[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 247 (Thursday, December 27, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 66661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-28070]



[[Page 66661]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

42 CFR Part 422

[CMS-4185-N]
RIN 0938-AT59


Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Risk Adjustment Data Validation

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This document only extends the comment period for the Risk 
Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) provisions of the proposed rule 
titled ``Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policy and Technical Changes 
to the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Program 
of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Medicaid Fee-For-Service, 
and Medicaid Managed Care Programs for Years 2020 and 2021'' that was 
published in the November 1, 2018 Federal Register. The comment period 
for the RADV provision of this proposed rule, which would end on 
December 31, 2018, is extended by 120 days until April 30, 2019.
    The comment period for all other provisions of the November 1, 2018 
proposed rule ends on December 31, 2018.

DATES: In the proposed rule published November 1, 2018 (83 FR 54982), 
the comment period for RADV provisions (that is, section II.C.2. of the 
proposed rule and proposed Sec.  422.300, 422.310(e) and 422.311(a) of 
the regulations text) is extended to 5 p.m. on April 30, 2019.

ADDRESSES: In commenting, please refer to file code CMS-4185-P. Because 
of staff and resource limitations, we cannot accept comments by 
facsimile (FAX) transmission.
    Comments, including mass comment submissions, must be submitted in 
one of the following three ways (please choose only one of the ways 
listed):
    1. Electronically. You may submit electronic comments on this 
regulation to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the ``Submit a 
comment'' instructions.
    2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following 
address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of 
Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-4185-P, P.O. Box 8013, 
Baltimore, MD 21244-8013.
    Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received 
before the close of the comment period.
    3. By express or overnight mail. You may send written comments to 
the following address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 
Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-4185-P, Mail 
Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
    For information on viewing public comments, see the beginning of 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan Smith (410) 786-4671 or 
Joanne Davis (410) 786-5127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Inspection of Public Comments: All comments 
received before the close of the comment period are available for 
viewing by the public, including any personally identifiable or 
confidential business information that is included in a comment. We 
post all comments received before the close of the comment period on 
the following website as soon as possible after they have been 
received: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the search instructions on 
that website to view public comments.

Extension of the Public Comment Period

    In the November 1, 2018 proposed rule (83 FR 54982) titled, 
``Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policy and Technical Changes to the 
Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Program of All-
inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Medicaid Fee-For-Service, and 
Medicaid Managed Care Programs for Years 2020 and 2021,'' we included 
preamble language and regulatory provisions regarding the proposed Risk 
Adjustment Data Validation audit methodology and the proposal not to 
apply a Fee-For-Service (FFS) Adjuster. We posted a FFS Adjuster Study 
on October 26, 2018. We plan to release data underlying this study.
    In order to maximize the opportunity for the public to provide 
meaningful input to CMS, we believe it is important to allow additional 
time for the public to prepare comments on the RADV provisions of the 
proposed rule. In addition, we believe granting a 120-day extension to 
the public comment period in this instance would further our overall 
objective to obtain public input and to generate information that will 
be useful to our agency's decision makers. Therefore, this document 
announces the extension of the public comment period until April 30, 
2019 for the RADV provisions included in the November 1, 2018 proposed 
rule (83 FR 55037 through 55041 and 55077).

    Dated: December 19, 2018.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2018-28070 Filed 12-20-18; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P