[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 36 (Friday, February 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9810-9811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2806]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1395-N]


Medicare Program; Request for Nominations to the Advisory Panel 
on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice solicits the nominations of three individuals for 
consideration as members on the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment 
Classification (APC) Groups (the Panel). There will be three vacancies 
on the Panel: One vacancy as of June 1 and two additional vacancies as 
of September 30, 2008. 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 
consider the Panel's advice as we prepare the annual updates of the 
Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS). The 
Secretary rechartered the Panel in 2006 for a 2-year period effective 
through November 21, 2008.
    Submission Date of Nominations: Nominations will be considered if 
postmarked by 5 p.m. E.S.T. on April 1, 2008, and sent to the 
designated address provided in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand deliver nominations for membership to: 
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Attn: Shirl Ackerman-Ross, 
Designated Federal Official (DFO), Advisory Panel on APC Groups; Center 
for Medicare Management, Hospital & Ambulatory Policy Group, Division 
of Outpatient Care; 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C4-05-17; 
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
    For Additional Information:
    Contacts: Persons wishing to nominate individuals to serve on the 
Panel or to obtain further information may also contact Shirl Ackerman-
Ross, the DFO, at [email protected] (NOTE: There is NO 
underscore in this e-mail address; there is a SPACE between CMS and 
APCPanel.), or call 410-786-4474. (Note: Please advise couriers of the 
following: When delivering hardcopies of presentations to CMS, if no 
one answers at the above phone number, please call (410) 786-4532 or 
(410) 786-9316.)
    News media representatives should contact the CMS Press Office at 
202-690-6145.

[[Page 9811]]

    Web Site: For additional information on the APC Panel and updates 
to the Panel's activities, search our Web site at the following: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/05_AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.asp#TopOfPage. 
(Use control + click the mouse in order to access the previous URL.) 
(Note: There is an UNDERSCORE after FACA/05--; there is no space.)
    Advisory Committees' Information Lines: You may also refer to the 
CMS Federal Advisory Committee Hotlines at 1-877-449-5659 (toll-free) 
or 410-786-9379 (local) for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Secretary is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social 
Security Act (the Act), as amended and redesignated by sections 201(h) 
and 202(a)(2) of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget 
Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) (Pub. L. 106-113), to consult with an 
expert outside advisory panel regarding the clinical integrity of the 
APC groups and relative payment weights that are components of the 
Medicare hospital OPPS.
    The Charter requires that the APC Panel meet up to three times 
annually. We consider the Panel's technical advice as we prepare the 
proposed and final rules to update the OPPS for the next calendar year.
    The Panel may consist of a chair and up to 15 members who are full-
time employees of hospitals, hospital systems, or other Medicare 
providers that are subject to the OPPS. (For purposes of the Panel, 
consultants or independent contractors are not considered to be full-
time employees in these organizations.)
    The Administrator selects the Panel membership based upon either 
self-nominations or nominations submitted by providers or interested 
organizations.
    The current Panel members are as follows: (The asterisk [*] 
indicates the Panel member whose term ends on June 1, 2008, and the 
double asterisks [**] indicate Panel members whose terms end on 
September 30, 2008.)
     E.L. Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair, a CMS Medical Officer
     Gloryanne Bryant, B.S., RHIA, RHIT, CCS
     Patrick A. Grusenmeyer, Sc.D., FACHE
     Hazel Kimmel, R.N., CCS, CPC*
     Michael D. Mills, PhD
     Thomas M. Munger, M.D., FACC
     Agatha L. Nolen, D.Ph., M.S.
     Beverly Khnie Philip, M.D.
     Louis Potters, M.D., FACR**
     Russ Ranallo, M.S., B.S.
     James V. Rawson, M.D.
     Michael A. Ross, M.D., FACEP
     Judie S. Snipes, R.N., M.B.A., FACHE**
     Patricia Spencer-Cisek, M.S., APRN-BC, AOCN[reg]
     Kim Allen Williams, M.D., FACC, FABC
     Robert M. Zwolak, M.D., PhD, FACS
    Panel members serve without compensation, according to an advance 
written agreement; however, for the meetings, CMS reimburses travel, 
meals, lodging, and related expenses in accordance with standard 
Government travel regulations.
    We have a special interest in attempting to ensure, while taking 
into account the nominee pool, that the Panel is diverse in all 
respects of the following: Geography; rural or urban practice; race, 
ethnicity, sex, and disability; medical or technical specialty; and 
type of hospital, hospital health system, or other Medicare provider.
    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 under the guidelines of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

II. Criteria for Nominees

    All qualified nominees must have technical expertise in one or more 
of the listed areas of below that will enable them to participate fully 
in the work of the Panel. Nominees' expertise must exist in one of the 
following areas:
     Hospital payment systems.
     Hospital medical-care delivery systems.
     Outpatient payment requirements.
     APC groups.
     Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology Codes.
     The use and payment of drugs and medical devices in the 
outpatient setting.
     Any other relevant expertise.
    It is not necessary for a nominee to possess expertise in all of 
the areas listed, but each nominee must have a minimum of 5 years 
experience and currently have full-time employment in his or her area 
of expertise. Members of the Panel serve overlapping terms up to 4 
years, based on the needs of the Panel and contingent upon the 
rechartering of the Panel.
    Any interested person or organization may nominate one or more 
qualified individuals. Self-nominations will also be accepted. Each 
nomination must include the following:
     Letter of Nomination,
     Curriculum Vita of the nominee, and
     Written statement from the nominee that the nominee is 
willing to serve on the Panel under the conditions described in this 
notice and further specified in the Charter.

III. Copies of the Charter

    To obtain a copy of the Panel's Charter, submit a written request 
to the DFO at the address provided or by e-mail at 
[email protected], or call her at 410-786-4474. Copies of the 
Charter are also available on the Internet at the following: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/05_AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.asp#TopOfPage.

    Authority: Section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l(t)(9)(A). 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. 93.774, 
Medicare--Supplementary Medical Insurance Program.)

    Dated: February 7, 2008.
Kerry Weems,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. E8-2806 Filed 2-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P