[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 165 (Friday, August 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42982-42983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18439]



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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Announcement for Public Meeting Regarding Health Care Standards 
for Quality

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice--announcement of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is holding a public 
meeting to seek information from pertinent entities relating to 
establishing standards for quality regarding hospital care, medical 
services, and extended care services furnished by the Department, 
including through non-Department health care providers.

DATES: VA will hold the public meeting on Monday, September 24, 2018, 
in Arlington, VA. The meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. and conclude on 
or before 4:00 p.m. Check-in will begin at 9:00 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Veterans Health 
Administration National Conference Center at 2011 Crystal Drive, 
Arlington, VA 22202. This facility is accessible to individuals with 
disabilities.
    * In-person attendance will be limited to 60 individuals. Advanced 
registration for individuals and groups is strongly encouraged (see 
registration instructions below). For listening purposes only (phone 
lines will be muted), the meeting will be available via audio which can 
be accessed by dialing 1 (800) 767-1750, access code 21398.
    Please submit all written comments no later than Tuesday, October 
16, 2018, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    <bullet> Mail, Hand Delivery, Courier: Postmarked no later than 
October 16, 2018, to: Director of Regulations Management (00REG), 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Room 1063B, 
Washington, DC 20420. Note: Copies of comments received will be 
available for public inspection in the Office of Regulation Policy and 
Management, Room 1063B, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday (except Federal Holidays). Please call (202) 461-
4902 (this is not a toll-free number) for anappointment.
    <bullet> Fax: (202) 273-9026, ATTENTION: Director of Regulations 
Management (00REG). All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted and can 
be viewed online through the Federal Docket Management System at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Rossio, Health System 
Specialist, Office of Strategic Integration/Veterans Resource Center, 
Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 
Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420, (858) 245-9493. This is not a 
toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka, and 
Samuel R. Johnson VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening 
Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018, Public Law 115-182, (the VA 
MISSION Act) created a new 1703C in title 38, United States Code 
(U.S.C.), that contains requirements for VA to facilitate the 
establishment and use of standards for quality. Section 1703C(a)(4) 
specifically requires VA to consult with all pertinent Federal entities 
(including the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and 
Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), 
entities in the private sector, and other non-governmental entities in 
establishing standards for quality. In establishing standards for 
quality, VA is required to consider existing health quality measures 
that are applied to public and privately sponsored health care systems 
with the purpose of providing covered Veterans relevant comparative 
information to make informed decisions regarding their health care. VA 
requests information from the public regarding the development of these 
standards for quality, including but not limited to, information on the 
use of standards for quality and the use and availability of 
comparative information to assist consumers in making informed 
decisions regarding their health care. Responses to this notice will 
support industry research and VA's development of standards for quality 
regarding care furnished by the Department, including through non-
Department health care providers. This public meeting serves as one of 
the means for VA to consult with these groups and entities. We note 
that VA has published a request for information elsewhere in this issue 
of the Federal Register in order to provide these groups and entities 
an opportunity to provide additional information. The request for 
information mentioned above can be found in www.regulations.gov under 
the title of ``Notice of Request for Information Regarding Health Care 
Standards for Quality.'' VA will use the statements and testimonials 
presented at the public meeting to help determine the standards for 
quality for health care in compliance with the VA MISSION Act. VA will 
then submit a report, no later than March 3, 2019, as required by 
section 1703C(a)(5)(A), detailing the standards for quality to the 
appropriate committees of Congress.
    In order to submit a report to Congress detailing the standards for 
quality by March 3, 2019, VA must expedite this consultation, which 
will be foundational to the process of determining the standards for 
quality.
    Registration: In-person attendance and participation in this 
meeting is limited to 60 individuals. VA has the right to refuse 
registration for in-person attendance once the maximum capacity of 60 
individuals has been reached. Individuals interested in attending in-
person should request registration by emailing Christopher Rossio at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#07646f756e747368776f627529756874746e6847716629606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="315259435842455e415954431f435e4242585e7147501f565e47">[email protected]</span></a>. A confirmation message will be provided 
within 1-2 business days after a request has been received, and 
individuals will be notified via email by September 18, 2018, 
confirming their attendance in-person. Attendees wanting to offer oral 
comments, testimonies, and/or technical remarks should indicate their 
intentions upon registration.
    Individual registration: VA encourages individual registrations for 
those not affiliated with or representing a group, association, or 
organization.
    Group registration: Identification of the name of the group, 
association, or organization should be indicated in your registration 
request. Due to the meeting location's maximum capacity, VA may limit 
the size of a group's registration to allow receipt of comments, 
testimonies, and/or technical remarks from a broad, diverse group of 
stakeholders. Oral comments, testimonies, and/or technical remarks may 
be limited from a group, association, or organization with more than 
two (2) individuals representing the same group, association, or 
organization. Efforts will be made to accommodate all attendees who 
wish to attend in-person. However, VA will give priority for in-person 
attendance to pertinent Federal, private sector, and non-governmental 
entities who request registration before September 12, 2018, 4:00 p.m. 
ET, and wish to provide oral comments, testimonies, and/or technical 
remarks. Please provide the number and names of people your 
organization would like to send in-person, and VA will accommodate as 
space allows; organizations should list names in the order of 
importance of their attendance to ensure that VA allows admission for 
the right representatives. The length of time allotted for attendees to 
provide

