[Federal Register: October 5, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 192)] [Notices] [Page 54030-54031] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr05oc99-100] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Care Financing Administration [HCFA-1056-CN] RIN 0938-AJ65 Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities--Update; Correction AGENCY: Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), HHS. ACTION: Notice; correction. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This document corrects technical errors that appeared in the notice published in the Federal Register on July 30, 1999 entitled ``Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities--Update.'' EFFECTIVE DATE: These corrections are effective October 1, 1999. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Ullman, (410) 786-5667. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background In FR Doc. 99-19479 of July 30, 1999 (64 FR 41684), there were a number of technical errors. The errors relate to the update factor that appears in the discussion of one issue, and to a column of incorrect figures displayed in one table. Regarding the former, section III. of the preamble (64 FR 41697) discusses the statutory three-year, phased transition under which payment is based in part on a facility-specific per diem rate (which reflects an individual facility's historical cost experience) and in part on a Federal per diem rate. For facilities that received payment under the RUG-III demonstration during a cost reporting period that began in calender year 1997, the notice sets forth a three-step procedure for determining the facility-specific rate, in which the final step is an adjustment of the rate by an inflation factor of 1.031532. However, this factor inadvertently failed to reflect an update; as a consequence, the figure of 1.031532 as shown in the notice discussion should instead be 1.062244. The other correction relates to a technical error in Table 8.C of the preamble (64 FR 41698-99), entitled ``Update Factors for Facility- Specific Portion of the SNF PPS Rates.'' This table provides numerical factors for use in updating a facility's base year costs through fiscal year (FY) 2000 (i.e., the period beginning October 1, 1999, and ending September 30, 2000) by the SNF market basket percentage, as required under section 1888(e)(3)(D) of the Social Security Act (the Act). However, these update factors inadvertently reflected updates to the base period amounts only up to the midpoint of FY 2000 itself, rather than to the midpoint of the corresponding cost reporting periods that begin during FY 2000. This error resulted in incorrect figures being displayed for the update factors that appear in the right-hand column of Table 8.C. Accordingly, we are reprinting this table below, with the corrected figures displayed in the right-hand column. Additionally, we note that while this correction causes all of the figures displayed in this column of the table to increase, this does not affect the associated budgetary projections, since they were made based on employing the correct methodology for calculating the update factors, as described in the SNF PPS interim final rule (63 FR 26252, May 12, 1998). The corrections appear in this document under the heading ``Correction of Errors.'' The provisions in this correction notice are effective as if they had been included in the document published in the Federal Register on July 30, 1999, that is, October 1, 1999. Correction of Errors In FR Doc. 99-19479 of July 30, 1999 (64 FR 41684), we are making the following corrections: Corrections Page 41697 In the second column, in the paragraph entitled ``Step 3.,'' the first sentence is revised to read as follows: ``Adjust the amount in Step 2. by 1.062244 (inflation factor)--Do not use 8.C.'' Page 41698 Corrected Table 8.C (Update Factors for Facility-Specific Portion of the SNF PPS Rates) is set forth below: [[Page 54031]] Table 8.C--Update Factors \1\ for Facility--Specific Portion of the SNF PPS Rates--Adjust to 12-Month Cost Reporting Periods Beginning on or After October 1, 1999 and Before October 1, 2000 From Cost Reporting Periods Beginning in FY 1995 (Base Year) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Adjust from 12-month If 12-month cost reporting cost reporting period Using update period in initial period begins in base year that factor of begins ------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 1, 1999................ October 1, 1994........ 1.09929 November 1, 1999............... November 1, 1994....... 1.09897 December 1, 1999............... December 1, 1994....... 1.09855 January 1, 2000................ January 1, 1995........ 1.09831 February 1, 2000............... February 1, 1995....... 1.09827 March 1, 2000.................. March 1, 1995.......... 1.09841 April 1, 2000.................. April 1, 1995.......... 1.09853 May 1, 2000.................... May 1, 1995............ 1.09861 June 1, 2000................... June 1, 1995........... 1.09866 July 1, 2000................... July 1,1995............ 1.09879 August 1, 2000................. August 1, 1995......... 1.09900 September 1, 2000.............. September 1, 1995...... 1.09929 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\ Source: Standard & Poor's DRI, 1st Qtr 1999; @USSIM/ TREND25YR0299@CISSIM/CONTROL991 (Authority: Section 1888 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395yy)) (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773, Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare-- Supplementary Medical Insurance Program) Dated: September 27, 1999. Brian P. Burns, Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Information Resources Management. [FR Doc. 99-25789 Filed 10-4-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4120-01-P