[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 57 (Friday, March 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14924-14926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2566]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1281-N]


Medicare Program; Public Meetings in Calendar Year 2006 for All 
New Public Requests for Revisions to the Healthcare Common Procedure 
Coding System (HCPCS) Coding and Payment Determinations

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the dates, time, and location of the 
Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) public meetings to be 
held in calendar year 2006 to discuss our preliminary coding and 
payment determinations for all new public requests for revisions to the 
HCPCS.
    These meetings provide a forum for interested parties to make oral 
presentations or to submit written comments in response to preliminary 
coding and payment determinations. Discussion will be directed toward 
responses to our specific preliminary recommendations and will include 
all items on the public meeting agenda.

DATES: Meeting Dates: The following are the 2006 HCPCS public meeting 
dates:
    1. Tuesday, April 25, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Durable 
Medical Equipment (DME) and Accessories).
    2. Wednesday, April 26, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Orthotics 
and Prosthetics).
    3. Thursday, April 27, 2006, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Orthotics 
and Prosthetics).
    4. Thursday, May 4, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Supplies and 
Other).
    5. Friday, May 5, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Supplies and 
Other).
    6. Thursday, May 11, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Drugs/
Biologicals/Radiopharmaceuticals/Radiologic Imaging Agents).
    7. Friday, May 12, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.d.s.t. (Drugs/
Biologicals/Radiopharmaceuticals/Radiologic Imaging Agents).

    The product category reported by the meeting participant may not be 
the same as that assigned by CMS. All meeting participants are advised 
to review the public meeting agenda at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo which identifies our category determinations, and the 
dates each item will be discussed. Draft agendas, including a summary 
of each request and CMS' preliminary decision will be posted on our 
HCPCS Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo medhcpcsgeninfo at least one 
month before each meeting.
    Each meeting day will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., e.d.s.t., 
except for Thursday, April 27, 2006, the meeting will begin at 9 a.m. 
and end at 12 p.m., e.d.s.t.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held in the auditorium at the 
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21244.

Meeting Registration

    Registration Procedures: Registration can be completed online at 
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo. To register by telephone or e-
mail, for the April 25, April 26, and April 27, 2006 meetings, contact 
Felicia Eggleston at [email protected] or telephone (410) 
786-9287; or Trish Brooks at [email protected] or telephone 
(410) 786-4561.
    For the May 4, May 5, May 11, and May 12, 2006 meetings, contact 
Jennifer Carver at [email protected] or telephone (410) 786-
6610; or Gloria Knight at [email protected] or telephone (410) 
786-4598.
    The following information must be provided when registering: Name, 
company name and address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, 
and special needs information. A CMS staff member will confirm your 
registration by mail, e-mail, or fax.
    Registration Deadlines: Individuals must register for each date 
they plan either to attend or to provide a presentation. For the April 
25, 26, and

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27 public meeting dates, the deadline for registration is April 18, 
2006; for the May 4 and 5, 2006 public meeting, the deadline for 
registration is April 27, 2006; for the May 11 and 12 public meetings, 
the deadline for registration is May 4, 2006.
    Primary Speakers: Individuals must also indicate whether they are 
the ``primary speaker'' for an agenda item. Primary speakers must be 
designated by the entity that submitted the HCPCS coding request. When 
registering, primary speakers must provide a brief written statement 
regarding the nature of the information they intend to provide, and 
advise the HCPCS Public Meeting Coordinator regarding needs for audio/
visual support. In order to avoid disruption of the meeting and ensure 
compatibility with our systems, tapes and disk files are tested and 
arranged in speaker sequence well in advance of the meeting. We will 
accept tapes and disk files that are received by the deadline for each 
public meeting, as listed in section I-A titled ``Oral Presentation 
Procedures.'' The sum of all materials including presentation may not 
exceed 10 pages (each side of a page counts as 1 page). An exception 
will be made to the 10-page limit for relevant studies published 
between the application deadline and the public meeting date, in which 
case, we would like a copy of the entire study as published as soon as 
possible.
    These materials may be delivered by regular mail (postmark date no 
later than deadline date) or by e-mail to the respective HCPCS Public 
Meeting Coordinators listed under the section titled ``Meeting 
Registration.'' Individuals will need to provide 35 copies if materials 
are delivered by mail.
    5-Minute Speakers: In order to afford the same opportunity to all 
attendees, there is no pre-registration for 5-minute speakers. 
Attendees can sign up only on the day of the meeting to do a 5-minute 
presentation. They must provide their name, company name and address, 
contact information as specified on the sign-up sheet, and identify the 
specific agenda item that will be addressed.
    Web Site: Additional details regarding the public meeting process 
for all new public requests for revisions to the HCPCS, along with 
information on how to register and guidelines for an effective 
presentation, will be posted at least 1 month before the first meeting 
date on the HCPCS Web site: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo. 
Individuals who intend to provide a presentation at a public meeting 
need to familiarize themselves with the HCPCS Web site and the valuable 
information it provides to prospective registrants. The same URL, the 
HCPCS Web site, also contains a document titled ``The Healthcare Common 
Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II Coding Procedures,'' which is 
a description of the HCPCS coding process, including a detailed 
explanation of the procedures used to make coding and payment 
determinations for all the products, supplies, and services that are 
coded in the HCPCS. A summary of each public meeting will be posted on 
the HCPCS Web site by the end of August 2006.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 21, 2000, the Congress passed 
the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection 
Act of 2000 (BIPA) (Pub. L. 106-554). Section 531(b) of BIPA mandated 
that we establish procedures that permit public consultation for coding 
and payment determinations for new durable medical equipment (DME) 
under Medicare Part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (the 
Act). The procedures and public meetings announced in this notice for 
new DME are in response to the mandate of section 531(b) of BIPA.
    We published a notice in the November 23, 2001 Federal Register (66 
FR 58743) providing information regarding the establishment of the 
public meeting process for DME. It is our intent to distribute any 
materials submitted to CMS to the HCPCS workgroup members for their 
consideration. CMS and the HCPCS workgroup members require sufficient 
preparation time to review all relevant materials. For this reason, our 
HCPCS Public Meeting Coordinators will only accept and review 
presentation materials received by the deadline for each public 
meeting, as listed in section I-A titled ``Oral Presentation 
Procedures.'' Therefore, we are implementing a 10-page submission limit 
and firm deadlines for receipt of any materials and presentations the 
meeting participant wishes CMS to consider.
    The public meeting process provides an opportunity for the public 
to become aware of coding changes under consideration, as well as an 
opportunity for CMS to gather public input.

I. Presentations and Comment Format

    We can only estimate the amount of meeting time that will be needed 
since it is difficult to anticipate the total number of speakers for 
each meeting. Meeting participants should arrive early since each 
meeting is anticipated to begin promptly at 9 a.m. Speakers need to 
arrive prepared and wait until it is their turn to speak. Meetings may 
end earlier than the stated ending time.

A. Oral Presentation Procedures

    Individuals who are planning to provide an oral presentation must 
register as provided under the section titled ``Meeting Registration.'' 
Materials and writings that will be used in support of an oral 
presentation should be submitted to the HCPCS Public Meeting 
Coordinators as listed under the section titled ``Meeting 
Registration.''
    The deadline for submitting materials and writings that will be 
used in support of an oral presentation are as follows: For the April 
25, 26, and 27, 2006 public meetings, the deadline is April 11, 2006; 
for the May 4 and 5, 2006 public meetings, the deadline is April 20, 
2006; for the May 11 and 12, 2006 meetings, the deadline is April 26, 
2006. These materials may be delivered by regular mail (postmark date 
no later than deadline date) or by e-mail to the respective HCPCS 
Public Meeting Coordinators listed in the section titled ``Meeting 
Registration.'' Individuals will need to include 35 copies if materials 
are delivered by mail.

