51542 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 165 / Friday, August 24, 2012 / Notices 

IV. Provisions of the Final Notice 

A. Differences Between AAAHC’s 

Standards and Requirements for 

Accreditation and Medicare’s 

Conditions and Survey Requirements 

We compared the standards and 

survey process contained in AAAHC’s 

application with the Medicare 

conditions for accreditation. Our review 

and evaluation of AAAHC’s application 

for continued CMS-approval were 

conducted as described in section III of 

this final notice, and yielded the 

following: 

• To meet the requirements at 

§ 488.10(b), AAAHC modified its 

policies to include ‘‘person(s) receiving 

hospice benefits prior to completing an 

enrollment request for an MSA plan’’ as 

an exception where an MAO may deny 

enrollment based on medical status. 

• AAAHC amended its crosswalk to 

ensure current AAAHC standards are 

clearly crosswalked to the following 

regulatory requirements: 

§§ 422.112(a)(7); 422.118(d); 

422.202(d)(1); and 422.204(b)(2). 

• To meet the amendments made at 

§ 422.156 by the final rule published in 

the April 15, 2011 Federal Register (76 

CFR 21498), AAAHC removed Quality 

Improvement Projects and Chronic Care 

Improvement Programs from its 

deeming process. 

B. Term of Approval 

Based on the review and observations 

described in section III of this final 

notice, we have determined that 

AAAHC’s accreditation program 

requirements meet or exceed our 

requirements. Therefore, we approve 

AAAHC as a national accreditation 

organization with deeming authority for 

MA HMOs and PPOs, effective July 11, 

2012 through July 10, 2018. 

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). 

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; No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance Program; and No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplemental Medical Insurance 

Program). 

Dated: August 9, 2012. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–20195 Filed 8–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1596–N] 

Medicare Program; Solicitation of Two 

Nominations to the Advisory Panel on 

Hospital Outpatient Payment 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice solicits 

nominations for two new members to 

the Advisory Panel on Hospital 

Outpatient Payment (HOP, the Panel). 

There will be two vacancies on the 

Panel beginning September 30, 2012. 

The purpose of the Panel is to advise 

the Secretary of the Department of 

Health and Human Services (DHHS) 

(the Secretary) and the Administrator of 

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS) (the Administrator) on 

the clinical integrity of the Ambulatory 

Payment Classification (APC) groups 

and their associated weights, and 

supervision of hospital outpatient 

services. 

The Secretary rechartered the Panel in 

2011 for a 2-year period effective 

through November 15, 2013. 

DATES: Submission of Nominations: We 

will consider nominations if they are 

received no later than 5 p.m. (e.s.t.) 

October 23, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Please mail or hand deliver 

nominations to the following address: 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services; Attn: Raymond Bulls, 

Advisory Panel on HOP; Center for 

Medicare, Hospital & Ambulatory Policy 

Group, Division of Outpatient Care; 

7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop C4– 

05–17; Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

Web site: For additional information 

on the Panel and updates to the Panel’s 

activities, we refer readers to our Web 

site at the following: http://

www.cms.gov/RegulationsandGuidance/Guidance/FACA/

AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatoryPayment

ClassificationGroups.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact: Persons wishing to nominate 

individuals to serve on the Panel or to 

obtain further information may also 

contact Raymond Bulls at the following 

email address: APCPanel@cms.hhs.gov 

or call 410–786–7267. 

Advisory Committees’ Information 

Lines: You may also refer to the CMS 

Federal Advisory Committee Hotlines at 

1–877–449–5659 (toll-free) or 410–786– 

3985 (local) for additional information. 

News Media: Representatives should 

contact the CMS Press Office at 202– 

690–6145. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Secretary is required by section 

1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social Security Act 

(the Act), and section 222 of the Public 

Health Service Act (PHS Act) to consult 

with an expert outside advisory panel 

regarding the clinical integrity of the 

APC groups and relative payment 

weights that are components of the 

Medicare Hospital Outpatient 

Prospective Payment System (OPPS), 

and the appropriate supervision level 

for hospital outpatient services. The 

panel may use data collected or 

developed by entities and organizations 

(other than DHHS) in conducting the 

review. The Panel is governed by the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA) (Public Law 92– 

463), as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), 

which sets forth standards for the 

formation and use of advisory panels. 

The Charter requires that the Panel 

meet up to three times annually. CMS 

considers the technical advice provided 

by the Panel as we prepare the proposed 

and final rules to update the OPPS for 

the following calendar year. 

The Panel shall consist of a chair and 

up to 19 members who are full-time 

employees of hospitals, hospital 

systems, or other Medicare providers 

that are subject to the OPPS. (For 

purposes of the Panel, consultants or 

independent contractors are not 

considered to be full-time employees in 

these organizations.) 

The current Panel members are as 

follows: (Note: The asterisk [*] indicates 

the Panel members whose terms end on 

September 30, 2012.) 

• E. L. Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair, a 

CMS Medical Officer 

• Karen Borman, M.D. 

• Ruth L. Bush, M.D., M.P.H. 

• Lanny Copeland, M.D. 

• Kari S. Cornicelli, C.P.A., FHFMA 

• Dawn L. Francis, M.D., M.H.S. 

• David A. Halsey, M.D. 

• Brain D. Kavanagh, M.D., M.P.H. 

• Judith T. Kelly, B.S.H.A., RHIT, RHIA, 

CCS* 

• Scott Manaker, M.D., Ph.D. 

