[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66273-66275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27804]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-7052-N]
Medicare & Medicaid Programs, and Other Program Initiatives, and
Priorities; Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education
(APOE), January 16, 2019
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the next meeting of the Advisory Panel
on Outreach and Education (APOE) (the Panel) in accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Panel advises and makes
recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) on opportunities to enhance the effectiveness
of consumer education strategies concerning CMS programs, initiatives,
and priorities. This meeting is open to the public.
DATES:
Meeting Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
eastern standard time (e.s.t).
Deadline for Meeting Registration, Presentations, Special
Accommodations and Comments: Wednesday, January 2, 2019, 5:00 p.m.,
e.s.t.
ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Room
705A, Conference Room, Washington, DC 20201.
Presentations and Written Comments: Presentations and written
comments should be submitted to: Lynne Johnson, Acting Designated
Federal Official (DFO), Office of Communications, Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mailstop S1-05-06,
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or via email at [email protected].
Registration: The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is
limited to the space available. Persons wishing to attend this meeting
must register at the website https://www.regonline.com/apoe2019jan16meeting or by contacting the Acting DFO listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice, by the date listed
in the DATES section of this notice. Individuals requiring sign
language interpretation or other special accommodations should contact
the Acting DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice by the date listed in the DATES section of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynne Johnson, Acting Designated
Federal Official, Office of Communications, CMS, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Mail Stop S1-05-06, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, 410-786-0090,
email [email protected]. Additional information about the APOE
is available on the internet at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-guidance/Guidance/FACA/APOE.html. Press inquiries are handled through
the CMS Press Office at (202) 690-6145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education (APOE) (the Panel) is
governed by the provisions of Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
(Pub. L. 92-463), as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth
standards for the formation and use of federal advisory committees. The
Panel is authorized by section 1114(f) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1314(f)) and section 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 217a).
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) (the Secretary) signed the charter establishing the Citizen's
Advisory Panel on Medicare Education \1\ (the predecessor to the APOE)
on January 21, 1999 (64 FR 7899, February 17, 1999) to advise and make
recommendations to the Secretary and the Administrator of the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the effective implementation
of national Medicare education programs, including with respect to the
Medicare+Choice (M+C) program added by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997
(Pub. L. 105-33).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ We note that the Citizen's Advisory Panel on Medicare
Education is also referred to as the Advisory Panel on Medicare
Education (65 FR 4617). The name was updated in the Second Amended
Charter approved on July 24, 2000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. L. 108-173)
expanded the existing health plan options and benefits available under
the
[[Page 66274]]
M+C program and renamed it the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. We have
had substantial responsibilities to provide information to Medicare
beneficiaries about the range of health plan options available and
better tools to evaluate these options. The successful MA program
implementation required CMS to consider the views and policy input from
a variety of private sector constituents and to develop a broad range
of public-private partnerships.
In addition, Title I of the MMA authorized the Secretary and the
Administrator of CMS (by delegation) to establish the Medicare
prescription drug benefit. The drug benefit allows beneficiaries to
obtain qualified prescription drug coverage. In order to effectively
administer the MA program and the Medicare prescription drug benefit,
we have substantial responsibilities to provide information to Medicare
beneficiaries about the range of health plan options and benefits
available, and to develop better tools to evaluate these plans and
benefits.
The Affordable Care Act (Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, Pub. L. 111-148, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act
of 2010, Pub. L. 111-152) expanded the availability of other options
for health care coverage and enacted a number of changes to Medicare as
well as to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Qualified individuals and qualified employers are now able to purchase
private health insurance coverage through a competitive marketplace,
called an Affordable Insurance Exchange (also called Health Insurance
Marketplace\SM\, or Marketplace\SM\). In order to effectively implement
and administer these changes, we must provide information to consumers,
providers, and other stakeholders through education and outreach
programs regarding how existing programs will change and the expanded
range of health coverage options available, including private health
insurance coverage through the Marketplace\SM\. The APOE (the Panel)
allows us to consider a broad range of views and information from
interested audiences in connection with this effort and to identify
opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of education strategies
concerning the Affordable Care Act.
The scope of this Panel also includes advising on issues pertaining
to the education of providers and stakeholders with respect to the
Affordable Care Act and certain provisions of the Health Information
Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act enacted as
part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
On January 21, 2011, the Panel's charter was renewed and the Panel
was renamed the Advisory Panel for Outreach and Education. The Panel's
charter was most recently renewed on January 19, 2017, and will
terminate on January 19, 2019 unless renewed by appropriate action.
Under the current charter, the APOE will advise the Secretary and
the Administrator on optimal strategies for the following:
Developing and implementing education and outreach
programs for individuals enrolled in, or eligible for, Medicare,
Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or
coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace\SM,\ and
other CMS programs.
Enhancing the federal government's effectiveness in
informing Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and
CHIP consumers, issuers, providers, and stakeholders, through education
and outreach programs, on issues regarding these programs, including
the appropriate use of public-private partnerships to leverage the
resources of the private sector in educating beneficiaries, providers,
and stakeholders.
Expanding outreach to vulnerable and underserved
communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the context of
Health Insurance Marketplace\SM\, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP
education programs, and other CMS programs.
Assembling and sharing an information base of ``best
practices'' for helping consumers evaluate health coverage options.
Building and leveraging existing community infrastructures
for information, counseling, and assistance.
Drawing the program link between outreach and education,
promoting consumer understanding of health care coverage choices, and
facilitating consumer selection/enrollment, which in turn support the
overarching goal of improved access to quality care, including
prevention services, envisioned under the Affordable Care Act.
The current members of the Panel are: Kellan Baker, Centennial
Scholar, Department of Health Policy and Management, John Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health; Robert Blancato, President, Matz,
Blancato & Associates; Dale Blasier, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Department of Orthopaedics, Arkansas Children's Hospital; Deborah
Britt, Executive Director of Patient Services, Piedmont Fayette
Hospital; Deena Chisolm, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public
Health, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Research
Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital; Robert Espinoza, Vice
President of Policy, Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute; Louise
Scherer Knight, Director, Harry J. Duffey Family Patient and Family
Services Program, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer
Center; Roanne Osborne-Gaskin, M.D., Medical Director/Chief Medical
Officer, MercyCare Health Plans; Cathy Phan, Business Development
Coordinator, Asian American Health Coalition dba HOPE Clinic; Kamilah
Pickett, Director, Community Health Compass; Alvia Siddiqi, Medical
Director, Advocate Physician Partners, Carla Smith, Executive Vice
President, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
(HIMSS); Tobin Van Ostern, Co-Founder, Young Invincibles Advisors; and
Paula Villescaz, Principal Consultant, Assembly Health Committee,
California State Legislature.
II. Provisions of This Notice
In accordance with section 10(a) of the FACA, this notice announces
a meeting of the APOE. The agenda for the January 16, 2019 meeting will
include the following:
Welcome and listening session with CMS leadership
Recap of the previous (September 26, 2018) meeting
CMS programs, initiatives, and priorities
An opportunity for public comment
Meeting summary, review of recommendations, and next steps
Individuals or organizations that wish to make a 5-minute oral
presentation on an agenda topic should submit a written copy of the
oral presentation to the DFO at the address listed in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES section of this
notice. The number of oral presentations may be limited by the time
available. Individuals not wishing to make an oral presentation may
submit written comments to the DFO at the address listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice by the date listed in the DATES
section of this notice.
III. 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
[[Page 66275]]
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, the Hubert H. Humphrey (HHH)
Building; therefore, federal security measures are applicable.
The REAL ID Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-13) establishes minimum
standards for the issuance of state-issued driver's licenses and
identification (ID) cards. It prohibits federal agencies from accepting
an official driver's license or ID card from a state for any official
purpose unless the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
determines that the state meets these standards. Beginning October
2015, photo IDs (such as a valid driver's license) issued by a state or
territory not in compliance with the Real ID Act will not be accepted
as identification to enter federal buildings. Visitors from these
states/territories will need to provide alternative proof of
identification (such as a valid passport) to gain entrance into federal
buildings. The current list of states from which a federal agency may
accept driver's licenses for an official purpose is found at http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief.
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 a government-issued photographic
identification to the Federal Protective Service or Guard Service
personnel.
Inspection, via metal detector or other applicable means,
of all persons entering the building. We note that all items brought
into HHH Building, 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.
IV. Collection of Information
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. Chapter 35).
Dated: December 14, 2018.
Seema Verma,
Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2018-27804 Filed 12-21-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P