Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 17073 

≈≈ Assess CHAP’s ability to report 

deficiencies to the surveyed facilities 

and respond to the facility’s plan of 

correction in a timely manner. 

≈≈ Establish CHAP’s ability to 

provide us with electronic data and 

reports necessary for effective validation 

and assessment of CHAP’s survey 

process. 

≈≈ Determine the adequacy of staff 

and other resources. 

≈≈ Review CHAP’s ability to provide 

adequate funding for performing 

required surveys. 

≈≈ Confirm CHAP’s policies with 

respect to whether surveys are 

announced or unannounced. 

≈≈ Obtain CHAP’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 September 

23, 2011 proposed notice (76 FR 59136) 

also solicited public comments 

regarding whether CHAP’s requirements 

met or exceeded the Medicare 

conditions of participation for HHAs. 

We received no public comments in 

response to our proposed notice. 

IV. Provisions of the Final Notice 

A. Differences Between CHAP’s 

Standards and Requirements for 

Accreditation and Medicare’s 

Conditions and Survey Requirements 

We compared the standards and 

survey process contained in CHAP’s 

application with the Medicare HHA 

conditions for participation and our 

State Operations Manual (SOM). Our 

review and evaluation of CHAP’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 

§ 488.12, CHAP revised its accreditation 

decision letters to ensure that they 

contain all the required elements 

necessary for the Regional Office (RO) to 

render a decision regarding approval of 

a provider agreement for participation 

in Medicare. 

• To meet the requirements at 

Chapter Five, section 5075.9 of the 

SOM, CHAP revised its policies to 

ensure all compliant investigations are 

conducted within 45 calendar days, 

following receipt of a complaint that 

does not rise to the level of immediate 

jeopardy. 

• To meet the clinical records 

requirements at Appendix B of the 

SOM, CHAP developed and 

implemented a monitoring plan to 

ensure the minimum number of home 

visits with clinical record reviews is 

completed during a survey. 

• CHAP amended its crosswalk to 

ensure current CHAP standards are 

clearly crosswalked to the following 

regulatory requirements: §§ 484.12(b); 

484.12(c); 484.14(b); 484.14(i)(3); 

484.30(a); 484.32; 484.34(a); 

486.36(b)(3)(ii); 484.36(d)(4)(ii); 

484.36(d)(4)(iii); 484.36(e); 484.38; 

484.48; 484.52; 484.55; 484.55(a)(1); 

485.55(b)(1); and 484.55(d)(2). 

B. Term of Approval 

Based on the review and observations 

described in section III of this final 

notice, we have determined that CHAP’s 

HHA accreditation program 

requirements meet or exceed our 

requirements. Therefore, we approve 

CHAP as a national accreditation 

organization for HHAs that request 

participation in the Medicare program, 

effective March 31, 2012 through March 

31, 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: March 12, 2012. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6598 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–7024–N] 

Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s 

Health Insurance Programs; Meeting of 

the Advisory Panel on Outreach and 

Education (APOE), May 2, 2012 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Advisory Panel on 

Outreach and Education (APOE) (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 Medicare, 

Medicaid, and the Children’s Health 

Insurance Program (CHIP). This meeting 

is open to the public. 

DATES: Meeting Date: Wednesday, 

May 2, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). 

Deadline for Meeting Registration, 

Presentations and Comments: 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 5 p.m., 

EDT. 

Deadline for Requesting Special 

Accommodations: Wednesday, April 18, 

2012, 5 p.m., EDT. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: The 

Embassy Row Hotel, 2015 

Massachusetts Avenue NW., 

Washington, DC 20036. 

Meeting Registration, Presentations, 

and Written Comments: Jennifer 

Kordonski, Designated Federal Official 

(DFO), Division of Forum and 

Conference Development, Office of 

Communications, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services, 7500 Security 

Boulevard, Mailstop S1–13–05, 

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850 or contact 

Ms. Kordonski via email at 

Jennifer.Kordonski@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 the DFO at the address listed 

in the ‘‘ADDRESSES’’ section of this 

notice or by telephone at the number 

listed in the ‘‘FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT’’ section of this notice, by the 

date listed in the ‘‘DATES’’ section of this 

notice. Individuals requiring sign 

language interpretation or other special 

accommodations should contact the 

DFO at the address listed in the 

‘‘ADDRESSES’’ section of this notice by 

the date listed in the ‘‘DATES’’ section of 

this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Kordonski, (410) 786–1840, or 

on the Internet at http://www.cms.gov/ 

FACA/04_APOE.asp for additional 

information. Press inquiries are handled 

through the CMS Press Office at (202) 

690–6145. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

In accordance with section 10(a) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA), this notice announces a 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17074 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 

meeting of the Advisory Panel on 

Outreach and Education (APOE) (the 

Panel). 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. 

1314(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, 

2011 (76 FR 11782, March 3, 2011). 

