[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 144 (Friday, July 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43450-43451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17169]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1396-N]


Medicare Program; Announcement of Three 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 three 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, DHHS (the 
Secretary), and the Administrator, CMS (the Administrator), 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].

    Note: There is NO underscore in this e-mail address; there is a 
SPACE between CMS and APCPanel.

    News Media Contact: News media representatives must contact our 
Public Affairs Office at (202) 690-6145.
    CMS Advisory Committees 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.

    Note: There is an underscore after FACA/05 (like this --); there 
is no space.

    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 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 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 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

[[Page 43451]]

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, independent contractors, and individuals in private 
practice are not considered as being full-time employees of hospitals, 
hospital systems, or other Medicare providers that are paid under the 
Medicare hospital 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 
06/30/2008, and the double asterisk [**] indicates Panel members whose 
terms expire on 09/30/2008.)
     Edith Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair
     Gloryanne Bryant, B.S., R.H.I.A., R.H.I.T., C.C.S.
     Patrick Grusenmeyer, Sc.D., M.P.A., F.A.C.H.
     Hazel Kimmel, R.N., C.C.S., C.P.C.*
     Michael D. Mills, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
     Thomas M. Munger, M.D., F.A.C.C.
     Agatha L. Nolen, D.Ph., M.S.
     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]
     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 February 22, 2008, we published the notice titled ``Request for 
Nominations to the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification 
Groups'' (CMS-1395-N) in the Federal Register (FR) requesting 
nominations to the Panel replacing Panel members whose terms would 
expire prior to or on September 30, 2008. As a result of that FR 
notice, we are announcing three new members to the Panel. One new 4-
year appointment commences on August 1, 2008, and two new 4-year 
appointments commence on October 1, 2008, as indicated below:

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              New panel members                          Terms
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 Kathleen M. Graham, RN, MSHA, CPHQ..      08/01/2008-07/31/2012
 Randall A. Oyer, MD.................      10/01/2008-09/30/2012
 Judith T. Kelly, BSHA, RHIT, RHIA,        10/01/2008-09/30/2012
 CCS.........................................
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    Note: Ms. Graham replaces Ms. Kimmel whose term expires 06/30/
2008 when she retires. Dr. Oyer will replace Dr. Potters, and Ms. 
Kelly will replace Ms. Snipes. Ms. Snipes' and Dr. Potters' terms 
expire on 09/30/2008.

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

    Dated: July 9, 2008.
Kerry Weems,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. E8-17169 Filed 7-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P