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

    Dated: May 27, 2004.
Mark B. McClellan,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 04-12434 Filed 5-28-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P