Pursuant to the amended charter, the 

Panel advises and makes 

recommendations to the Secretary of 

Health and Human Services and the 

Administrator of the Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 

concerning optimal strategies for the 

following: 

• Developing and implementing 

education and outreach programs for 

individuals enrolled in, or eligible for, 

Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s 

Health Insurance Program (CHIP). 

• Enhancing the Federal 

government’s effectiveness in informing 

Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP 

consumers, providers, and stakeholders 

pursuant to education and outreach 

programs of issues regarding these and 

other health coverage programs, 

including the appropriate use of publicprivate partnerships to leverage the 

resources of the private sector in 

educating beneficiaries, providers and 

stakeholders. 

• Expanding outreach to vulnerable 

and underserved communities, 

including racial and ethnic minorities, 

in the context of Medicare, Medicaid, 

and CHIP education programs. 

• Assembling and sharing an 

information base of ‘‘best practices’’ for 

helping consumers evaluate health plan 

options. 

• Building and leveraging existing 

community infrastructures for 

information, counseling and assistance. 

• Drawing the program link between 

outreach and education, promoting 

consumer understanding of health care 

coverage choices and facilitating 

consumer selection/enrollment, which 

in turn support the overarching goal of 

improved access to quality care, 

including prevention services, 

envisioned under health care reform. 

The current members of the Panel are: 

Samantha Artiga, Principal Policy 

Analyst, Kaiser Family Foundation; 

Joseph Baker, President, Medicare 

Rights Center; Philip Bergquist, 

Manager, Health Center Operations, 

CHIPRA Outreach & Enrollment Project 

and Director, Michigan Primary Care 

Association; Marjorie Cadogan, 

Executive Deputy Commissioner, 

Department of Social Services; Jonathan 

Dauphine, Senior Vice President, AARP; 

Barbara Ferrer, Executive Director, 

Boston Public Health Commission; 

Shelby Gonzales, Senior Health 

Outreach Associate, Center on Budget & 

Policy Priorities; Jan Henning, Benefits 

Counseling & Special Projects 

Coordinator, North Central Texas 

Council of Governments’ Area Agency 

on Aging; Warren Jones, Executive 

Director, Mississippi Institute for 

Improvement of Geographic Minority 

Health; Cathy Kaufmann, Administrator, 

Oregon Health Authority; Sandy 

Markwood, Chief Executive Officer, 

National Association of Area Agencies 

on Aging; Miriam Mobley-Smith, Dean, 

Chicago State University, College of 

Pharmacy; Ana Natale-Pereira, 

Associate Professor of Medicine, 

University of Medicine & Dentistry of 

New Jersey; Megan Padden, Vice 

President, Sentara Health Plans; David 

W. Roberts, Vice-President, Healthcare 

Information and Management System 

Society; Julie Bode ̈n Schmidt, Associate 

Vice President, National Association of 

Community Health Centers; Alan 

Spielman, President & Chief Executive 

Officer, URAC; Winston Wong, Medical 

Director, Community Benefit Director, 

Kaiser Permanente and Darlene YeeMelichar, Professor & Coordinator, San 

Francisco State University. 

The agenda for the May 2, 2012 

meeting will include the following: 

• Welcome and Listening Session with 

CMS Leadership 

• Recap of the Previous (February 7, 

2012) Meeting 

• Affordable Care Act Initiatives 

• An opportunity for Public Comment 

• Meeting Summary, Review of 

Recommendations and Next Steps 

Individuals or organizations that wish 

to make a 5-minute oral presentation on 

an agenda topic should submit a written 

copy of the oral presentation to the DFO 

at the address listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice by the date listed 

in the DATES section of this notice. The 

number of oral presentations may be 

limited by the time available. 

Individuals not wishing to make a 

presentation may submit written 

comments to the DFO at the address 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice by the date listed in the DATES

section of this notice. 

Authority: Sec. 222 of the Public Health 

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

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

and 41 CFR 102–3). 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.733, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance Program; and Program No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplementary Medical 

Insurance Program) 

Dated: March 13, 2012. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6609 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Proposed Information Collection 

Activity; Comment Request 

Title: Mother and Infant Home 

Visiting Program Evaluation: Baseline 

survey data collection. 

OMB No.: 0970–0402. 

Description: The Administration for 

Children and Families (ACF) and Health 

Resources and Services Administration 

(HRSA) within the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) have 

launched a national evaluation called 

the Mother and Infant Home Visiting 

Program Evaluation (MIHOPE, formerly 

called the Maternal, Infant, and Early 

Childhood Home Visiting Evaluation). 

This evaluation, mandated by the 

Affordable Care Act, will inform the 

federal government about the 

effectiveness of the newly established 

MIECHV program in its first few years 

of operation, and provide information to 

help states develop and strengthen 

home visiting programs in the future. By 

systematically estimating the effects of 

home visiting programs across a wide 

range of outcomes and studying the 

variation in how programs are 

implemented, MIHOPE will provide 

valuable information on the effects of 

these programs on parents and children. 

This includes investigating the effects of 

home visiting on maternal and child 

well-being, how those effects vary for 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES