[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 100 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24128-24130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10683]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1685-N]


Medicare Program: Announcement of the Advisory Panel on Hospital 
Outpatient Payment (the Panel) Meeting on August 21-22, 2017

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the annual meeting of the Advisory Panel 
on Hospital Outpatient Payment for 2017. The purpose of the Panel is to 
advise the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services and the 
Administrator of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services concerning 
the clinical integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification groups 
and their associated weights as well as hospital outpatient therapeutic 
services supervision issues. The advice provided by the Panel will be 
considered as we prepare the annual updates for the hospital outpatient 
prospective payment system.

DATES: Meeting Dates: The annual meeting in 2017 is scheduled for the 
following dates and times. The times listed in this notice are Eastern 
Daylight Time (EDT) and are approximate times. Consequently, the 
meetings may last longer or be shorter than the times listed in this 
notice, but will not begin before the posted times:
     Monday, August 21, 2017, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.
     Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.
    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 the agenda become 
available, they will be posted to our Web site at: http://cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.

Deadlines

Deadline for Presentations and Comments

    Presentations or comments and form CMS-20017, (located at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/downloads/cms20017.pdf) must 
be received by 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, July 21, 2017. Presentations and 
comments that are not received by the due date and time will be 
considered late and will not be included on the agenda. In commenting, 
please refer to file code CMS-1685-N.
    Meeting Registration Timeframe: Monday, June 26, 2017, through 
Monday, July 31, 2017 at 5 p.m. EDT.
    Participants planning to attend this meeting in person must 
register online, during the 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''

[[Page 24129]]

event title link and enter the required information. Include any 
requests for special accommodations.

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

    Because of staff and resource limitations, we cannot accept 
comments and presentations by facsimile (FAX) transmission.

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 our Web 
site when available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.

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, including the Panel 
charter, and updates to the Panel's 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 database are also located at: http://facadatabase.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Designated Federal Official (DFO): 
Susan Janeczko, Pharm.D., J.D., DFO, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail 
Stop: C4-02-10,Woodlawn, MD 21244-1850. Phone: (410) 786-4529. Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 
is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social Security Act (the 
Act) and is allowed by section 222 of the Public Health Service Act 
(PHS Act) to consult with an expert outside panel, such as the Advisory 
Panel on Outpatient Payment (the Panel), regarding the clinical 
integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification (the 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. We consider the technical advice provided by the Panel 
as we prepare the proposed and final rules to update the Hospital 
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for the following calendar 
year.

II. Agenda

    The agenda for the August 21 through August 22, 2017 Panel 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 structure.
     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 our Web site at: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html approximately 
1 week before the meeting.

III. Presentations

    The subject matter of any presentation and comment matter must be 
within the scope of the Panel designated in the Charter. Any 
presentations or comments 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 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services (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 1 
or more agenda items.

Section 508 Compliance

    For this meeting, we are aiming to have all presentations and 
comments available on our Web site. Materials on our Web site must be 
Section 508 compliant to ensure access to federal employees and members 
of the public with and without disabilities. We encourage presenters 
and commenters to refer to guidance on making documents Section 508 
compliant as they draft their submissions, and, whenever possible, to 
submit their presentations and comments in a 508 compliant form. Such 
guidance is available at: http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/CMS-Information-Technology/Section508/508-Compliant-doc.html. We will review presentations and comments for 508 compliance, 
and place compliant materials on our Web site. As resources permit, we 
will also convert non-compliant submissions to 508 compliant forms and 
offer assistance to submitters who wish to make their submissions 508 
compliant. All non-508 compliant presentations and comments will be 
shared with the public onsite and through the webcast and made 
available to the public upon request.
    Those wishing to access such materials should contact the DFO (the 
DFO's address, email, and phone number are provided in this notice).
    In order to consider presentations and/or comments, we will need to 
receive the following:
    1. An email copy of the presentation or comments sent to the DFO 
mailbox, [email protected] or, if unable to submit by email, a hard 
copy sent to the DFO at the address noted under the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

[[Page 24130]]

    2. Form CMS-20017 with complete contact information that includes 
name, address, phone number, and email addresses for all presenters and 
commenters and a contact person that can answer any questions, and 
provide revisions that are requested, for the presentation. Presenters 
and commenters must clearly explain the actions that they are 
requesting CMS to take in the appropriate section of the form. A 
presenter's or commenter's relationship with the organization that they 
represent must also be clearly listed.
     The form is now available through the CMS Forms Web site 
at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/downloads/cms20017.pdf.
     We encourage presenters to make efforts to ensure that 
their presentations and comments are 508 compliant.

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 DATES 
section of this notice under ``Meeting Registration Timeframe''. 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 
ID, 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.

    Note: As of March 30, 2015, the ``Real ID Act'' requires a 
second form of identification from those whose government issued 
photo identification or government issued driver's license was 
issued by American Samoa, Arizona, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, and 
New York. Attendees with a government issued photo identification or 
driver's license issued by the states previously mentioned may need 
to provide alternative or additional approved proof of 
identification in order to comply with the ``Real ID Act.''

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 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

    Dated: May 18, 2017.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2017-10683 Filed 5-24-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P