### 63986 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2013 / Notices

++ The composition of the survey team, surveyor qualifications, and the ability of the organization to provide continuing surveyor training.

++ The comparability of the Joint Commission’s processes to those of state agencies, including survey frequency, and the ability to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints against accredited facilities.

++ The Joint Commission’s processes and procedures for monitoring an HHA found out of compliance with the Joint Commission’s program requirements. These monitoring procedures are used only when the Joint Commission identifies noncompliance. If noncompliance is identified through validation reviews or complaint surveys, the state survey agency monitors corrections as specified at § 488.7(d).

++ The Joint Commission’s capacity to report deficiencies to the surveyed facilities and respond to the facility’s plan of correction in a timely manner.

++ The Joint Commission’s capacity to provide CMS with electronic data and reports necessary for effective validation and assessment of the organization’s
survey process.

++ The adequacy of the Joint Commission’s staff and other resources, and its financial viability.

++ The Joint Commission’s capacity to adequately fund required surveys.

++ The Joint Commission’s policies with respect to whether surveys are announced or unannounced, to assure that surveys are unannounced.

++ The Joint Commission’s agreement to provide CMS with a copy of the most current accreditation survey together with any other information related to the survey as CMS may require (including corrective action plans).

IV. Collection of Information Requirements

This document does not impose information collection and recordkeeping requirements. Consequently, it need not be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget under the authority of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 35). V. Response to Public Comments

Because of the large number of public comments we normally receive on Federal Register documents, we are not able to acknowledge or respond to them individually. We will consider all comments we receive by the date and time specified in the **DATES** section of this preamble, and, when we proceed with a subsequent document, we will respond to the comments in the preamble to that document.

Upon completion of our evaluation, including evaluation of comments received as a result of this notice, we will publish a final notice in the Federal Register announcing the result of our evaluation.

Authority: (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.778, Medical Assistance Program; No. 93.773 Medicare— Hospital Insurance Program; and No. 93.774, Medicare—Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)

Dated: September 27, 2013. Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2013–25010 Filed 10–24–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4120–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES** 

**Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services** 

**[CMS–3289–N]**

**Medicare Program; Request for Nominations for Members for the**  **Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee** 

**AGENCY :**  Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  This notice announces the request for nominations for membership on the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC). Among other duties, the MEDCAC provides advice and guidance to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning the adequacy of scientific evidence available to CMS for ‘‘reasonable and necessary’’ determinations under Medicare.

We are requesting nominations for both voting and nonvoting members to serve on the MEDCAC. Nominees are selected based upon their individual qualifications and not as representatives of professional associations or societies. We wish to ensure adequate representation of the interests of both women and men, members of all ethnic groups and physically challenged individuals. Therefore, we encourage nominations of qualified candidates who can represent these interests.

The MEDCAC reviews and evaluates medical literature, technology assessments, and hears public testimony on the evidence available to address the impact of medical items and services on health outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries.

**DATES :**  Nominations must be received by Monday, December 9, 2013.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may mail nominations for membership to the following address: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Attention: Maria Ellis, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop: S3–02–01, Baltimore, MD 21244.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Maria Ellis, Executive Secretary for the MEDCAC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Coverage and Analysis Group, S3–02–01, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244 or contact Ms. Ellis by phone (410–786–0309) or via email at Maria.Ellis@cms.hhs.gov

. **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  I. Background

The Secretary signed the initial charter for the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) on November 24, 1998. A notice in the Federal Register (63 FR 68780) announcing establishment of the MCAC was published on December 14, 1998. The MCAC name was updated to more accurately reflect the purpose of the committee and on January 26, 2007, the Secretary published a notice in the Federal Register (72 FR 3853), announcing that the Committee’s name changed to the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC). The charter for the committee was renewed by the Secretary on November 24, 2012. The current charter is effective for 2 years.

The MEDCAC is governed by provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92–463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), which sets forth standards for the formulation and use of advisory committees, and is authorized by section 222 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 U.S.C. 217A).

The MEDCAC consists of a pool of 100 appointed members including: 94 voting members of whom 6 are designated patient advocates, and 6 nonvoting representatives of industry interests. Members generally are recognized authorities in clinical medicine including subspecialties, administrative medicine, public health, biological and physical sciences, epidemiology and biostatistics, clinical trial design, health care data management and analysis, patient advocacy, health care economics,


### 63987 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2013 / Notices

medical ethics or other relevant professions.

