17068 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 

Dated: March 19, 2012. 

Ron A. Otten, 

Director, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office 

of the Associate Director for Science (OADS), 

Office of the Director, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7020 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[Document Identifier: CMS–179 and CMS– 

R–74] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services, HHS. 

In compliance with the requirement 

of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS), Department of Health 

and Human Services, is publishing the 

following summary of proposed 

collections for public comment. 

Interested persons are invited to send 

comments regarding this burden 

estimate or any other aspect of this 

collection of information, including any 

of the following subjects: (1) The 

necessity and utility of the proposed 

information collection for the proper 

performance of the Agency’s function; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (4) the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology to 

minimize the information collection 

burden. 

1. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Revision of a currently 

approved collection; Title of 

Information Collection: State Plan 

Under Title XIX of the Social Security 

Act (Base plan pages, Attachments, 

Supplements to attachments); Use: State 

Medicaid agencies complete the plan 

pages and CMS reviews the information 

to determine if the State has met all of 

the provisions that the State has chosen 

to implement. If the requirements are 

met, CMS will approve the amendments 

to the State’s Medicaid plan giving the 

State the authority to implement the 

flexibilities. For a State to receive 

Medicaid Title XIX funding, there must 

be an approved Title XIX State plan. In 

addition to the revisions associated with 

the 60-day notice that published on 

December 16, 2011 (76 FR 78264), 

additional changes have been made to 

the Pre-Print (Attachment 4.19–B) 

subsequent to the publication of that 

notice; Form Number: CMS–179 (OCN 

0938–0193); Frequency: Occasionally; 

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal 

Governments; Number of Respondents: 

56; Total Annual Responses: 1,120; 

Total Annual Hours: 400. (For policy 

questions regarding this collection 

contact Falecia Smith at 202–260–5991. 

For all other issues call 410–786–1326.) 

2. Type of Information Collection 

Request: Revision of a currently 

approved collection; Title of 

Information Collection: Income and 

Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) 

Reporting and Supporting Regulations 

Contained in 42 CFR 431.17, 431.306, 

435.910, 435.920, and 435.940–960; 

Use: The information collected is used 

to verify the income and eligibility of 

Medicaid applicants and recipients, as 

required by section 1137 of the Social 

Security Act. Under Section 1137, States 

must request applicants’ Social Security 

Numbers and use that number to verify 

the income and eligibility information 

contained on each application through 

data matches with specified agencies 

and entities. The State must use 

information collected by unemployment 

compensation agencies and the Internal 

Revenue Service to the extent useful. 

The Qualifying Individual Program 

Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 

amended section 1903(r) of the Social 

Security Act to incorporate the 

requirement that States include data 

matching through the Public Assistance 

Reporting Information System (PARIS) 

in their Income and Eligibility 

Verification Systems (IEVS). PARIS is a 

system for matching data from certain 

public assistance programs, including 

State Medicaid programs, with selected 

Federal and State data for purposes of 

facilitating appropriate enrollment and 

retention in public programs. States are 

required to sign an agreement to 

participate in PARIS as a condition of 

receiving Medicaid funding for 

automated data systems (including the 

Medicaid Management Information 

System). 

States can use the PARIS data match 

to ensure that individuals enrolled in 

Medicaid or other public assistance 

benefits in one State are not receiving 

duplicate benefits based on 

simultaneous enrollment in the 

Medicaid program or other public 

benefit programs in another State. In 

certain circumstances, PARIS may also 

be used as a tool to identify individuals 

who have not applied for Medicaid 

coverage, but who may be eligible based 

on their income. 

Subsequent to the publication of the 

60-day notice that published on January 

4, 2012 (77 FR 291), a State Plan 

Amendment template has been added to 

the PRA package and the burden 

estimate and Supporting Statement have 

been revised; Form Number: CMS–R–74 

(OCN 0938–0467); Frequency: Monthly; 

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal 

Governments; Number of Respondents: 

54; Total Annual Responses: 54; Total 

Annual Hours: 134,865. (For policy 

questions regarding this collection 

contact Barbara Washington at 410– 

786–9964. For all other issues call 410– 

786–1326.) 

To obtain copies of the supporting 

statement and any related forms for the 

proposed paperwork collections 

referenced above, access CMS Web site 

address at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ 

PaperworkReductionActof1995, or 

Email your request, including your 

address, phone number, OMB number, 

and CMS document identifier, to 

Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov, or call the 

Reports Clearance Office on (410) 786– 

1326. 

To be assured consideration, 

comments and recommendations for the 

proposed information collections must 

be received by the OMB desk officer at 

the address below, no later than 5 p.m. 

on April 23, 2012. 

OMB, Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs, Attention: CMS Desk 

Officer, Fax Number: (202) 395–6974, 

Email: OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov. 

Dated: March 19, 2012. 

Martique Jones, 

Director, Regulations Development Group, 

Division-B, Office of Strategic Operations and 

Regulatory Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7066 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–2901–FN] 

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; 

Approval of the Application by the 

American Association for 

Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery 

Facilities for Deeming Authority for 

Rural Health Clinics 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Final notice. 

SUMMARY: This final notice announces 

our decision to approve the American 

Association for Accreditation of 

Ambulatory Surgery Facilities 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 17069 

(AAAASF) for recognition as a national 

accreditation program for rural health 

clinics (RHCs) seeking to participate in 

the Medicare or Medicaid programs. 

DATES: Effective Date: This final notice 

is effective March 23, 2012 through 

March 23, 2016. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cindy Melanson, (410) 786–0310. 

Patricia Chmielewski, (410) 786–6899. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Under the Medicare program, eligible 

beneficiaries may receive covered 

services in a rural health clinic (RHC) 

provided certain requirements are met. 

Sections 1861(aa) and 1905(l) of the 

Social Security Act (the Act) establish 

distinct criteria for facilities seeking 

designation as an RHC. The minimum 

requirements that a RHC must meet to 

participate in Medicare are set forth in 

regulation at 42 CFR part 491, subpart 

A. The conditions for Medicare payment 

for RHCs are set forth at 42 CFR 405, 

subpart X. Applicable regulations 

concerning provider agreements are 

located in 42 CFR part 489 and those 

pertaining to facility survey and 

certification are in 42 CFR part 488, 

subpart A. 

For an RHC to enter into a provider 

agreement with the Medicare program, 

the RHC must first be certified by a State 

survey agency as complying with the 

conditions or requirements set forth in 

section 1861(aa) of the Act and part 491 

of our regulations. Subsequently, the 

RHC is subject to ongoing review by a 

State survey agency to determine 

whether it continues to meet the 

Medicare conditions for certification. 

There is an alternative, however, to 

State compliance surveys. Certification 

by a nationally recognized accreditation 

program can substitute for ongoing State 

review. 

Section 1865(a)(1) of the Act provides 

that, if an entity demonstrates through 

accreditation by an approved national 

accreditation organization (AO) that all 

applicable Medicare conditions are met 

or exceeded, we may ‘‘deem’’ that entity 

as having met the requirements. 

Accreditation by an accreditation 

organization is voluntary and is not 

required for Medicare participation. A 

national AO applying for approval of its 

accreditation program under part 488, 

subpart A, must provide us with 

reasonable assurance that the AO 

requires the accredited entities to meet 

requirements that are at least as 

stringent as the Medicare conditions. 

II. Application Approval Process 

Section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act 

provides a statutory timetable to ensure 

that our review of applications for CMSapproval of an accreditation program is 

conducted in a timely manner. The Act 

provides us 210 calendar days after the 

date of receipt of a complete 

application, with any documentation 

necessary to make a determination, to 

complete our survey activities and 

application process. Within 60 days 

after receiving a complete application, 

we must publish a notice in the Federal 

Register that identifies the national 

accreditation body making the request, 

describes the request, and provides no 

less than a 30-day public comment 

period. At the end of the 210-day 

period, we must publish a notice in the 

Federal Register approving or denying 

the application. 

