[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 72 (Friday, April 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23046-23047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07910]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-9896-N3]


Membership List Update and New Meeting Dates for Ground Ambulance 
and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee--May 2 and 3, 2023

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces new dates for a public meeting of the 
Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee on May 2 
and 3, 2023. The GAPB Advisory Committee will make recommendations with 
respect to the disclosure of charges and fees for ground ambulance 
services and insurance coverage, consumer protection and enforcement 
authorities of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
the Treasury (the Departments) and relevant States, and the prevention 
of balance billing to consumers. The recommendations shall address 
options, best practices, and identified standards to prevent instances 
of balance billing; steps that can be taken by State legislatures, 
State insurance regulators, State attorneys general, and other State 
officials as appropriate, consistent with current legal authorities 
regarding consumer protection; and legislative options for Congress to 
prevent balance billing. This notice also updates the GAPB Advisory 
Committee membership roster.

DATES: Virtual Meeting Dates: The GAPB Advisory Committee will hold a 
virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 and Wednesday, May 3, 2023 from 
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
    Registration Link: The virtual meeting will be open to the public 
and held via the Zoom webinar platform. Virtual attendance information 
will be provided upon registration. To register for this virtual 
meeting, please visit: https://priforum.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_nSWKovtFQbqGY15qaF9CFw.
    Attendance is open to the public subject to any technical or 
capacity limitations.
    Deadline for Registration: All individuals who plan to attend the 
virtual public meeting must register to attend. The deadline to 
register for the public meeting is Monday, May 1, 2023. Interested 
parties are encouraged to register as far in advance of the meeting as 
possible. A detailed agenda and materials will be available prior to 
the meeting on the GAPB Advisory Committee website at: https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb.
    A recording and a summary of the meeting will be made available on 
the GAPB Advisory Committee website within 30 calendar days after the 
meeting.

ADDRESSES: Virtual Meeting Location: The May 2 and 3, 2023 public 
meeting will be held virtually via Zoom only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shaheen Halim, CMS, by phone (410) 
786-0641 or via email at [email protected]. Press 
inquiries may be submitted by phone at (202) 690-6145 or via email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 117(a) of the No Surprises Act, enacted as part of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, div. BB, tit. I, Public Law 116-
260 (Dec. 27, 2020), requires the Secretaries of Labor, HHS, and the 
Treasury to establish and convene an advisory committee for the purpose 
of reviewing options to improve the disclosure of charges and fees for 
ground ambulance services, better inform consumers of insurance options 
for such services, and protect consumers from balance billing. The GAPB 
Advisory Committee is governed by the provisions of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92-463 (Oct. 6, 1972), as 
amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 2.

II. Advisory Committee Membership Roster

    On November 23, 2021, HHS published a Notice of Charter and 
Invitation for Member Nominations in the Federal Register for the GAPB 
Advisory Committee (86 FR 66565 through 66566). The Departments 
evaluated the nominees for alignment with the membership categories 
required under Section 117 of the No Surprises Act, their professional 
qualifications, recognition by the ground ambulance and emergency 
medical services community, years of relevant experience, experience 
with State or Federal committees on related issues, and expertise in 
subject matter to be addressed by the committee. The Departments also 
considered membership balance as required by the FACA, and as 
appropriate to address health equity issues pertaining to ground 
ambulance consumer balance billing, and ground ambulance services in 
underserved communities. On December 16, 2022, HHS published a Federal 
Register Notice Announcing the 17 Members of the GAPB Advisory 
Committee (87 FR 77122 through 77123). The Committee Roster has since 
been updated to include a new Designee to represent the Secretary of 
the Treasury as a Member of the Committee.
    The 17 Members of the GAPB Advisory Committee are:
     Asbel Montes--Committee Chairperson; Additional 
Representative determined necessary and appropriate by the Secretaries.
     Ali Khawar--Secretary of Labor's Designee
     Carol Weiser--Secretary of the Treasury's Designee
     Rogelyn McLean--Secretary of Health and Human Services' 
Designee
     Gamunu Wijetunge--Department of Transportation--National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
     Suzanne Prentiss--State Insurance Regulators
     Adam Beck--Health Insurance Providers
     Patricia Kelmar--Consumer Advocacy Groups
     Gary Wingrove--Patient Advocacy Groups
     Ayobami Ogunsola--State and Local Governments
     Ritu Sahni--Physician specializing in emergency, trauma, 
cardiac, or stroke
     Peter Lawrence--State Emergency Medical Services Officials
     Shawn Baird--Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, 
and Other Emergency Medical Services Personnel
     Edward Van Horne--Representative of Various Segments of 
the Ground Ambulance Industry
     Regina Godette-Crawford--Representative of Various 
Segments of the Ground Ambulance Industry
     Rhonda Holden--Representative of Various Segments of the 
Ground Ambulance Industry
     Loren Adler--Additional Representative determined 
necessary and appropriate by the Secretaries
    The GAPB Advisory Committee Roster will also be posted on the GAPB 
Advisory Committee website at: https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb.

III. Meeting Agenda

    The first public meeting of the GAPB Advisory Committee will occur 
on May 2 and 3, 2023. During this meeting, the Committee will gather 
background information on the No Surprises Act,

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the ground ambulance industry, insurance and billing practices, and 
consumer issues such as disclosure of fees and balance billing, prior 
to discussing potential subcommittees and focus areas. The agenda will 
cover the following topics:
     No Surprises Act overview
     Overview of the ground ambulance industry
     Insurance and ground ambulance payment systems
     Ground ambulance billing practices
     Disclosure of charges to consumers, separation of charges, 
and cost shifting
     Impact of balance billing on consumers and current 
consumer protections
     Balance billing prevention, including potential 
legislative and regulatory options
    A more detailed agenda and materials will be made available 
approximately 2 days before the meeting on the GAPB Advisory Committee 
website (listed above).

Anticipated Dates and Agendas for Future GAPB Advisory Committee 
Meetings

    CMS expects to convene future GAPB Advisory Committee Meetings on 
the following dates:
     August 16, 2023
     October 31 and November 1, 2023
    Agendas and registration information for these future meetings will 
be published in the Federal Register and on the GAPB Advisory Committee 
website closer to the anticipated meeting dates, which are subject to 
change.

IV. Public Participation

    The May 2 and May 3, 2023 meeting will be open to the public. 
Attendance may be limited due to virtual meeting constraints. 
Interested parties are encouraged to register as far in advance of the 
meeting as possible. To register for the meeting, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb. CMS is committed 
to providing equal access to this meeting for all participants and to 
ensuring Section 508 compliance. Closed captioning will be provided. 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.

V. Submitting Written Comments

    Members of the public may submit written comments on subject matter 
under committee deliberation prior to the May 2 and May 3, 2023 meeting 
via email to [email protected]. Comments must be 
submitted via email no later than April 21, 2023. During the virtual 
meeting, members of the public will have the opportunity to submit 
comments through the chat feature of the Zoom webinar platform. These 
comments will be compiled for future consideration by the Committee.

V. Viewing Documents

    You may view the documents discussed in this notice at https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb.
    The Administrator of CMS, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, having reviewed 
and approved this document, authorizes Evell J. Barco Holland, who is 
the Federal Register Liaison, to electronically sign this document for 
purposes of publication in the Federal Register.

    Dated: April 11, 2023.
Evell J. Barco Holland,
Federal Register Liaison, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-07910 Filed 4-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P