[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 201 (Friday, October 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62445-62447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24755]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1630-N]


Medicare Program; The Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient 
Payment (HOP Panel) Spring Meeting, March 9-10, 2015

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the spring meeting of the Advisory Panel 
on Hospital Outpatient Payment (the Panel) for 2015. The purpose of the 
Panel is to advise the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS) (the Secretary) and the Administrator of the Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (the Administrator) on the 
clinical integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) 
groups and their associated weights, and hospital outpatient 
therapeutic services supervision issues.

DATES: Meeting Dates: The first semi-annual meeting in 2015 is 
scheduled for the following dates and times. The times listed in this 
notice are Eastern Time (ET) and are approximate times; consequently, 
the meetings may be shorter than or last longer than the times listed 
in this notice, but will not begin before the posted times:

 Monday, March 9, 2015, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
 Tuesday, March 10, 2014, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET

Meeting Information Updates

    The actual meeting hours and days will be posted in the agenda. As 
information and updates regarding the onsite, webcast, and 
teleconference meeting, and agenda become available, they will be 
posted to the CMS Web site at: http://cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html

Deadlines

Deadline for Presentations and Comments

    Presentations and Comments can be submitted by email only. 
Presentations or comments and form CMS-20017 must be in the Designated 
Federal Official's (DFO's) email inbox ([email protected]) by 5 p.m. 
ET, Friday, February 6, 2015. Presentations and comments that are not 
received by the due date will be considered late and will not be 
included on the agenda. (See below for submission instructions for 
electronic submissions.)
    Meeting Registration Timeframe: Monday, January 19, 2015 through 
Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5 p.m. ET.
    Participants planning to attend this meeting in person must 
register online, during the above specified timeframe at: https://www.cms.gov/apps/events/default.asp. On this Web page, double click the 
``Upcoming Events'' hyperlink, and then double click the ``HOP Panel'' 
event title link and enter the required information. Include any 
requests for special accommodations.

    Note: Participants who do not plan to attend this meeting in 
person should not register. No registration is required for 
participants who plan to view the meeting via webcast.

    In commenting, please refer to file code CMS-1630-N. Because of 
staff and resource limitations, we cannot accept comments and 
presentations by facsimile (FAX) transmission or hard copy.

Meeting Location, Webcast, and Teleconference

    The meeting will be held in the Auditorium, CMS Central Office, 
7500 Security Boulevard, Woodlawn, Maryland 21244-1850. Alternately, 
the public may either view this meeting via a webcast or listen by 
teleconference. During the scheduled meeting, webcasting is accessible 
online at: http://cms.gov/live. Teleconference dial-in information will 
appear on the final meeting agenda, which will be posted on the CMS Web 
site when available at: http://cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Designated Federal Official (DFO):
    Carol Schwartz, DFO, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop: C4-04-25, 
Woodlawn, MD 21244-1850.
    Phone: (410) 786-3985.
    Email: [email protected].
    Send email copies to the following address:
    Email: [email protected].
    News Media: Representatives must contact our Public Affairs Office 
at (202) 690-6145.
    Advisory Committees' Information Lines: The phone number for the 
CMS Federal Advisory Committee Hotline is (410) 786-3985.

Web Sites

    For additional information on the Panel and updates to the Panel's

[[Page 62446]]

activities, we refer readers to view our Web site at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.
    Information about the Panel and its membership in the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA) database are also located at: http://facadatabase.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 
(the Secretary) is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social 
Security Act (the Act) and section 222 of the Public Health Service Act 
(PHS Act) to consult with an expert outside the Advisory Panel on 
Hospital Outpatient Payment (the Panel) regarding the clinical 
integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) groups and 
relative payment weights. The Panel is governed by the provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 
U.S.C. Appendix 2), to set forth standards for the formation and use of 
advisory panels.
    The Charter provides that the Panel shall meet up to 3 times 
annually. We consider the technical advice provided by the Panel as we 
prepare the proposed and final rules to update the outpatient 
prospective payment system (OPPS).

II. Agenda

    The agenda for the March 9, 2015 through March 10, 2015 meeting 
will provide for discussion and comment on the following topics as 
designated in the Panel's Charter:
     Addressing whether procedures within an APC group are 
similar both clinically and in terms of resource use.
     Evaluating APC group weights.
     Reviewing the packaging of OPPS services and costs, 
including the methodology and the impact on APC groups and payment.
     Removing procedures from the inpatient-only list for 
payment under the OPPS.
     Using single and multiple procedure claims data for CMS' 
determination of APC group weights.
     Addressing other technical issues concerning APC group 
structure.
     Recommending the appropriate supervision level (general, 
direct, or personal) for individual hospital outpatient therapeutic 
services.
    The Agenda will be posted on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services (CMS) Web site approximately one week before the meeting.

III. Presentations

    The presentation subject matter must be within the scope of the 
Panel designated in the Charter. Any presentations outside of the scope 
of this Panel will be returned or requested for amendment. Unrelated 
topics include, but are not limited to, the conversion factor, charge 
compression, revisions to the cost report, pass-through payments, 
correct coding, new technology applications (including supporting 
information/documentation), provider payment adjustments, supervision 
of hospital outpatient diagnostic services and the types of 
practitioners that are permitted to supervise hospital outpatient 
services. The Panel may not recommend that services be designated as 
nonsurgical extended duration therapeutic services.
    The Panel may use data collected or developed by entities and 
organizations, other than DHHS and CMS in conducting its review. We 
recommend organizations submit data for CMS staff and the Panel's 
review.
    All presentations are limited to 5 minutes, regardless of the 
number of individuals or organizations represented by a single 
presentation. Presenters may use their 5 minutes to represent either 
one or more agenda items.
    All presentations will be shared with the public. Presentations may 
not contain any pictures, illustrations, or personally identifiable 
information.
    In order to consider presentations and/or comments, we will need to 
receive the following information by email only. We cannot accept 
hardcopy submittals.
    1. An email copy of the presentation sent to the DFO mailbox, 
[email protected]
    2. Form CMS-20017 with complete contact information that includes 
name, address, phone number, and email addresses for all presenters and 
a contact person that can answer any questions and or provide revisions 
that are requested for the presentation.
     Presenters must clearly explain the actions that they are 
requesting CMS to take in the appropriate section of the form. A 
presenter's relationship with the organization that they represent must 
also be clearly listed.
     The form is now available through the CMS Forms Web site. 
The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for linking to this form is as 
follows: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/cmsforms/downloads/cms20017.pdf.

IV. Oral Comments

    In addition to formal oral presentations, which are limited to 5 
minutes total per presentation, there will be an opportunity during the 
meeting for public oral comments, which will be limited to 1 minute for 
each individual and a total of 3 minutes per organization.

V. Meeting Attendance

    The meeting is open to the public; however, attendance is limited 
to space available. Priority will be given to those who pre-register, 
and attendance may be limited based on the number of registrants and 
the space available.
    Persons wishing to attend this meeting, which is located on Federal 
property, must register by following the instructions in the ``Meeting 
Registration Timeframe'' section of this notice. A confirmation email 
will be sent to the registrants shortly after completing the 
registration process.

VI. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines

    The following are the security, building, and parking guidelines:
     Persons attending the meeting, including presenters, must 
be pre-registered and on the attendance list by the prescribed date.
     Individuals who are not pre-registered in advance may not 
be permitted to enter the building and may be unable to attend the 
meeting.
     Attendees must present a government issued photo 
identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard Service 
personnel before entering the building. Without a current, valid photo 
identification, persons may not be permitted entry to the building.
     Security measures include inspection of vehicles, inside 
and out, at the entrance to the grounds.
     All persons entering the building must pass through a 
metal detector.
     All items brought into CMS including personal items, for 
example, laptops and cell phones are subject to physical inspection.
     The public may enter the building 30 to 45 minutes before 
the meeting convenes each day.
     All visitors must be escorted in areas other than the 
lower and first-floor levels in the Central Building.
     The main-entrance guards will issue parking permits and 
instructions upon arrival at the building.
     Foreign nationals visiting any CMS facility require prior 
approval. If you are a foreign national and wish to attend the meeting 
onsite, in addition to registering for the meeting, you must also send 
a separate email to [email protected] prior to the close of 
registration to request authorization to attend as a foreign national.

[[Page 62447]]

VII. Special Accommodations

    Individuals requiring special accommodations must include the 
request for these services during registration.

VIII. Panel Recommendations and Discussions

    The Panel's recommendations at any Panel meeting generally are not 
final until they have been reviewed and approved by the Panel on the 
last day of the meeting, before the final adjournment. These 
recommendations will be posted to our Web site after the meeting.

IX. Collection of Information Requirements

    This document does not impose information collection requirements, 
that is, reporting, recordkeeping or third-party disclosure 
requirements. Consequently, there is no need for review by the Office 
of Management and Budget under the authority of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995.

    Dated: October 7, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-24755 Filed 10-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P