III. Provisions of the Proposed Notice 

On October 28, 2011, we published a 

proposed notice in the Federal Register 

(76 FR 66929) announcing AAAASF’s 

request for approval of its RHC 

accreditation program. In the proposed 

notice, we detailed our evaluation 

criteria. Under section 1865(a)(2) of the 

Act and in our regulations at § 488.4 and 

§ 488.8, we conducted a review of 

AAAASF’s application in accordance 

with the criteria specified by our 

regulations, which include, but are not 

limited to the following: 

• An onsite administrative review of 

AAAASF’s: (1) Corporate policies; (2) 

financial and human resources available 

to accomplish the proposed surveys; (3) 

procedures for training, monitoring, and 

evaluation of its surveyors; (4) ability to 

investigate and respond appropriately to 

complaints against accredited facilities; 

and (5) survey review and decisionmaking process for accreditation. 

• A comparison of AAAASF’s RHC 

accreditation standards to our current 

Medicare RHC conditions for 

certification. 

• A documentation review of 

AAAASF’s survey processes to: 

≈ Determine the composition of the 

survey team, surveyor qualifications, 

and AAAASF’s ability to provide 

continuing surveyor training. 

≈ Compare AAAASF’s processes to 

those of State survey agencies, including 

survey frequency, and the ability to 

investigate and respond appropriately to 

complaints against accredited facilities. 

≈ Evaluate AAAASF’s procedures for 

monitoring providers or suppliers found 

to be out of compliance with AAAASF’s 

program requirements. The monitoring 

procedures are used only when 

AAAASF identifies noncompliance. If 

noncompliance is identified through 

validation reviews, the State survey 

agency monitors corrections as specified 

at § 488.7(d). 

≈ Assess AAAASF’s ability to report 

deficiencies to the surveyed facilities 

and respond to the facility’s plan of 

correction in a timely manner. 

≈ Establish AAAASF’s ability to 

provide us with electronic data and 

reports necessary for effective validation 

and assessment of AAAASF’s survey 

process. 

≈ Determine the adequacy of staff and 

other resources. 

≈ Review AAAASF’s ability to 

provide adequate funding for 

performing required surveys. 

≈ Confirm AAAASF’s policies with 

respect to whether surveys are 

announced or unannounced. 

≈ Obtain AAAASF’s agreement to 

provide us with a copy of the most 

current accreditation survey together 

with any other information related to 

the survey as we may require, including 

corrective action plans. 

In accordance with section 

1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act, the October 28, 

2011 proposed notice also solicited 

public comments regarding whether 

AAAASF’s requirements met or 

exceeded the Medicare conditions for 

certification for RHCs We received no 

comments in response to our proposed 

notice. 

IV. Provisions of the Final Notice 

A. Differences Between AAAASF’s 

Standards and Requirements for 

Accreditation and Medicare’s 

Conditions and Survey Requirements 

We compared AAAASF’s RHC 

accreditation requirements and survey 

process with the Medicare conditions 

for certification and survey process as 

outlined in the State Operations Manual 

(SOM). Our review and evaluation of 

AAAASF’s RHC application, which 

were conducted as described in section 

III of this final notice, yielded the 

following: 

• To meet the requirements at § 491.2, 

AAAASF revised its crosswalk to ensure 

all RHC definitions contained correct 

regulatory text. 

• To meet the staffing requirements at 

§ 491.8(a)(2), AAAASF revised its 

standards to ensure the physician 

member of the RHC staff carries out the 

responsibilities set out at § 491.8(b). 

• To meet the requirements at 

§ 491.9(a)(3), AAAASF revised its 

standards to ensure the RHC provides 

the required laboratory services. 

• To meet the requirements at § 488.4, 

AAAASF revised its policies to ensure 

its surveyors are appropriately qualified 

and trained. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17070 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 

• To meet the requirements at section 

2008D of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

policies related to the accreditation 

effective date. 

• To meet the requirements at section 

2200F of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

policies to ensure their surveys are 

complete, accurate, and consistent. 

• To meet the requirements at section 

2700A of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

policies to ensure all RHC surveys are 

conducted unannounced. 

• To meet the requirements at section 

2704 of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

RHC Accreditation Facility Handbook to 

include pre-survey preparation 

requirements. 

• To meet the requirements at section 

2728 of the SOM, AAAASF modified its 

policies regarding timeframes for 

sending and receiving a plan of 

correction. 

• To meet the requirements at section 

3010 of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

policies on immediate jeopardy. 

• To meet the requirements at chapter 

five of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

policies to ensure all complaints are 

appropriately triaged, investigated and 

resolved. 

• To meet the requirements at Exhibit 

7 of the SOM, AAAASF revised its 

policies to ensure survey deficiencies 

are cited at the appropriate level based 

on the surveyor documentation. 

• To verify AAAASF’s continued 

compliance with the provisions of this 

final notice, CMS will conduct a followup survey observation within 1 year of 

the date of publication of this notice. 

B. Term of Approval 

Based on our review and observations 

described in section III of this final 

notice, we have determined that 

AAAASF’s requirements for RHCs meet 

or exceed our requirements. Therefore, 

we approve AAAASF as a national 

accreditation organization for RHCs that 

request participation in the Medicare 

program, effective March 23, 2012 

through March 23, 2016. 

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). 

(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: March 8, 2012. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6331 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–3258–PN] 

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; 

Application From Det Norske Veritas 

Healthcare (DNVHC) for Continued 

Approval of Its Hospital Accreditation 

Program 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services, HHS. 

ACTION: Proposed notice. 

SUMMARY: This proposed notice with 

comment period acknowledges the 

receipt of an application from Det 

Norske Veritas Healthcare (DNVHC) for 

continued recognition as a national 

accrediting organization for hospitals 

that wish to participate in the Medicare 

or Medicaid programs. 

DATES: To be assured consideration, 

comments must be received at one of 

the addresses provided below, no later 

than 5 p.m. on April 23, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: In commenting, please refer 

to file code CMS–3258–PN. Because of 

staff and resource limitations, we cannot 

accept comments by facsimile (Fax) 

transmission. 

You may submit comments in one of 

four ways (please choose only one of the 

ways listed): 

1. Electronically. You may submit 

electronic comments on this regulation 

to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the ‘‘Submit a comment’’ instructions. 

2. By regular mail. You may mail 

written comments (one original and two 

copies) to the following address ONLY: 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, Department of Health and 

Human Services, Attention: CMS–3258– 

PN, P.O. Box 8016, Baltimore, MD 

21244–8016. 

Please allow sufficient time for mailed 

comments to be received before the 

close of the comment period. 

3. By express or overnight mail. You 

may send written comments (one 

original and two copies) to the following 

address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services, Department of 

Health and Human Services, Attention: 

CMS–3258–PN, Mail Stop C4–26–05, 

7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 

21244–1850. 

4. By hand or courier. If you prefer, 

you may deliver (by hand or courier) 

your written comments before the close 

of the comment period to either of the 

following addresses: 

a. For delivery in Washington, DC— 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, Department of Health and 

Human Services, Room 445–G, Hubert 

H. Humphrey Building, 200 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20201. 

(Because access to the interior of the 

Hubert H. Humphrey Building is not 

readily available to persons without 

Federal government identification, 

commenters are encouraged to leave 

their comments in the CMS drop slots 

located in the main lobby of the 

building. A stamp-in clock is available 

for persons wishing to retain a proof of 

filing by stamping in and retaining an 

extra copy of the comments being filed.) 

b. For delivery in Baltimore, MD— 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, Department of Health and 

Human Services, 7500 Security 

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

If you intend to deliver your comments 

to the Baltimore address, please call 

telephone number (410) 786–7195 in 

advance to schedule your arrival with 

one of our staff members. 

Comments mailed to the addresses 

indicated as appropriate for hand or 

courier delivery may be delayed and 

received after the comment period. 

For information on viewing public 

comments, see the beginning of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barbara Easterling (410) 786–0482, 

Patricia Chmielewski, (410) 786–6899, 

or Cindy Melanson, (410) 786–0310. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Inspection of Public Comments: All 

comments received before the close of 

the comment period are available for 

viewing by the public, including any 

personally identifiable or confidential 

business information that is included in 

a comment. We post all comments 

received before the close of the 

comment period on the following Web 

site as soon as possible after they have 

been received: http://www.regulations.

gov. Follow the search instructions on 

that Web site to view public comments. 

Comments received timely will also 

be available for public inspection as 

they are received, generally beginning 

approximately 3 weeks after publication 

of a document, at the headquarters of 

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES