Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 185 / Friday, September 25, 2009 / Notices 48979 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Center for Scientific Review; Notice of 

Closed Meetings 

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 meetings. 

The meetings 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: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; Bacterial 

Pathogenesis SEP. 

Date: October 7–8, 2009. 

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 6701 

Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892. 

(Virtual Meeting). 

Contact Person: Rolf Menzel, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3196, 

MSC 7808 Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–435– 

0952, menzelro@csr.nih.gov. 

This notice is being published less than 15 

days prior to the meeting due to the timing 

limitations imposed by the review and 

funding cycle. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; Chronic 

Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, 

Temporomandibular Disorders. 

Date: October 13–14, 2009. 

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

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 6701 

Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892. 

(Virtual Meeting). 

Contact Person: Lynn E. Luethke, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5166, 

MSC 7844 Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435– 

1018, luethkel@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Oncology 1–Basic 

Translational Integrated Review Group; 

Tumor Progression and Metastasis Study 

Section. 

Date: October 15–16, 2009. 

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

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: The Westin Arlington, 801 North 

Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203. 

Contact Person: Manzoor Zarger, MS, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 6208, 

MSC 7804 Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435– 

2477, zargerma@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Infectious Diseases 

and Microbiology Integrated Review Group; 

Clinical Research and Field Studies of 

Infectious Diseases Study Section. 

Date: October 16, 2009. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: The Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell 

Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. 

Contact Person: Soheyla Saadi, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3211, 

MSC 7808 Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–435– 

0903, saadisoh@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; Topics in 

Clinical Research and Field Studies. 

Date: October 16, 2009. 

Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: The Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell 

Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. 

Contact Person: Soheyla Saadi, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3211, 

MSC 7808 Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–435– 

0903, saadisoh@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; Mechanistic 

Cardiac Function. 

Date: October 20, 2009. 

Time: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 6701 

Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892. 

(Telephone Conference Call). 

Contact Person: Russell T. Dowell, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 4128, 

MSC 7814 Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435– 

1850, dowellr@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; 

Methodology and Measurement in the 

Behavioral and Social Sciences. 

Date: October 23, 2009. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Courtyard by Marriott Chevy Chase, 

5520 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 

20815. 

Contact Person: Gabriel B. Fosu, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rocklege Drive, Room 3215, 

MSC 7808 Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435– 

3562, fosug@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; ICOHRTA 

Review. 

Date: October 23, 2009. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: InterContinental Mark Hopkins San 

Francisco, One Nob Hill, 999 California 

Street, San Francisco, CA 94108. 

Contact Person: Dan D. Gerendasy, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5132, 

MSC 7843 Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–594– 

6830, gerendad@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; AITRP 

Review. 

Date: October 23, 2009. 

Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: InterContinental Mark Hopkins San 

Francisco, One Nob Hill, 999 California 

Street, San Francisco, CA 94108. 

Contact Person: Dan D. Gerendasy, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5132, 

MSC 7843 Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–594– 

6830, gerendad@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; Innovative 

Ultrasound Imaging and Small Business. 

(Overflow). 

Date: October 23, 2009. 

Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel 

Chicago, 163 East Walton Place, Chicago, IL 

60611. 

Contact Person: Xiang-Ning Li, MD, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5112, 

MSC 7854 Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–435– 

1744, Iixiang@csr.nih.gov. 

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Nos. 93.306, Comparative Medicine; 

93.333, Clinical Research, 93.306, 93.333, 

93.337, 93.393–93.396, 93.837–93.844, 

93.846–93.878, 93.892, 93.893, National 

Institutes of Health, HHS) 

Dated: September 16, 2009. 

Jennifer Spaeth, 

Director, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. E9–23035 Filed 9–24–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1814–N] 

Medicare Program; Listening Session 

Regarding: Defining an Episode Logic 

for the Medicare Physician Resource 

Use Measurement Program; 

November 10, 2009 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
48980 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 185 / Friday, September 25, 2009 / Notices 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

listening session being conducted as 

part of the proposal to further the 

Medicare program’s ability to assess the 

relative resources used for beneficiary 

care using episodes of care as the unit 

of measurement. This listening session 

will solicit comments on the range of 

issues in the analysis of the 

applicability of currently available tools 

to identify discrete episodes of care for 

Medicare beneficiaries. Physicians, 

physician associations, and all other 

interested parties are invited to 

participate. The meeting is open to the 

public, but attendance is limited to 

space and teleconference lines available. 

DATES: Meeting Date: The listening 

session will be held on November 10, 

2009 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Eastern 

standard time (e.s.t.). 

Meeting Registration and Request for 

Special Accommodations Deadline: 

Registration opens on September 25, 

2009. For security reasons, registration 

must be completed no later than 5 p.m. 

e.s.t. on November 3, 2009. Requests for 

special accommodations must be 

received by 5 p.m. e.s.t. on November 3, 

2009. 

Deadline for Submission of Written 

Comments or Statements: Written 

comments or statements on the issues 

paper may be sent via mail, fax or 

electronically to the address specified in 

the ADDRESSES section of this notice and 

must be received by 5 p.m. e.s.t. on 

November 17, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: The 

listening session will be held in the 

main auditorium of the Central Building 

of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

Registration and Special 

Accommodations: Persons interested in 

attending the meeting or participating 

by teleconference must register by 

completing the online registration via 

the Web site at http:// 

www2.eventsvc.com/stage/palmettogba/ 

111009. Individuals who require special 

accommodations should send an e-mail 

request or via regular mail to as 

specified in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT of this notice. 

Written Comments or Statements: 

Written comments or statements may be 

mailed to Mail stop C4–03–06, Centers 

for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 

21244–1850; e-mail to 

PhysicianVBP@cms.hhs.gov,; or faxed to 

410–786–8005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Colleen Bruce, 410–786–5529. You may 

also send inquiries about this listening 

session via e-mail to 

colleen.bruce@cms.hhs.gov or via 

regular mail as specified in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

I. Background 

Section 131(c) of the Medicare 

Improvements for Patients and 

Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) 

establishes the Physician Resource Use 

Measurement Reporting Program that 

requires the Secretary to provide 

confidential feedback reports to 

physicians on resource use. Section 131 

(d) of MIPPA requires the Secretary to 

develop a plan for the transition to a 

value-based purchasing program for 

physician and other professional 

services for which these measurements 

could also be used. We have established 

the Physician Resource Use 

Measurement and Reporting Program 

and provided reports to physicians in 

Phase I of the program using currently 

available methods for defining episodes 

and creating reports on relative resource 

use based on those episodes. Findings 

from these efforts and several years of 

research of the applicability of currently 

available grouper tools to Medicare 

beneficiaries and data suggest there may 

be some benefit to further refinement of 

our approach to defining episodes of 

care. We have established the program 

and provided reports (http:// 

rurinfo.mathematica-mpr.com/) to 

physicians in several geographic areas. 

Several units of measurement have been 

utilized in an effort to determine the 

most useful unit of measurement. 

Comparing the relative resources used 

to deliver care for an episode of care is 

one of the methods used in the 

Medicare Physician Resource Use 

Measurement and Reporting Program. 

(For more detail information, see the 

Calendar Year (CY) 2009 Physician Fee 

Schedule final rule with comment 

period in the November 19, 2008 

Federal Register (73 FR 69867).) 

Currently, an episode of care is 

created through the use of a software 

program that identifies claims that are 

clinically related and then groups them 

into an episode. These episodes usually 

include costs of care for an individual 

beneficiary across settings of care. In 

addition to providing reports to 

individual practitioners under the 

Medicare Physician Resource use 

Measurement and Reporting Program, 

the Congress has given the Secretary 

authority to create reports for physician 

groups. In the CY 2010 Medicare 

Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule 

(July 13, 2009, (74 FR 33589)), we have 

proposed reporting to groups of 

physicians. Reporting to groups of 

physicians would allow these episodes 

to be used to compare costs for episodes 

across regions or systems of care, or 

across beneficiary populations. 

We have solicited feedback from 

physicians and physician groups on the 

reports. Furthermore, we have been 

conducting research on the applicability 

of the commonly used grouper tools that 

create the episodes. Through these 

efforts we have identified potential 

areas for further refinement of our 

approach to defining episodes of care. 

We are specifically concerned that the 

tool be designed to address the unique 

attributes of the Medicare population, 

settings of care and payment system. 

We have also determined that for all 

involved: physicians, other providers, 

beneficiaries, and policymakers, a tool 

that is used to determine what costs 

should be included in an episode of care 

needs to be in the public domain so it 

can be fully transparent. 

At the listening session, CMS staff 

will present findings from research on 

the key attributes of a grouper logic for 

Medicare beneficiaries and seek input 

on other strategies for improving the 

manner in which episodes for Medicare 

beneficiaries are designed. Issues to be 

considered include the challenges 

associated with— 

• Beneficiaries with multiple comorbidities, 

• Post-acute care diagnoses not 

matching with inpatient diagnoses, 

• Whether physician services 

delivered in a hospital stay should be 

grouped to the same episode as the 

hospitalization, and 

• Risk-adjustment. 

We recognize that to use this type of 

grouper logic other significant issues, 

such as attribution and benchmarking 

methods will also need to be addressed, 

but we do not intend on discussing 

these at this session. 

We intend on using the input from 

this session, the comments received in 

writing and our research findings to 

write a request for proposal for 

interested applicants to develop a logic 

and software that are specific to 

Medicare beneficiaries. 

II. Listening Session Format 

The listening session will be held on 

November 10, 2009 to consider the key 

issues related to drafting the request for 

proposal. The session will begin at 9 

a.m. e.s.t. with an overview of the 

objectives for the session and a brief 

summary of the Medicare Physician 

Resource Use Measurement and 

Reporting Program. Beginning at 

approximately 9:30 a.m. e.s.t. the 

remainder of the meeting will be 

devoted to receiving public comments. 

The agenda will provide opportunities 

for brief 2-minute comments on each of 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 185 / Friday, September 25, 2009 / Notices 48981 

the key issues from on-site session 

attendees. As time allows, telephone 

participants will also have the 

opportunity to provide brief 2-minute 

comments. The meeting will conclude 

by 1 p.m. e.s.t. with brief comments on 

next steps. 

III. Registration Instructions 

For security reasons, any persons 

wishing to attend this meeting must 

register by the date listed in the DATES

section of this notice. Persons interested 

in attending the meeting or participating 

by teleconference must register by 

completing the on-line registration via 

the Web site at http:// 

www2.eventsvc.com/stage/palmettogba/ 

111009. The on-line registration system 

will generate a confirmation page to 

indicate the completion of your 

registration. Please print this page as 

your registration receipt. 

Individuals may also participate in 

the listening session by teleconference. 

Registration is required as the number of 

call-in lines will be limited. The call-in 

number will be provided upon 

confirmation of registration. 

An audio download of the listening 

session will be available through the 

CMS Resource Use Web site within 72 

hours after completion of the listening 

session. Use Web site at http:// 

www.cms.hhs.gov/center/physician.asp. 

IV. Security, Building, and Parking 

Guidelines 

This meeting will be held in a Federal 

government building; therefore, Federal 

security measures are applicable. In 

planning your arrival time, we 

recommend you to arrive to the central 

building by 8 a.m so that you will have 

enough time to check-in before the 

session begins. The on-site check-in for 

visitors will begin at 8:15 a.m. e.s.t. 

Security measures will include 

inspection of vehicles, inside and out, at 

the entrance to the grounds. In addition, 

all persons entering the building must 

check in by name with Security, provide 

a government-issued ID, and pass 

through a metal detector. All items 

brought to the building, whether 

personal or for the purpose of 

demonstration or to support a 

presentation, including items such as 

laptops, cell phones, and palm pilots, 

are subject to physical inspection. 

Authority: Section 131(d) The Medicare 

Improvements for Patients and Providers Act 

of 2008. 

Dated: September 17, 2009. 

Charlene Frizzera, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–22959 Filed 9–24–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–7015–N] 

Medicare Program; Meeting of the 

Advisory Panel on Medicare 

Education, October 20, 2009 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Advisory Panel on 

Medicare Education (the Panel) in 

accordance with the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act. 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 

opportunities to enhance the 

effectiveness of consumer education 

strategies concerning the Medicare 

program. This meeting is open to the 

public. 

DATES: Meeting Date: October 20, 2009 

from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., eastern 

daylight time (e.d.t.). 

Deadline for Meeting Registration, 

Presentations and Comments: October 

13, 2009, 5 p.m., e.d.t. 

Deadline for Requesting Special 

Accommodations: October 6, 2009, 5 

p.m., e.d.t. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: Hilton 

Washington Hotel Embassy Row, 2015 

Massachusetts Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20036, (202) 265–6800. 

Meeting Registration, Presentations, 

and Written Comments: Lynne Johnson, 

Designated Federal Official, Division of 

Forum and Conference Development, 

Office of External Affairs, Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 

Security Boulevard, Mailstop S1–05–06, 

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850 or contact 

Ms. Johnson via e-mail at 

Lynne.Johnson@cms.hhs.gov. 

Registration: The meeting is open to 

the public, but attendance is limited to 

the space available. Persons wishing to 

attend this meeting must register by 

contacting Lynne Johnson at the address 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice or by telephone at (410) 786– 

0090, by the date listed in the DATES

section of this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynne Johnson, (410) 786–0090. Please 

refer to the CMS Advisory Committees’ 

Information Line (1–877–449–5659 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. Press inquiries are handled 

through the CMS Press Office at (202) 

690–6145. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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), 

requiring 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). 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 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES