[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 141 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36723-36724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17609]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1415-N]


Medicare Program; Announcement of Five New Members 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 announces five 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 DHHS (the 
Secretary) and the Administrator of 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/public.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) 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 of, and payment for, 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 and independent contractors are not 
considered as being full-time employees of hospitals, hospital systems, 
or other Medicare providers that are paid under the Medicare hospital 
OPPS. A Panel member may serve up to a 4-year term. 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, 2008.

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 her 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

[[Page 36724]]

asterisk [*] indicates a Panel member whose term expires on 08/16/
2009.)
     Edith Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair.
     Gloryanne Bryant, B.S., R.H.I.A., R.H.I.T., C.C.S.*
     Kathleen M. Graham, R.N., M.S.H.A., C.P.H.Q.
     Patrick Grusenmeyer, Sc.D., M.P.A., F.A.C.H.
     Judith T. Kelly, B.S.H.A., R.H.I.T., R.H.I.A., C.C.S.
     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.
     Randall A. Oyer, M.S.
     Beverly Khnie Philip, M.D.
     Russ Ranallo, M.S.
     James V. Rawson, M.D.*
     Michael A. Ross, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
     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., PhD, F.A.C.S.*
    On December 22, 2008, we published the notice titled ``Medicare 
Program; Request for Nominations to the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory 
Payment Classification Groups'' (CMS-1411-N) in the Federal Register 
(FR) requesting nominations to the Panel replacing Panel members whose 
terms would expire on August 16, 2009. As a result of that FR notice, 
we are announcing five new members to the Panel. All five appointments 
are for 4-year terms commencing on October 1, 2009, as indicated below:

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          NEW panel members                          Terms
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Ruth L. Bush, M.D., M.P.H...........  10/1/2009-9/30/2013
Gregory J. Przybylski, M.D..........  10/1/2009-9/30/2013
David Halsey, M.D...................  10/1/2009-9/30/2013
Dawn L. Francis, M.D., M.H.S........  10/1/2009-9/30/2013
Daniel Pothen, M.S., R.H.I.A.,        10/1/2009-9/30/2013
 CPHIMS, CCS, CCS-P, CHC.
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    Note: Dr. Bush replaces Dr. Zwolak; Dr. Przybylski replaces Dr. 
Williams; Dr. Halsey replaces Dr. Rawson; Dr. Francis replaces Dr. 
Munger; and Mr. Pothen replaces Ms. Bryant. They will all take the 
Oaths of Office at the winter 2010 APC Panel meeting. Therefore, the 
current APC Panel members are all invited to attend the 2009 late 
summer meeting since the new members' terms do not begin until 
October 1, 2009.

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

    Dated: July 14, 2009.
Charlene Frizzera,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. E9-17609 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P