[[Page 42983]]

oral comments, testimonies, and/or technical remarks during the meeting 
may be subject to the number of in-person attendees, and to ensure 
ample time is allotted to those registered attendees. There will be no 
opportunity for audio-visual presentations during the meeting. Written 
comments will be accepted from those attending in-person (see above 
instructions for submitting written comments).
    Audio (for listening purposes only): Limited to the first 200 
participants, on a first-come, first-served basis. Advanced 
registration is not required. Audio attendees will not be allowed to 
offer oral comments, testimonies, and/or technical remarks as the phone 
line will be muted. Written comments will be accepted from those 
participating via audio (see above instructions for submitting written 
comments).
    Note: VA will conduct the public meeting informally, and technical 
rules of evidence will not apply. VA will arrange for a written 
transcript of the meeting and keep the official record open for 15 days 
after the meeting to allow submission of supplemental information. You 
may make arrangements for copies of the transcript directly with the 
reporter, and the transcript will also be posted in the docket of the 
rule as part of the official record when the rule is published. Should 
it be necessary to cancel the meeting due to inclement weather or other 
emergencies, VA will take available measures to notify registered 
participants.

Agenda

09:00-10:00 Arrival/Check-In
10:00-12:00 Morning Public Meeting Session
12:00-13:00 Lunch Break (Note: Meals will not be provided by VA.)
13:00-16:00 Afternoon Public Meeting Session
16:00 Adjourn

Public Meeting Topics

    Pursuant to section 1703C(a)(3)-(4) of title 38, U.S.C., as added 
by section 104(a) of Public Law 115-182, (the VA MISSION Act), VA 
requests information that will assist in developing the standards for 
quality required by the VA MISSION Act. This includes datasets that 
include, at a minimum, elements relating to timely care, effective 
care, safety (including, at a minimum, complications, readmissions, and 
deaths), and efficiency.
    Specifically, VA requests information related to the below:
    1. What standards for quality do public or private providers or 
health systems currently use? How do public or private providers or 
health systems measure performance against these standards for quality 
(i.e., what data sets and measures are employed)? How are those 
standards and measures used to make decisions regarding patient 
referrals to specific public or private providers?
    2. How does the health system communicate standards for quality to 
their stakeholders?
    3. How are data on quality standards obtained or collected from 
public or private providers and health systems?
    4. Does the public or private provider or health system publicly 
report performance on those quality standards, including comparisons of 
quality measures, and in what manner?
    5. How does the public or private provider or health system respond 
to findings when quality standards are not being met?

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert L. 
Wilkie, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on August 21, 2018, for publication.

    Dated: August 21, 2018.
Michael Shores,
Director, Regulation Policy & Management, Office of the Secretary, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-18439 Filed 8-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P


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