[Federal Register: August 24, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 164)]
[Notices]
[Page 48647-48648]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24au07-73]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-1542-N2]
Medicare Program; Announcement of New Members to the Advisory
Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Groups
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces two new members selected to serve on the
Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Groups (the
Panel). The purpose of the Panel is to review the APC groups and their
associated weights and to advise the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Administrator of the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), concerning the clinical
integrity of the APC groups and their associated weights. We will
consider the Panel's advice as we prepare the annual updates of the
hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For inquiries about the Panel, please
contact the Designated Federal Official (DFO): Shirl Ackerman-Ross,
DFO, CMS, CMM, HAPG, DOC, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C4-05-17,
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, Phone (410) 786-4474.
APC Panel E-Mail Address: The E-mail address for the Panel is as
follows: CMS APCPanel@cms.hhs.gov.
News Media Contact: News media representatives must contact our
Public Affairs Office at (202) 690-6145.
CMS Advisory Committee Hotlines: The CMS Federal Advisory Committee
Hotline is 1-877-449-5659 (toll free) and (410) 786-9379 (local) for
additional Panel information.
Web Sites: For additional information regarding the APC Panel
membership, meetings, agendas, and updates to the Panel's activities,
please search our Web site at the following Uniform Resource Locator
(URL): http://www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/05_AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPaymentClassificationGroups.asp#TopOfPage
.
The public may also access the following URL for the Federal
Advisory Committee Act Web site to obtain APC Panel information:
https://www.fido.gov/facadatabase/logon.asp.
A copy of the Panel's Charter and other pertinent information are
on both Web sites mentioned above. You may
[[Page 48648]]
also e-mail the Panel DFO at the above e-mail address for a copy of the
Charter.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Secretary is required by section 1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social
Security Act (the Act), [as amended by section 201(h) of the Medicare,
Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA) (Pub.
L. 106-113), and re-designated by section 202(a)(2) of the BBRA] to
establish and consult with an expert outside advisory panel regarding
the clinical integrity of the APC groups and weights that are
components of the hospital OPPS.
The APC Panel meets up to three times annually. The Charter
requires that the Panel must be fairly balanced in its membership in
terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be
performed. The Panel consists of up to 15 members, who are
representatives of providers, and a Chair. Each Panel member must be
employed full-time by a hospital, hospital system, or other Medicare
provider subject to payment under the OPPS. The Secretary or
Administrator selects the Panel membership based upon either self-
nominations or nominations submitted by Medicare providers and other
interested organizations. All members must have technical expertise to
enable them to participate fully in the work of the Panel. This
expertise encompasses hospital payment systems; hospital medical-care
delivery systems; provider billing systems; APC groups, Current
Procedural Terminology codes, and alpha-numeric Healthcare Common
Procedure Coding System codes; and the use and payment of drugs and
medical devices in the outpatient setting, as well as other forms of
relevant expertise.
The Charter requires that all members have a minimum of 5 years
experience in their area(s) of expertise, but it is not necessary that
any member be an expert in all of the areas listed above. For purposes
of this Panel, consultants or independent contractors are not
considered to be full-time employees of hospitals, hospital systems, or
other Medicare providers that are subject to the OPPS. Panel members
serve up to 4-year terms. A member may serve after the expiration of
his or her term until a successor has been sworn in. All terms are
contingent upon the renewal of the Panel's Charter by appropriate
action before its termination. The Secretary re-chartered the APC Panel
effective November 21, 2006.
II. Announcement of New Members
The Panel may consist of a Chair and up to 15 Panel members who
serve without compensation, according to an advance written agreement.
Travel, meals, lodging, and related expenses for the meeting are
reimbursed in accordance with standard Government travel regulations.
We have a special interest in ensuring that women, minorities,
representatives from various geographical locations, and the physically
challenged are adequately represented on the Panel.
The Secretary, or his designee, appoints new members to the Panel
from among those candidates determined to have the required expertise.
New appointments are made in a manner that ensures a balanced
membership.
The Panel presently consists of the following 15 members and a
Chair: (The asterisk [*] indicates a Panel member whose term expires on
09/30/2007.)
Edith Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair.
Gloryanne Bryant, B.S., R.H.I.A., R.H.I.T., C.C.S.
Hazel Kimmel, R.N., C.C.S., C.P.C.
*Sandra J. Metzler, M.B.A., R.H.I.A., C.P.H.Q.
Michael D. Mills, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
Thomas M. Munger, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Beverly Khnie Philip, M.D.
Louis Potters, M.D., F.A.C.R.
Russ Ranallo, M.S.
James V. Rawson, M.D.
Michael A. Ross, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
Judie S. Snipes, R.N., M.B.A., F.A.C.H.E.
Patricia Spencer-Cisek, M.S., A.P.R.N.-BC,
A.O.C.N.[supreg]
*Lou Ann Schraffenberger, M.B.A., R.H.I.A., C.C.S.-P.
Kim Allan Williams, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.B.C.
Robert Matthew Zwolak, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.
On March 23, 2007, we published the notice titled ``Request for
Nominations to the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification
Groups'' (CMS-1305-N2) in the Federal Register requesting nominations
to the Panel replacing Panel members whose terms would expire by
September 30, 2007. As a result of that Federal Register notice, we are
announcing two new members to the Panel. One new 3-year appointment
commences on August 1, 2007, and one new 4-year appointment commences
on October 1, 2007, as indicated below:
New Panel Members/Terms
Michael D. Mills, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., 08/01/2007-09/30/2010.
Patrick Grusenmeyer, Sc.D., M.P.A., 10/01/2007-09/30/2011.
Note: Dr. Mills replaces Dr. Tyler whose term expired 03/31/
2007. Dr. Grusenmeyer will replace Ms. Schraffenberger whose term
expires on 09/30/2007. Agatha L. Nolen, D.Ph., M.S., announced in a
previous Federal Register notice, will replace Ms. Metzler whose
term expires on 09/30/2007.)
Authority: Section 1833(t) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)). The
Panel is governed by the provisions of Public Law. 92-463, as
amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2).
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773,
Medicare-Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare-
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program).
Dated: July 19, 2007.
Leslie V. Norwalk,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. E7-16151 Filed 8-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P