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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 74 (Thursday, April 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 21763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08758]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-5506-N4]

Medicare Program; Comprehensive ESRD Care Initiative; Extension 
of the Submission Deadlines for the Letters of Intent and Applications

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

ACTION: Reopening of the application period.

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SUMMARY: This notice reopens the application period and provides 
information on new dates for the submission of the Comprehensive ESRD 
Care initiative letters of intent and application. The letter of intent 
submission date for End-stage Renal Disease Seamless Care Organizations 
(ESCOs) that include a dialysis facility from a large dialysis 
organization (LDO) is June 23, 2014, and the submission deadline for 
the LDO application is June 23, 2014. The letter of intent submission 
date for ESCOs that include a non-LDO facility is September 15, 2014, 
and the submission deadline for the non-LDO application is September 
15, 2014.

DATES: Letter of Intent Submission Deadline: Interested large dialysis 
organizations (LDOs) must submit a non-binding letter of intent on or 
before June 23, 2014, and interested non-large dialysis organizations 
(non-LDOs) must submit a non-binding letter of intent on or before 
September 15, 2014, by an online form at: http://innovationgov.force.com/cec.
    Application Submission Deadline: Interested LDO applicants must 
submit an application on or before June 23, 2014, and interested non-
LDO applicants must submit an application on or before September 15, 
2014, by an online form at: http://innovationgov.force.com/rfa.
    An updated Request for Applications which includes the new 
submission deadlines and additional updates is available on the 
Innovation Center Web site at: http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/comprehensive-ESRD-care.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alefiyah Mesiwala, (410) 786-2224 or 
ESRD-CMMI@cms.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) 
is interested in identifying models designed to improve care for 
beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). To promote seamless 
and integrated care for beneficiaries with ESRD, we are developing a 
comprehensive care delivery model to emphasize coordination of a full-
range of clinical and non-clinical services across providers, 
suppliers, and settings. Through the Comprehensive ESRD Care Model, we 
seek to identify ways to improve the coordination and quality of care 
for this population, while lowering total per-capita expenditures to 
the Medicare program. We anticipate that the Comprehensive ESRD Care 
Model would result in improved health outcomes for beneficiaries with 
ESRD regarding the functional status, quality of life, and overall 
well-being, as well as increased beneficiary and caregiver engagement, 
and lower costs to Medicare through improved care coordination.
    On February 6, 2013, we published a notice in the Federal Register 
announcing a request for applications from organizations to participate 
in the testing of the Comprehensive ESRD Care Model, for a period 
beginning in 2013 and ending in 2016, with a possible extension into 
subsequent years. In that notice, we stated that organizations 
interested in applying to participate in the testing of the 
Comprehensive ESRD Care Model must submit a non-binding letter of 
intent by March 15, 2013, and an application by May 1, 2013.
    Several stakeholders requested additional time to prepare their 
applications and form partnerships. Therefore, the Innovation Center 
extended the deadlines relating to the Comprehensive ESRD Care 
initiative. On July 17, 2013, we published a notice in the Federal 
Register announcing an extension of deadlines. The new deadlines were 
July 19, 2013 for the Letter of Intent and August 1, 2013 for the 
application. On August 9, 2013, we published an additional notice in 
the Federal Register announcing an extension of deadlines. The notice 
reopened the Letters of Intent submission period and extended the 
deadlines for submission of both the Letters of Intent and the 
Applications to August 30, 2013.

II. Provisions of the Notice

    Since the publication of the August 9, 2013 notice, we have made 
several revisions to the design of the Comprehensive ESRD Care 
initiative. Therefore, for the Comprehensive ESRD Care Initiative, the 
Innovation Center is reopening the Letters of Intent submission period 
and extending the deadlines for submission of both the Letters of 
Intent and the Applications. The new deadline for submission of the 
letter of intent is June 23, 2014 for LDO applicants and September 15, 
2014 for non-LDO applicants; and the new deadline for submission of the 
application is June 23, 2014, for LDO applicants and September 15, 2014 
for non-LDO applicants.
    In the DATES section of this notice, we are including the new 
submissions deadlines. For additional information on the Comprehensive 
ESRD Care Model, and how to apply, we refer the reader to click on the 
Request for Applications located on the Innovation Center Web site at: 
http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/comprehensive-ESRD-care.

    Dated: April 11, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-08758 Filed 4-15-14; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
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