16338 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 2014 / Notices 

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. 

DATES: Comments on the collection(s) of 

information must be received by the 

OMB desk officer by April 24, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: When commenting on the 

proposed information collections, 

please reference the document identifier 

or OMB control number. To be assured 

consideration, comments and 

recommendations must be received by 

the OMB desk officer via one of the 

following transmissions: OMB, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Attention: CMS Desk Officer, Fax 

Number: (202) 395–5806 OR Email: 

OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov. 

To obtain copies of a supporting 

statement and any related forms for the 

proposed collection(s) summarized in 

this notice, you may make your request 

using one of following: 

1. Access CMS’ Web site address at 

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

PaperworkReductionActof1995. 

2. Email your request, including your 

address, phone number, OMB number, 

and CMS document identifier, to 

Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov. 

3. Call the Reports Clearance Office at 

(410) 786–1326. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Reports Clearance Office at (410) 786– 

1326 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 

(44 U.S.C. 3501–3520), federal agencies 

must obtain approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for each 

collection of information they conduct 

or sponsor. The term ‘‘collection of 

information’’ is defined in 44 U.S.C. 

3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and 

includes agency requests or 

requirements that members of the public 

submit reports, keep records, or provide 

information to a third party. Section 

3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A)) requires federal agencies 

to publish a 30-day notice in the 

Federal Register concerning each 

proposed collection of information, 

including each proposed extension or 

reinstatement of an existing collection 

of information, before submitting the 

collection to OMB for approval. To 

comply with this requirement, CMS is 

publishing this notice that summarizes 

the following proposed collection(s) of 

information for public comment: 

1. Type of Information Collection 

Request: New collection (Request for a 

new OMB control number); Title of 

Information Collection: Community 

First Choice Option Evaluation; Use: 

This project is an evaluation of the 

implementation and progress of the 

Community First Choice (CFC) Option. 

The results of the study will be included 

in the final Report to Congress, to be 

delivered by the Secretary of Health and 

Human Services in 2015. The project is 

designed to assist us along with the 

Congress in our understanding of: 

States’ CFC implementation plans, the 

effectiveness of the CFC Option on 

individuals receiving home- and 

community-based attendant care, and 

States’ spending on long-term services 

and supports. 

Researchers will request data from 

States approved for CFC via a data from 

and semi-structured interviews. 

Information obtained will be used to 

better understand CFC program design, 

the targeted patient population, and 

intended outcomes. At this time, we 

have only approved California’s 

program. To provide comparative 

information to the Secretary, researchers 

will also collect data from States that 

have decided not to pursue the CFC 

option. Data will be analyzed and 

developed into a report to Congress 

which will evaluate the effectiveness of 

the CFC option, the program’s impact on 

participants’ physical and emotional 

health, and a comparative analysis of 

the costs of community-based services 

and those provided in institutional 

settings. Form Number: CMS–10462 

(OCN: 0938-New); Frequency: Once; 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

households, Private sector—Business or 

other for-profits and Not-for-profit 

institutions, and State, Local, or Tribal 

Governments; Number of Respondents: 

108; Total Annual Responses: 126; Total 

Annual Hours: 225. (For policy 

questions regarding this collection 

contact Elizabeth Garbarczyk at 410– 

786–0426). 

Dated: March 19, 2014. 

Martique Jones, 

Deputy Director, Regulations Development 

Group, Office of Strategic Operations and 

Regulatory Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2014–06518 Filed 3–24–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–4132–PN] 

Medicare Program; Renewal of 

Deeming Authority of the Accreditation 

Association for National Committee for 

Quality Assurance (NCQA) 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Proposed notice. 

SUMMARY: This proposed notice 

announces our proposal to renew the 

Medicare Advantage deeming authority 

of the National Committee for Quality 

Assurance (NCQA) for a term of 6 years. 

This new term of approval would begin 

October 19, 2014 and end October 18, 

2020. This notice announces a 30-day 

period for public comments on the 

renewal of the application. 

DATES: To be assured consideration, 

comments must be received at one of 

the addresses provided below, no later 

than 5 p.m. on April 24, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: In commenting, refer to file 

code CMS–4132–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 to the following 

address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services, Department of 

Health and Human Services, Attention: 

CMS–4132–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 to the 

following address ONLY: Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services, Attention: CMS–4132–PN, 

Mail Stop C4–26–05, 7500 Security 

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

4. By hand or courier. Alternatively, 

you may deliver (by hand or courier) 

your written ONLY to the following 

addresses: 

a. For delivery in Washington, DC— 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, Department of Health and 

Human Services, Room 445–G, Hubert 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 2014 / Notices 16339 

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, call 

telephone number (410) 786–9994 in 

advance to schedule your arrival with 

one of our staff members. 

Comments erroneously 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: 

Jennifer Bates, 410–786–6258 or 

Milonda Mitchell, 410–786–1644 

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, 

Baltimore, Maryland 21244, Monday 

through Friday of each week from 8:30 

a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an 

appointment to view public comments, 

phone 1–800–743–3951. 

I. Background 

Under the Medicare program, eligible 

beneficiaries may receive covered 

services through a Medicare Advantage 

(MA) organization that contracts with 

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS). The regulations 

specifying the Medicare requirements 

that must be met in order for a Medicare 

Advantage Organization (MAO) to enter 

into a contract with CMS are located at 

42 CFR part 422. These regulations 

implement Part C of Title XVIII of the 

Social Security Act (the Act), which 

specifies the services that an MAO must 

provide and the requirements that the 

organization must meet to offer an MA 

plan. Other relevant sections of the Act 

are Parts A and B of Title XVIII and Part 

A of Title XI pertaining to the provision 

of services by Medicare-certified 

providers and suppliers. Under 

§ 422.400, one significant prerequisite 

for an entity to be an MA organization 

is that the organization be licensed by 

the state as a risk bearing organization, 

unless a waiver is authorized for a 

provider-sponsored organization 

pursuant to § 422.370. In addition, 

MAOs and MA plans must meet 

requirements related to access to 

services, antidiscrimination, 

confidentiality and accuracy of 

beneficiary records, provider 

participation, advance directives, and 

quality assurance programs. 

As a method of assuring compliance 

with certain Medicare requirements, an 

MA organization may choose to become 

accredited by a CMS approved 

accrediting organization (AO). In 

addition to their CMS-recognized 

deemed status accreditation program, 

approved AOs offer other accreditation 

programs that are not recognized by 

CMS. For Medicare participation 

purposes, the MA organization may be 

‘‘deemed’’ compliant in one or more of 

six requirements set forth in section 

1852(e)(4)(B) of the Act and 

§ 422.156(b). In order for an AO to be 

able to ‘‘deem’’ an MA plan as 

compliant with these MA requirements, 

the AO must demonstrate that it meet 

the requirements outlined in § 422.157, 

including demonstrating that its 

standards are at least as stringent as 

Medicare requirements with respect to 

the standards in the deemable area. 

Therefore, for example, MA 

organizations that are licensed as health 

maintenance organizations (HMOs) or 

preferred provider organizations (PPOs) 

and are accredited by an approved 

accrediting organization may receive, at 

the MA organization’s request, deemed 

status for CMS requirements in the 

following six MA areas: Quality 

Improvement, Antidiscrimination, 

Access to Services, Confidentiality and 

Accuracy of Enrollee Records, 

Information on Advanced Directives, 

and Provider Participation Rules. See 

§ 422.156(b). Organizations that apply 

for MA deeming authority are generally 

recognized by the health care industry 

as entities that accredit HMOs and 

PPOs. As specified at § 422.157(b)(2)(ii), 

the term for which an AO may be 

approved by CMS may not exceed 6 

years. For continuing approval, the AO 

must renew its application with CMS. 

The National Committee for Quality 

Assurance (NCQA) was approved as an 

accrediting organization for MA 

deeming of HMOs on October 19, 2010, 

and that term will expire on October 18, 

2014. On January 30, 2014, NCQA 

submitted an application to renew its 

deeming authority. On that same date, 

NCQA submitted materials requested 

from CMS which included updates and/ 

or changes to items listed in § 422.158(a) 

that are prerequisites for receiving 

deeming program approval by CMS, and 

which were furnished to CMS by NCQA 

as a part of its renewal applications for 

HMOs and PPOs. 

II. Provisions of the Proposed Notice 

The purpose of this notice is to notify 

the public of the NCQA’s request to 

renew its Medicare Advantage deeming 

authority for HMOs and PPOs. NCQA 

submitted all the necessary materials 

(including its standards and monitoring 

protocol) to enable us to make a 

determination concerning its request for 

approval as an accreditation 

organization for CMS. This renewal 

application was determined to be 

complete on February 6, 2014. Under 

section § 1852(e)(4) of the Act and 

§ 422.158 (federal review of accrediting 

organizations), our review and 

evaluation of NCQA will be conducted 

as discussed below. 

A. Components of the Review Process 

The review of NCQA’s renewal 

application for approval of MA deeming 

authority includes the following 

components: 

• The types of MA plans that it would 

review as part of its accreditation 

process. 

• A detailed comparison of the AO’s 

accreditation requirements and 

standards with the Medicare 

requirements (for example, a crosswalk). 

• Detailed information about the 

organization’s survey process, 

including— 

++ Frequency of surveys and whether 

surveys are announced or unannounced. 

++ Copies of survey forms, and 

guidelines and instructions to 

surveyors. 

++ Descriptions of— 

—The survey review process and the 

accreditation status decision making 

process; 


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16340 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 2014 / Notices 

—The procedures used to notify 

accredited MA organizations of 

deficiencies and to monitor the 

correction of those deficiencies; and 

—The procedures used to enforce 

compliance with accreditation 

requirements. 

• Detailed information about the 

individuals who perform surveys for the 

accreditation organization, including— 

++ The size and composition of 

accreditation survey teams for each type 

of plan reviewed as part of the 

accreditation process; 

++ The education and experience 

requirements surveyors must meet; 

++ The content and frequency of the 

in-service training provided to survey 

personnel; 

++ The evaluation systems used to 

monitor the performance of individual 

surveyors and survey teams; and 

++ The organization’s policies and 

practice with respect to the 

participation, in surveys or in the 

accreditation decision process by an 

individual who is professionally or 

financially affiliated with the entity 

being surveyed. 

• A description of the organization’s 

data management and analysis system 

with respect to its surveys and 

accreditation decisions, including the 

kinds of reports, tables, and other 

displays generated by that system. 

• A description of the organization’s 

procedures for responding to and 

investigating complaints against 

accredited organizations, including 

policies and procedures regarding 

coordination of these activities with 

appropriate licensing bodies and 

ombudsmen programs. 

• A description of the organization’s 

policies and procedures with respect to 

the withholding or removal of 

accreditation for failure to meet the 

accreditation organization’s standards or 

requirements, and other actions the 

organization takes in response to 

noncompliance with its standards and 

requirements. 

• A description of all types (for 

example, full, partial) and categories (for 

example, provisional, conditional, 

temporary) of accreditation offered by 

the organization, the duration of each 

type and category of accreditation and a 

statement identifying the types and 

categories that would serve as a basis for 

accreditation if CMS approves the 

accreditation organization. 

• A list of all currently accredited MA 

organizations and the type, category, 

and expiration date of the accreditation 

held by each of them. 

• A list of all full and partial 

accreditation surveys scheduled to be 

performed by the accreditation 

organization. 

• The name and address of each 

person with an ownership or control 

interest in the accreditation 

organization. 

• CMS will also consider NCQA’s 

past performance in the deeming 

program and results of recent deeming 

validation reviews, or look-behind 

audits conducted as part of continuing 

federal oversight of the deeming 

program under § 422.157(d). 

B. Notice Upon Completion of 

Evaluation 

Upon completion of our evaluation, 

including evaluation of comments 

received as a result of this notice, we 

will publish a notice in the Federal 

Register announcing the result of our 

evaluation. 

Section 1852(e)(4)(C) of the Act 

provides a statutory timetable to ensure 

that our review of deeming applications 

is conducted in a timely manner. The 

Act provides us with 210 calendar days 

after the date of receipt of an application 

to complete our survey activities and 

application review process. At the end 

of the 210 day period, we must publish 

an approval or denial of the application 

in the Federal Register. 

III. 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. 

IV. Response to Comments 

Because of the large number of public 

comments we normally receive on 

Federal Register documents, we are not 

able to acknowledge or respond to them 

individually. We will consider all 

comments we receive by the date and 

time specified in the DATES section of 

this preamble, and, when we proceed 

with a subsequent document, we will 

respond to the comments in the 

preamble to that document. 

Dated: March 14, 2014. 

Marilyn Tavenner, 

Administrator, Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2014–06520 Filed 3–24–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1610–N] 

Medicare Program; Public Meeting on 

July 14, 2014 Regarding New Clinical 

Diagnostic Laboratory Test Codes for 

the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule 

for Calendar Year 2015 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

public meeting to receive comments and 

recommendations (including 

accompanying data on which 

recommendations are based) from the 

public on the appropriate basis for 

establishing payment amounts for new 

or substantially revised Healthcare 

Common Procedure Coding System 

(HCPCS) codes being considered for 

Medicare payment under the clinical 

laboratory fee schedule (CLFS) for 

calendar year (CY) 2015. This meeting 

also provides a forum for those who 

submitted certain reconsideration 

requests regarding final determinations 

made last year on new test codes and for 

the public to provide comment on the 

requests. 

DATES: Meeting Date: The public 

meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 

14, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 

Eastern Daylight Savings Time. 

Deadline for Registration of Presenters 

and Submission of Presentations: All 

presenters for the public meeting must 

register and submit their presentations 

electronically to Glenn McGuirk at 

Glenn.McGuirk@cms.hhs.gov by July 3, 

2014. 

Deadline for Submitting Requests for 

Special Accommodations: Requests for 

special accommodations must be 

received no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 

3, 2014. 

Deadline for Submission of Written 

Comments: We intend to publish our 

proposed determinations for new test 

codes and our preliminary 

determinations for reconsidered codes 

(as described below) for CY 2015 by 

early September. Interested parties may 

submit written comments on these 

determinations by early October, 2014 

to the address specified in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice or 

electronically to Glenn McGuirk at 

Glenn.McGuirk@cms.hhs.gov (the 

specific date for the publication of these 

determinations on the CMS Web site, as 

well as the deadline for submitting 

comments regarding these 


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