B. Primary Speaker Presentations

    The individual or entity requesting revisions to the HCPCS coding 
system for a particular agenda item may designate one ``primary 
speaker'' to make a presentation for a maximum of 15 minutes. Fifteen 
minutes is the total time interval for the presentation, and the 
presentation must incorporate the demonstration, set-up, and 
distribution of material. In establishing the public meeting agenda, we 
may group multiple, related requests under the same agenda item. In 
that case, we will decide whether additional time will be allotted, and 
may opt to increase the amount of time allotted to the speaker by 
increments of less than 15 minutes. In other words, the amount of time 
allotted to aggregate proposals might not be expanded exponentially by 
the number of requests.
    We will post ``Guidelines for Participation in Public Meetings for 
All New Public Requests for Revisions to the Healthcare Common 
Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Coding and Payment Determinations'' on 
the official HCPCS Web site at least a month before the first public 
meeting in 2006 for all new public requests for revisions to the HCPCS. 
Individuals designated to be the primary speaker must register to 
attend the meeting using the registration procedures described under 
the section titled ``Meeting Registration'' and, at least 15 days 
before the meeting, contact the appropriate HCPCS Public Meeting

[[Page 14926]]

Coordinators, listed under the section titled ``Meeting Registration.''

C. ``5-Minute'' Speaker Presentations

    Meeting attendees can sign up at the meeting, on a first-come, 
first-served basis, to make 5-minute presentations on individual agenda 
items. Based on the number of items on the agenda and the progress of 
the meeting, a determination will be made at the meeting by the meeting 
coordinator and the meeting moderator regarding how many 5-minute 
speakers can be accommodated.

D. Speaker Declaration

    On the day of the meeting, before the end of the meeting, all 
primary speakers and 5-minute speakers must provide a brief written 
summary of their comments and conclusions to the HCPCS Public Meeting 
Coordinator.
    The primary speakers and the 5-minute speakers must declare in 
their presentations at the meeting, as well as in their written 
summaries, whether they have any financial involvement with the 
manufacturers or competitors of any items or services being discussed; 
this includes any payment, salary, remuneration, or benefit provided to 
that speaker by the manufacturer or the manufacturer's representatives.

E. Written Comments From Meeting Attendees

    Written comments are welcome from all persons in attendance at a 
public meeting, regardless of whether they make an oral presentation. 
Written comments can be submitted either at the meeting or before the 
meeting via e-mail to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medhcpcsgeninfo or via 
regular mail to the HCPCS Public Meeting Coordinator, Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C5-08-
27, Baltimore, MD 21244. Written comments to this address are also 
accepted from the general public anytime up to the date of the public 
meeting at which a request is discussed. Due to the close timing of the 
public meetings, subsequent workgroup reconsiderations, and final 
decisions, we are able to consider only those comments received in 
writing by the close of the public meeting at which the request is 
discussed.

II. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines

    The meetings are held in a Federal government building; therefore, 
Federal security measures are applicable. In planning your arrival 
time, we recommend allowing additional time to clear security. In order 
to gain access to the building and grounds, participants must bring 
government-issued photo identification and a copy of your written 
meeting registration confirmation. Persons without proper 
identification may be denied access.
    Individuals who are not registered in advance will not be permitted 
to enter the building and will be unable to attend the meeting. The 
public may not enter the building earlier than 30 to 45 minutes before 
the convening of the meeting each day.
    Security measures will also include inspection of vehicles, inside 
and out, at the entrance to the grounds. In addition, all persons 
entering the building must pass through a metal detector. All items 
brought to CMS, whether personal or for the purpose of demonstration or 
to support a presentation, are subject to inspection. We cannot assume 
responsibility for coordinating the receipt, transfer, transport, 
storage, set-up, safety, or timely arrival of any personal belongings 
or items used for demonstration or to support a presentation.
    Parking permits and instructions are issued upon arrival by the 
guards at the main entrance.
    All visitors must be escorted in areas other than the lower and 
first-floor levels in the Central Building.

III. Special Accommodations

    Individuals attending a meeting who are hearing or visually 
impaired and have special requirements, or a condition that requires 
special assistance or accommodations, must provide this information 
when registering for the meeting.

    Authority: Sections 1102 and 1871 of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1302 and 42 U.S.C. 139hh).

    Dated: March 10, 2006.
Mark B. McClellan,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 06-2566 Filed 3-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P