[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 78 (Monday, April 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22100-22101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08536]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2018-0206]


Air Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee Matters

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department) announces a 
public meeting of the Air Ambulance and Patient Billing (AAPB) Advisory 
Committee on May 27-28, 2021. The AAPB Advisory Committee will discuss 
the reports and recommendations of the Subcommittee on Disclosure and 
Distinction of Charges and Coverage for Air Ambulance Services, 
Subcommittee on Prevention of Balance Billing, and Subcommittee on 
State and DOT Consumer Protection Authorities.

DATES: The AAPB Advisory Committee will hold a virtual meeting on May 
27-28, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

ADDRESSES: The virtual meeting will be open to the public and held via 
the Zoom Webinar Platform. Virtual attendance information will be 
provided upon registration. A detailed agenda will be available on the 
AAPB Advisory Committee website at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/AAPB at least one week before the meeting, along with 
copies of the meeting minutes after the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register and attend this virtual 
meeting, please contact the Department by email at [email protected]. 
Attendance is open to the public subject to any technical and/or 
capacity limitations. For further information, contact Robert Gorman, 
Senior Attorney, at (202) 366-9342 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 requires the Secretary of 
Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, to establish an advisory committee to review options to 
improve the disclosure of charges and fees for air medical services, 
better inform consumers of insurance options for such services, and 
protect consumers from balance billing. On September 12, 2019, the 
Department announced the creation of the AAPB Advisory Committee.
    The AAPB Advisory Committee held a public meeting on January 15-16, 
2020. At that meeting, the AAPB Advisory Committee gathered information 
about the air ambulance industry, air ambulance costs and billing, and 
insurance and air ambulance payment systems. The AAPB Advisory 
Committee also discussed disclosure and separation of charges, cost 
shifting, and balance billing.
    On February 4, 2020, the Department established three 
Subcommittees: (1) The Subcommittee on Disclosure and Distinction of 
Charges and Coverage for Air Ambulance Services; (2) the Subcommittee 
on Prevention of Balance Billing, and (3) the Subcommittee on State and 
DOT Consumer Protection Authorities. On January 11, 2021, the 
Subcommittees filed reports and draft recommendations for the full 
Committee's review. The reports are available for public review on the 
AAPB Advisory Committee's docket, DOT-OST-2018-0206.

II. Summary of the Agenda

    During the May 27-28 meeting, AAPB Advisory the Committee will 
deliberate on the Subcommittees' reports and recommendations. A more 
detailed agenda will be made available at least one week before the 
meeting at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/AAPB.

III. Public Participation

    The meeting will be open to the public and attendance may be 
limited due to virtual meeting constraints. To register, please send an 
email to the Department as set forth in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section. The Department is committed to providing equal access 
to this meeting for all participants. If you need alternative formats 
or services because of a disability, such as sign language interpreter 
or other ancillary aids, please contact the person listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    Members of the public may also present written comments at any 
time. The docket number referenced above (DOT-OST-2018-0206) has been 
established for committee documents,

[[Page 22101]]

including any written comments that may be filed. At the discretion of 
the Chair, after completion of the planned agenda, individual members 
of the public may provide comments through the chat feature of the 
webinar platform or orally, time permitting. Any oral comments 
presented must be limited to the objectives of the committee and will 
be limited to five (5) minutes per person. Individual members of the 
public who wish to present oral comments must notify the Department of 
Transportation contact noted above via email that they wish to attend 
and present oral comments no later than May 24, 2021.
    Speakers are requested to submit a written copy of their prepared 
remarks for inclusion in the meeting records and for circulation to 
AAPB Advisory Committee members by May 24, 2021. All prepared remarks 
submitted on time will be accepted and considered as part of the 
meeting's record.

IV. Viewing Documents

    You may view documents mentioned in this notice at https://www.regulations.gov. After entering the docket number (DOT-OST-2018-
0206), click the link to ``Open Docket Folder'' and choose the document 
to review.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
John E. Putnam,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021-08536 Filed 4-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P