• John Marshall, CRA, RCC, RT 

• Jim Nelson 


erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with 
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 165 / Friday, August 24, 2012 / Notices 51543 

• Leah Osbahr 

• Randall A. Oyer, M.D.* 

• Jacqueline Phillips 

• Daniel J. Pothen, M.S., RHIA, CHPS, 

CPHIMS, CCS, CCS–P, CHC 

• Gregory J. Przbylski, M.D. 

• Traci Rabine 

• Marianna V. Spanki-Varelas M.D., 

Ph.D., M.B.A. 

• Gale Walker 

Panel members serve without 

compensation, according to an advance 

written agreement; however, for the 

meetings, CMS reimburses travel, meals, 

lodging, and related expenses in 

accordance with standard Government 

travel regulations. CMS has a special 

interest in ensuring, while taking into 

account the nominee pool, that the 

Panel is diverse in all respects of the 

following: geography; rural or urban 

practice; race, ethnicity, sex, and 

disability; medical or technical 

specialty; and type of hospital, hospital 

health system, or other Medicare 

provider subject to the OPPS. 

Based upon either self-nominations or 

nominations submitted by providers or 

interested organizations, the Secretary, 

or her designee, appoints new members 

to the Panel from among those 

candidates determined to have the 

required expertise. New appointments 

are made in a manner that ensures a 

balanced membership under the FACA 

guidelines. 

II. Criteria for Nominees 

The Panel must be fairly balanced in 

its membership in terms of the points of 

view represented and the functions to 

be performed. Each Panel member must 

be employed full-time by a hospital, 

hospital system, or other Medicare 

provider subject to payment under the 

OPPS. All members must have technical 

expertise to enable them to participate 

fully in the Panel’s work. Such expertise 

encompasses hospital payment systems; 

hospital medical care delivery systems; 

provider billing systems; APC groups; 

Current Procedural Terminology codes; 

and alpha-numeric Health Care 

Common Procedure Coding System 

codes; and the use of, and payment for, 

drugs, medical devices, and other 

services in the outpatient setting, as 

well as other forms of relevant expertise. 

For supervision deliberations, the Panel 

shall have members that represent the 

interests of Critical Access Hospitals 

(CAHs), who advise CMS only regarding 

the level of supervision for hospital 

outpatient services. 

It is not necessary for a nominee to 

possess expertise in all of the areas 

listed, but each must have a minimum 

of 5 years experience and currently have 

full-time employment in his or her area 

of expertise. Generally, members of the 

Panel serve overlapping terms up to 4 

years, based on the needs of the Panel 

and contingent upon the rechartering of 

the Panel. A member may serve after the 

expiration of his or her term until a 

successor has been sworn in. 

Any interested person or organization 

may nominate one or more qualified 

individuals. Self-nominations will also 

be accepted. Each nomination must 

include the following: 

• Letter of Nomination stating the 

reasons why the nominee should be 

considered. 

• Curriculum Vitae or resume of the 

nominee. 

• Written and signed statement from 

the nominee that the nominee is willing 

to serve on the Panel under the 

conditions described in this notice and 

further specified in the Charter. 

• The hospital or hospital system 

name and address, or CAH name and 

address, as well as all Medicare hospital 

and or Medicare CAH billing numbers 

of the facility where the nominee is 

employee. 

III. Copies of the Charter 

To obtain a copy of the Panel’s 

Charter, we refer readers to our Web site 

at the following: http://www.cms.gov/

Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/

FACA/AdvisoryPanelonAmbulatory

PaymentClassificationGroups.html. 

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). 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.774, Medicare— 

Supplementary Medical Insurance Program). 

Dated: August 8, 2012. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–20069 Filed 8–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Health Resources and Services 

Administration 

National Advisory Committee on Rural 

Health and Human Services; Notice of 

Meeting 

In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463), notice is hereby given 

that the following committee will 

convene its seventy-second meeting. 

Name: National Advisory Committee 

on Rural Health and Human Services. 

Dates and Times: September 26, 2012, 

9:00 a.m.–5 p.m.; September 27, 2012, 

9:00 a.m.–5 p.m.; September 28, 2012, 

8:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m. 

Place: Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin 

Downtown, 111 East Cesar Chavez 

Street, Austin, TX 78701. 

Phone: (512) 478–9611. 

Status: The meeting will be open to 

the public. 

Purpose: The National Advisory 

Committee on Rural Health and Human 

Services provides advice and 

recommendations to the Secretary with 

respect to the delivery, research, 

development, and administration of 

health and human services in rural 

areas. 

Agenda: Wednesday morning at 9:00 

a.m., the meeting will be called to order 

by the Chairman of the Committee, the 

Honorable Ronnie Musgrove. The 

Committee will be examining the future 

of the rural health care infrastructure 

and the rural effects of recent changes 

to the Temporary Assistance for Needy 

Families (TANF) Program. The day will 

conclude with a period of public 

comment at approximately 5:00 p.m. 

Thursday morning at approximately 

9:00 a.m., the Committee will break into 

Subcommittees and depart for site visits 

to rural healthcare and human services 

providers in Texas. One panel from the 

Health Infrastructure Subcommittee will 

visit the Llano Memorial Hospital in 

Llano, TX. Another panel from the 

Health Infrastructure Subcommittee will 

visit Gonzales Healthcare System— 

Memorial Hospital, in Gonzales, TX. 

The day will conclude at the Radisson 

Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown with 

a period of public comment at 

approximately 5:00 p.m. 

The final session will be convened on 

Friday morning at 9 a.m. The Committee 

will summarize key findings from the 

meeting and develop a work plan for the 

next quarter and the following meeting. 

The meeting will adjourn at 11:15 a.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Hirsch, MSLS, Executive 


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