[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32255-32256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12856]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-9951-N]


HHS-Operated Risk Adjustment Data Validation Stakeholder Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting on the Affordable Care 
Act HHS-operated risk adjustment data validation process. The purpose 
of this public meeting is to provide opportunity to discuss the HHS 
risk adjustment data validation process that will be conducted when HHS 
operates the risk adjustment program on behalf of a state under the 
Affordable Care Act. The meeting will provide information to 
stakeholders including, but not limited to, issuers, states, and other 
interested parties about key HHS policy considerations pertaining to 
the HHS-operated risk adjustment data validation process and will also 
provide an opportunity for participants to ask clarifying questions. 
The stakeholder meeting is being offered as both an in-person meeting 
and web conference for those unable to attend in person. The comments 
and information that we obtain through this meeting may aid future 
policy-making for the HHS-operated risk adjustment data validation 
process.

DATES: Meeting Date: The HHS-Operated Risk Adjustment Data Validation 
Stakeholder Meeting will take place on: Tuesday, June 25, 2013, from 
9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., eastern daylight time (e.d.t.).

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: The public meeting will be held in the 
Multi-Purpose Room of the central building of the Centers for Medicare 
& Medicaid Services (CMS), 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 
21244.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: REGTAP Registrar at 1-800-257-9520 
between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., e.d.t. Please note that 
this office is closed on weekends and federal holidays. Please send 
inquiries about the logistics of the meeting to [email protected]. 
Inquiries and comments pertaining to content covered during the meeting 
should be submitted in REGTAP using ``My Dashboard'' to select ``Submit 
an Inquiry,'' then select ``Risk Adjustment Data Validation Stakeholder 
Meeting'' to enter the question or comment. Users may submit their 
comments and upload attachments as needed. Users will receive an 
acknowledgement that the comment was received. Press inquiries are 
handled through our press office at (202) 690-6343.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Registration: Registration will be on a first-come, first-serve 
basis, limited to one participant per organization for the on-site 
option and three participants per organization for the web conference. 
Individuals may only register for either the on-site option or the web 
conference, not both. If an individual is wait-listed for one option, 
the registration must be cancelled before attempting to register for 
the other option. Registration deadlines are as follows:
     On-site Participation: Register by June 7, 2013, 5 p.m., 
e.d.t.
     Web Conference Participation: Register by June 19, 2013, 5 
p.m., e.d.t.
     Special Accommodations: The deadline to request a special 
accommodation is June 19, 2013, 5 p.m., e.d.t.
     Deadline for Attendees that are Foreign Nationals 
Registration: Attendees that are foreign nationals (as described in 
section III. of this notice) are required to identify themselves as 
such, and provide the necessary information for security clearance (as 
described in section III. of this notice) to [email protected] at 
least 12 business days in advance of the date of the public meeting 
date. Therefore, the deadline for attendees that are foreign nationals 
is June 10, 2013, 5 p.m., e.d.t.
    Registration Instructions: To register for either in-person or web 
conference participation, visit the Registration for Technical 
Assistance Portal at www.REGTAP.info. Individuals must register as a 
user, if not already registered then go to ``My Dashboard'' and select 
``Training Events'' to register for on-site or web conference. 
Registrants may only register for either the on-site session at CMS's 
headquarters or the web conference. If you are a potential auditor for 
the Initial Validation Audit process, please select ``Auditor/Initial 
Validation Auditor'' for the organization type when registering.

I. Background

    This notice announces a meeting regarding the HHS-operated risk 
adjustment data validation process. Section 1343 of the Affordable Care 
Act establishes three programs (transitional reinsurance, temporary 
risk corridors, and permanent risk adjustment) intended to help 
stabilize premiums in the insurance market and minimize the potential 
effects of adverse selection that may occur in the initial operational 
years of the marketplaces and market reform which will begin with the 
2014 benefit year. This meeting focuses on the data validation process 
for the permanent risk adjustment program when HHS operates a risk 
adjustment program on behalf of a state (referred to as the HHS-
operated risk adjustment program). Health insurance issuers must comply 
with these risk adjustment data validation requirements in the first 
year of the program, the 2014 benefit year.
    On March 11, 2013, we published a final regulation, the HHS Notice 
of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2014 (also referred to as the 
2014 payment notice) (78 FR 15410), that established the regulatory 
framework for the risk adjustment data validation audit process for the 
HHS-operated risk adjustment program. Although the overall framework 
for the six-stage risk adjustment data validation process was described 
in the 2014 payment notice, the detailed processes for several of these 
stages have not been specified. We committed to stakeholder engagement 
in developing the detailed processes. The purpose of this meeting is to 
provide information to issuers, states, and other interested parties 
about the HHS-operated risk adjustment data validation process and 
offer an opportunity for these stakeholders to comment on key elements 
of the risk adjustment data validation process.

II. Meeting Agenda

    The risk adjustment data validation meeting will provide 
information to stakeholders including, but not limited to, issuers, 
states, and other interested parties about the Affordable Care Act HHS-
operated risk adjustment data validation process and gather feedback on 
key elements of the HHS-operated

[[Page 32256]]

risk adjustment data validation process. The stakeholder meeting will 
focus on topics including, but not limited to, data validation audit 
standards, sampling, initial and second validation audits, appeals, and 
error rates. The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is 
limited to the space available. There are capabilities for remote 
access. Persons wishing to attend this meeting must register by the 
date listed in the ``Registration'' section above, and by visiting 
www.REGTAP.info.

III. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines

    The meeting will be held within the CMS Complex, which is not open 
to the general public. Visitors to the complex are required to show a 
valid U.S. Government issued photo identification, preferably a 
driver's license, at the time of entry. Participants will also be 
subject to a vehicular search before access to the complex is granted. 
Participants not in possession of a valid identification or who are in 
possession of prohibited items will be denied access to the complex. 
Prohibited items on Federal property include, but are not limited to, 
alcoholic beverages, illegal narcotics, explosives, firearms or other 
dangerous weapons (including pocket knives), and dogs or other animals 
(except service animals). Once cleared for entry to the complex, 
participants will be directed to parking by a security officer.
    To ensure expedited entry into the building, it is recommended that 
participants have their ID and a copy of their written meeting 
registration confirmation readily available and that they do not bring 
laptops or large/bulky items into the building. Participants are 
reminded that photography on the CMS complex is prohibited. CMS has 
also been declared a tobacco free campus and violators are subject to 
legal action. In planning arrival time, we recommend allowing 
additional time to clear security. 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 45 minutes before the meeting convenes. Guest access to 
the CMS complex is limited to the meeting area, the main lobby, and the 
cafeteria. If a visitor is found outside of those areas without proper 
escort, they may be escorted by a security officer out of the complex.
    Please be mindful that, at the meeting, and subject to the 
constraints of the meeting agenda and allotted meeting time, there will 
be an opportunity for individuals to speak, and we request that 
individuals wait for the appropriate time to present their questions or 
comments. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated, and may result in 
removal from the meeting and/or escort from the complex. Visitors may 
not attach USB cables, flash/thumb drives, or any other equipment to 
any CMS information technology (IT) system or hardware for any purpose 
at anytime. Additionally, CMS staff is prohibited from taking such 
actions on behalf of a visitor, or utilizing any removable media 
provided by a visitor.
    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. Special accommodations, arrangements, and approvals to 
bring pieces of equipment or medical devices are required by June 19, 
2013, 5:00 p.m., e.d.t. These arrangements need to be made with the 
[email protected]. It is possible that certain requests made in 
advance of the public meeting may be denied because of unique safety, 
security or handling issues related to the equipment.
    CMS policy requires that every foreign national (as defined by the 
Department of Homeland Security is ``an individual who is a citizen of 
any country other than the United States'') is assigned a host (in 
accordance with the Department Foreign Visitor Management Policy, 
Appendix C, Guidelines for Hosts and Escorts). The host/hosting 
official is required to inform the Division of Critical Infrastructure 
Protection (DCIP) at least 12 business days in advance of any visit by 
a foreign national. Foreign nationals will be required to produce a 
valid passport at the time of entry.
    Attendees that are foreign nationals need to identify themselves as 
such, and provide the following information for security clearance to 
the [email protected] by the date specified in the ``REGISTRATION'' 
section of this notice:
     Visitor's full name (as it appears on passport).
     Gender.
     Country of origin and citizenship.
     Biographical data and related information.
     Date of birth.
     Place of birth.
     Passport number.
     Passport issue date.
     Passport expiration date.
     Dates of visits.
     Company Name.
     Position/Title.

    Dated: May 23, 2013.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2013-12856 Filed 5-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P