The MEDCAC works from an agenda provided by the Designated Federal Official. The MEDCAC reviews and evaluates medical literature, technology assessments, and hears public testimony on the evidence available to address the impact of medical items and services on health outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries. The MEDCAC may also advise Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of Medicare’s ‘‘coverage with evidence development’’ initiative.

II. Provisions of the Notice

As of June 2014, there will be 30 membership terms expiring. Of the 30 memberships expiring, 1 is nonvoting industry representative, 3 are voting patient advocates and the remaining 26 membership openings are for the general MEDCAC voting membership.

Accordingly, we are requesting nominations for both voting and nonvoting members to serve on the MEDCAC. Nominees are selected based upon their individual qualifications and not as representatives of professional associations or societies. We wish to ensure adequate representation of the interests of both women and men, members of all ethnic groups and physically challenged individuals. Therefore, we encourage nominations of qualified candidates from these groups.

All nominations must be accompanied by curricula vitae. Nomination packages must be sent to Maria Ellis at the address listed in the

**ADDRESSES** section of this notice. Nominees for voting membership must also have expertise and experience in one or more of the following fields:

• Clinical medicine including subspecialties

• Administrative medicine

• Public health

• Biological and physical sciences

• Epidemiology and biostatistics

• Clinical trial design

• Health care data management and analysis

• Patient advocacy

• Health care economics

• Medical ethics

• Other relevant professions

We are looking particularly for experts in a number of fields. These include cancer screening, genetic testing, clinical epidemiology; psychopharmacology; screening and diagnostic testing analysis; and vascular surgery. We also need experts in biostatistics in clinical settings, dementia treatment, minority health, observational research design, stroke epidemiology, and women’s health.

The nomination letter must include a statement that the nominee is willing to serve as a member of the MEDCAC and appears to have no conflict of interest that would preclude membership. We are requesting that all curricula vitae include the following:

• Date of birth

• Place of birth

• Social security number

• Title and current position

• Professional affiliation

• Home and business address

• Telephone and fax numbers

• Email address

• List of areas of expertise In the nomination letter, we are requesting that the nominee specify whether they are applying for a voting patient advocate position, for another voting position or a nonvoting industry representative. Potential candidates will be asked to provide detailed information concerning such matters as financial holdings, consultancies, and research grants or contracts in order to permit evaluation of possible sources of conflict of interest.

Members are invited to serve for overlapping 2-year terms. A member may serve after the expiration of the member’s term until a successor is named. Any interested person may nominate one or more qualified persons. Self-nominations are also accepted. The current Secretary’s Charter for the MEDCAC is available on the CMS Web site at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/ Downloads/medcaccharter.pdf, or you may obtain a copy of the charter by submitting a request to the contact listed in the **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION**
**CONTACT** section of this notice.

Authority: 5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 10(a)(1) and (a)(2). (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare—Supplementary Medical Insurance Program.)

Dated: October 18, 2013. Patrick Conway, CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2013–25008 Filed 10–24–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND**  **HUMAN SERVICES**

**Administration for Children and Families** 

**Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request** 

Title: Parents and Children Together (PACT) Evaluation.

OMB No.: 0970–0403. Description: The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing data collection activity as part of the Parents and Children Together (PACT) Evaluation. The objective of the PACT evaluation is to document and provide initial assessment of selected Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage grant programs that were authorized under the 2010 Claims Resolution Act. This information will be critical to informing decisions related to future investments in programming as well as the design and operation of such services.

PACT is utilizing three major, interrelated evaluation strategies: Impact evaluation; implementation evaluation; and qualitative evaluation. To collect data for these strategies, eighteen instruments have been approved to-date. This 30-Day Federal Register Notice covers two new instruments: (19) Follow-up Survey (for Responsible Fatherhood study participants) (20) Follow-up Survey (for Healthy Marriage study participants) A more thorough description of the study and instruments was provided in a 60 Day Federal Register Notice posted in Vol. 78, No. 102, p. 31942 on May 28,

2013.

Respondents: Program applicants, program participants, program staff, and staff at referral agencies.

Annual Burden Estimates

This current 30-Day Federal Register Notice covers two new instruments: