[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 164 (Friday, August 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48647-48648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16151]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1542-N2]


Medicare Program; Announcement of New Members to the Advisory 
Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Groups

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of 
Health and Human Services (DHHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces two new members selected to serve on the 
Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Groups (the 
Panel). The purpose of the Panel is to review the APC groups and their 
associated weights and to advise the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Administrator of the Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), concerning the clinical 
integrity of the APC groups and their associated weights. We will 
consider the Panel's advice as we prepare the annual updates of the 
hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For inquiries about the Panel, please 
contact the Designated Federal Official (DFO): Shirl Ackerman-Ross, 
DFO, CMS, CMM, HAPG, DOC, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C4-05-17, 
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, Phone (410) 786-4474.
    APC Panel E-Mail Address: The E-mail address for the Panel is as 
follows: CMS [email protected].
    News Media Contact: News media representatives must contact our 
Public Affairs Office at (202) 690-6145.
    CMS Advisory Committee Hotlines: The CMS Federal Advisory Committee 
Hotline is 1-877-449-5659 (toll free) and (410) 786-9379 (local) for 
additional Panel information.
    Web Sites: For additional information regarding the APC Panel 
membership, meetings, agendas, and updates to the Panel's activities, 
please search our Web site at the following Uniform Resource Locator 
(URL): http://www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/05_AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.asp#TopOfPage.
    The public may also access the following URL for the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act Web site to obtain APC Panel information: 
https://www.fido.gov/facadatabase/logon.asp.
    A copy of the Panel's Charter and other pertinent information are 
on both Web sites mentioned above. You may

[[Page 48648]]

also e-mail the Panel DFO at the above e-mail address for a copy of the 
Charter.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Secretary is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social 
Security Act (the Act), [as amended by section 201(h) of the Medicare, 
Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) (Pub. 
L. 106-113), and re-designated by section 202(a)(2) of the BBRA] to 
establish and consult with an expert outside advisory panel regarding 
the clinical integrity of the APC groups and weights that are 
components of the hospital OPPS.
    The APC Panel meets up to three times annually. The Charter 
requires that the Panel must be fairly balanced in its membership in 
terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be 
performed. The Panel consists of up to 15 members, who are 
representatives of providers, and a Chair. Each Panel member must be 
employed full-time by a hospital, hospital system, or other Medicare 
provider subject to payment under the OPPS. The Secretary or 
Administrator selects the Panel membership based upon either self-
nominations or nominations submitted by Medicare providers and other 
interested organizations. All members must have technical expertise to 
enable them to participate fully in the work of the Panel. This 
expertise encompasses hospital payment systems; hospital medical-care 
delivery systems; provider billing systems; APC groups, Current 
Procedural Terminology codes, and alpha-numeric Healthcare Common 
Procedure Coding System codes; and the use and payment of drugs and 
medical devices in the outpatient setting, as well as other forms of 
relevant expertise.
    The Charter requires that all members have a minimum of 5 years 
experience in their area(s) of expertise, but it is not necessary that 
any member be an expert in all of the areas listed above. For purposes 
of this Panel, consultants or independent contractors are not 
considered to be full-time employees of hospitals, hospital systems, or 
other Medicare providers that are subject to the OPPS. Panel members 
serve up to 4-year terms. A member may serve after the expiration of 
his or her term until a successor has been sworn in. All terms are 
contingent upon the renewal of the Panel's Charter by appropriate 
action before its termination. The Secretary re-chartered the APC Panel 
effective November 21, 2006.

II. Announcement of New Members

    The Panel may consist of a Chair and up to 15 Panel members who 
serve without compensation, according to an advance written agreement. 
Travel, meals, lodging, and related expenses for the meeting are 
reimbursed in accordance with standard Government travel regulations. 
We have a special interest in ensuring that women, minorities, 
representatives from various geographical locations, and the physically 
challenged are adequately represented on the Panel.
    The Secretary, or his designee, appoints new members to the Panel 
from among those candidates determined to have the required expertise. 
New appointments are made in a manner that ensures a balanced 
membership.
    The Panel presently consists of the following 15 members and a 
Chair: (The asterisk [*] indicates a Panel member whose term expires on 
09/30/2007.)
     Edith Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair.
     Gloryanne Bryant, B.S., R.H.I.A., R.H.I.T., C.C.S.
     Hazel Kimmel, R.N., C.C.S., C.P.C.
     *Sandra J. Metzler, M.B.A., R.H.I.A., C.P.H.Q.
     Michael D. Mills, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
     Thomas M. Munger, M.D., F.A.C.C.
     Beverly Khnie Philip, M.D.
     Louis Potters, M.D., F.A.C.R.
     Russ Ranallo, M.S.
     James V. Rawson, M.D.
     Michael A. Ross, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
     Judie S. Snipes, R.N., M.B.A., F.A.C.H.E.
     Patricia Spencer-Cisek, M.S., A.P.R.N.-BC, 
A.O.C.N.[supreg]
     *Lou Ann Schraffenberger, M.B.A., R.H.I.A., C.C.S.-P.
     Kim Allan Williams, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.C.
     Robert Matthew Zwolak, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.
    On March 23, 2007, we published the notice titled ``Request for 
Nominations to the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification 
Groups'' (CMS-1305-N2) in the Federal Register requesting nominations 
to the Panel replacing Panel members whose terms would expire by 
September 30, 2007. As a result of that Federal Register notice, we are 
announcing two new members to the Panel. One new 3-year appointment 
commences on August 1, 2007, and one new 4-year appointment commences 
on October 1, 2007, as indicated below:

New Panel Members/Terms

     Michael D. Mills, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., 08/01/2007-09/30/2010.
     Patrick Grusenmeyer, Sc.D., M.P.A., 10/01/2007-09/30/2011.

    Note: Dr. Mills replaces Dr. Tyler whose term expired 03/31/
2007. Dr. Grusenmeyer will replace Ms. Schraffenberger whose term 
expires on 09/30/2007. Agatha L. Nolen, D.Ph., M.S., announced in a 
previous Federal Register notice, will replace Ms. Metzler whose 
term expires on 09/30/2007.)


    Authority: Section 1833(t) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)). The 
Panel is governed by the provisions of Public Law. 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: July 19, 2007.
Leslie V. Norwalk,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. E7-16151 Filed 8-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P