[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19785-19787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09532]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1707-N]


Medicare Program: Announcement of the Advisory Panel on Hospital 
Outpatient Payment (the Panel) Meeting on August 20-21, 2018

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 (the Panel) for 2018. The purpose of the 
Panel is to advise the Secretary of Department of Health and Human 
Services and the Administrator of the 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: Monday, August 20, 2018, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT 
through Tuesday, August 21, 2018, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT.
    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:
    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 website at: http://cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.
    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, 
Monday, July 23, 2018. 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, refer to file code CMS-1707-N.
    Meeting Registration Timeframe: Monday, June 25, 2018, through 
Monday, July 30, 2018 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'' 
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.
    Deadline for Requesting Special Accommodations: Monday, July 30, 
2018 at 5 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting Location, Webcast, and Teleconference.
    The meeting will be held in the Auditorium at the CMS Single Site 
campus, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244. 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 website 
when available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.html.
    News Media. Press inquiries are handled through the CMS Press 
Office at (202) 690-6145.
    Advisory Committees' Information Lines. The phone number for the 
CMS Federal Advisory Committee Hotline is (410) 786-3985.
    Websites. For additional information on the Panel, including the 
Panel charter, and updates to the Panel's activities, we refer readers 
to view our website 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/.
    Registration: The meeting is open to the public; but attendance is 
limited to the space available and registration is required. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elise Barringer, Designated Federal 
Official (DFO), 410-786-9222, email at [email protected]. Centers 
for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop: 
C4-04-25, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.

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 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. 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. Meeting Agenda

    The agenda for the August 20 through August 21, 2018 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 Center 
for Medicare & Medicaid's (CMS') determination of APC group weights.

[[Page 19786]]

     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 website 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 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 website. Materials on our website 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 reference the 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 website. 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 the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of 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 in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
    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 website 
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 (limited to 5 minutes 
total per presentation), there will be an opportunity during the 
meeting for public oral comments (limited to 1 minute for each 
individual) and a total of 3 minutes per organization.

V. 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 website after the meeting.

VI. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines

    The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the 
space available. Persons wishing to attend this meeting must register 
by contacting the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice or by telephone at the number listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice by the date specified in the 
DATES section of this notice.
    This meeting will be held in a Federal government building; 
therefore, Federal security measures are applicable. We recommend that 
confirmed registrants arrive reasonably early, but no earlier than 45 
minutes prior to the start of the meeting, to allow additional time to 
clear security. Security measures include the following:
     Presentation of government-issued photographic 
identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard Service 
personnel.
     Inspection of vehicle's interior and exterior (this 
includes engine and trunk inspection) at the entrance to the grounds. 
Parking permits and instructions will be issued after the vehicle 
inspection.
     Inspection, via metal detector or other applicable means 
of all persons brought entering the building. We note that all items 
brought into CMS, whether personal or for the purpose of presentation 
or to support a presentation, are subject to inspection. 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 presentation or to support a presentation.

    Note:  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 prior to the convening of the meeting.

    All visitors must be escorted in areas other than the lower and 
first floor levels in the Central Building.

VII. 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.).


[[Page 19787]]


    Dated: April 23, 2018.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2018-09532 Filed 5-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4120-01-P