Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 166 / Friday, August 28, 2009 / Notices 44371 

AOA’s requirements met or exceeded 

the Medicare CoPs for hospitals. We 

received 28 comments in response to 

our proposed notice. 

All commenters expressed support for 

AOA’s continued deeming authority for 

hospitals. Commenters stated that 

AOA’s standards are clearly written and 

closely aligned with the Medicare CoPs, 

and that AOA’s accreditation program 

provides hospitals with a viable 

alternative to other healthcare 

accreditation organizations. 

IV. Provision of the Final Notice 

A. Differences Between AOA’s 

Standards and Requirements for 

Accreditation and Medicare’s 

Conditions and Survey Requirements 

We compared AOA’s hospital 

accreditation requirements and survey 

process with the Medicare CoPs and 

survey process as outlined in the State 

Operations Manual (SOM). Our review 

and evaluation of AOA’s deeming 

application, which were conducted as 

described in section III of this final 

notice, yielded the following: 

• AOA revised its standards to ensure 

that a medical history and physical is 

completed and documented in 

accordance with the requirements at 

§ 482.51(b)(1). 

• To meet the requirements in the 

SOM Appendix A, AOA amended its 

surveyor team handbook to ensure all 

hospital survey teams include a 

Registered Nurse. 

• AOA modified its policies related to 

the accreditation effective date in 

accordance with the requirements at 

§ 489.13. 

• AOA modified its policies regarding 

timeframes for sending and receiving a 

plan of correction (PoC) in accordance 

with section 2728 of the SOM. 

• AOA revised its policies to include 

timeframes for investigation of 

complaints in accordance with the 

requirements at section 5075.9 of the 

SOM. 

• AOA developed and implemented 

internal monitoring procedures to 

ensure its surveyors are trained and 

qualified to meet the requirements at 

§ 488.4(a)(4). 

• AOA developed an action plan to 

ensure that deemed status survey files 

are complete, accurate, and consistent 

with the requirements at § 488.6(a). 

• AOA developed and conducted 

surveyor training on the documentation 

of deficiencies to ensure that all cited 

deficiencies contain a regulatory 

reference, a clear and detailed 

description of the deficient practice, and 

relevant finding. 

• To meet the requirements at 

§ 488.20(a) and § 488.28(a), AOA 

developed a policy to ensure that 

facilities with condition level noncompliance on a recertification survey 

submit an acceptable PoC, and receive 

a follow up onsite focused survey. 

• To meet the requirements at section 

2005A2 of the SOM, AOA revised its 

policies and developed an internal 

tracking tool to ensure that facilities 

with condition level non-compliance on 

an initial survey receive an onsite 

follow-up full survey. 

• To meet the requirements at 

§ 488.4(b), AOA developed and 

incorporated measures to improve the 

accuracy and consistency of data 

submissions to CMS. 

• To meet the requirements at 2700A 

of the SOM, AOA revised its policies on 

blackout dates. 

• AOA revised its accreditation 

decision letters to ensure that they are 

accurate and contain all the required 

elements for the CMS Regional Office to 

render a decision regarding the deemed 

status of an accredited hospital. 

• To meet the survey process 

requirements in Appendix A of the 

SOM, AOA developed a policy 

outlining the minimum number of 

inpatient records required for review 

during a certification survey. 

• AOA removed all references to 

mandatory consultative services from its 

policies to avoid potential conflict of 

interest issues. 

• To verify AOA’s continued 

compliance with the provisions of this 

final notice, CMS will conduct a followup corporate onsite visit within one year 

of the date of publication of this notice. 

B. Term of Approval 

Based on the review and observations 

described in section III of this final 

notice, we have determined that AOA’s 

requirements for hospitals meet or 

exceed our requirements. Therefore, we 

approve AOA as a national accreditation 

organization for hospitals that request 

participation in the Medicare program, 

effective September 25, 2009 through 

September 25, 2013. 

V. 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). 

VI. Regulatory Impact Statement 

In accordance with the provisions of 

Executive Order 12866, this regulation 

was not reviewed by the Office of 

Management and Budget. 

Authority: Section 1865 of the Social 

Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395bb). 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.778, Medical Assistance 

Program) 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplementary Medical 

Insurance Program) 

Dated: July 30, 2009. 

Charlene Frizzera, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–20203 Filed 8–27–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–7016–N] 

Medicare Program; Request for 

Nominations for the Advisory Panel on 

Medicare Education 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice requests 

nominations for individuals to serve on 

the Advisory Panel on Medicare 

Education (the Panel) to fill current 

vacancies and vacancies that will 

become available in 2009. The Panel 

advises and makes recommendations to 

the Secretary of Health and Human 

Services and the Administrator of the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services on the effectiveness of 

consumer education strategies 

concerning the Medicare program. 

DATES: Deadline for Nominations by 

Regular Mail: Monday, September 14, 

2009 at 5 p.m., eastern daylight time 

(e.d.t.). 

Deadline for Nominations by 

Electronic Mail: Monday, September 14, 

2009 at 5 p.m., e.d.t. 

ADDRESSES: Regular Mail: Dwayne E. 

Campbell, Office of External Affairs, 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, S1– 

05–14, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

Electronic Mail: 

Dwayne.Campbell@cms.hhs.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dwayne E. Campbell, Health Insurance 

Specialist, Division of Forum and 

Conference Development, (410) 786– 

0291. Please refer to the CMS Advisory 

Committees Information Line (1–877– 


hsrobinson on DSK69SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
44372 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 166 / Friday, August 28, 2009 / Notices 

449–5659 toll free)/(410–786–9379 

local) or the Internet (http:// 

www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/04_APME.asp) 

for additional information and updates 

on committee activities, or contact Mr. 

Campbell via e-mail at 

Dwayne.Campbell@cms.hhs.gov. Press 

inquiries are handled through the CMS 

Press Office at (202) 690–6145. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Section 9(a)(2) of the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act authorizes the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services 

(the Secretary) to establish an advisory 

panel if the Secretary determines that 

the panel is ‘‘in the public interest in 

connection with the performance of 

duties imposed * * * by law.’’ Such 

duties are imposed by section 1804 of 

the Social Security Act (the Act), which 

requires the Secretary to provide 

informational materials to Medicare 

beneficiaries about the Medicare 

program, and section 1851(d) of the Act, 

requiring the Secretary to provide for 

‘‘activities * * * to broadly disseminate 

information to [M]edicare beneficiaries 

* * * on the coverage options provided 

under [Medicare Advantage] in order to 

promote an active, informed selection 

among such options.’’ 

The Panel is also authorized by 

section 1114(f) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 

1311(f)) and section 222 of the Public 

Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 217a), 

which authorize the creation of advisory 

committees. The Secretary signed the 

charter establishing this Panel on 

January 21, 1999 (64 FR 7899, February 

17, 1999) and approved the renewal of 

the charter on January 21, 2009 (74 FR 

13442, March 27, 2009). The Panel 

advises and makes recommendations to 

the Secretary and the Administrator of 

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS) on opportunities to 

enhance the effectiveness of consumer 

education strategies concerning the 

Medicare program. 

The goals of the Panel are as follows: 

• To provide recommendations on 

the development and implementation of 

a national Medicare education program 

that describes benefit options under 

Medicare. 

• To enhance the Federal 

government’s effectiveness in informing 

the Medicare consumer. 

• To make recommendations on how 

to expand outreach to vulnerable and 

underserved communities, including 

racial and ethnic minorities, in the 

context of a national Medicare 

education program. 

• To assemble an information base of 

best practices for helping consumers 

evaluate benefit options and build a 

community infrastructure for 

information, counseling, and assistance. 

The Panel shall consist of a maximum 

of 20 members. The Chair shall either be 

appointed from among the 20 members, 

or a Federal official will be designated 

to serve as the Chair. The charter 

requires that meetings shall be held 

approximately 4 times per year. 

Members will be expected to attend all 

meetings. The members and the Chair 

shall be selected from authorities 

knowledgeable in the fields of senior 

citizen advocacy; outreach to minority 

communities; health communications; 

disease-related health advocacy; 

disability policy and access; health 

economics research; health insurers and 

plans; providers and clinicians; labor 

and retirement, and web education. 

Members of the general public are 

invited to apply. 

This notice is an invitation to 

interested organizations or individuals 

to submit their nominations for 

membership on the Panel. The Secretary 

or his designee will appoint new 

members to the Panel from among those 

candidates determined to have the 

expertise required to meet specific 

agency needs and in a manner to ensure 

an appropriate balance of membership. 

II. Nomination Requirements 

Each nomination must state that the 

nominee has expressed a willingness to 

serve as a Panel member and must be 

accompanied by a resume or description 

of the nominee’s experience and a brief 

biographical summary. In order to 

permit an evaluation of possible sources 

of conflict of interest, potential 

candidates will be asked to provide 

detailed information concerning such 

matters as financial holdings, 

consultancies, and research grants or 

contracts. Self-nominations will also be 

accepted. All nominations must be 

received at the appropriate address 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice by the date specified in the DATES

section of this notice. 

Authority: Sec. 222 of the Public Health 

Service Act (42 U.S.C. 217a); sec. 10(a) of 

Pub. L. 92–463 (5 U.S.C. App. 2, sec. 10(a)); 

sections 1114(f), 1804, and 1851(d) of the 

Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1314(f), 

1395b–2, and 1394w–21(d)); and 41 CFR Part 

102–3. 

Dated: August 13, 2009. 

Charlene Frizzera, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–20129 Filed 8–27–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse 

and Alcoholism; Notice of Closed 

Meeting 

Pursuant to section 10(d) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. App.), notice is 

hereby given of the following meeting. 

The meeting will be closed to the 

public in accordance with the 

provisions set forth in sections 

552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., 

as amended. The grant applications and 

the discussions could disclose 

confidential trade secrets or commercial 

property such as patentable material, 

and personal information concerning 

individuals associated with the grant 

applications, the disclosure of which 

would constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy. 

Name of Committee: National Institute on 

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Special 

Emphasis Panel. Institutional Training Grants 

(T32). 

Date: November 17, 2009. 

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Hyatt Regency Bethesda, One 

Bethesda Metro Center, 7400 Wisconsin 

Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814. 

Contact Person: Lorraine Gunzerath, PhD, 

MBA, Scientific Review Officer, National 

Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 

Office of Extramural Activities, Extramural 

Project Review Branch, 5635 Fishers Lane, 

Room 2121, Bethesda, MD 20892–9304. 301– 

443–2369. Igunzera@mail.nih.gov. 

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Nos. 93.271, Alcohol Research 

Career Development Awards for Scientists 

and Clinicians; 93.272, Alcohol National 

Research Service Awards for Research 

Training; 93.273, Alcohol Research Programs; 

93.891 Alcohol Research Center Grants; 

93.701, ARRA Related Biomedical Research 

and Research Support Awards., National 

Institutes of Health, HHS) 

Dated: August 21, 2009. 

Jennifer Spaeth, 

Director, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. E9–20767 Filed 8–27–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M 


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