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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4729-4730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01642]

[[Page 4729]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-3293-N]

Medicare Program; Physician Compare Town Hall Meeting, February 
24, 2014

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a Town Hall meeting to solicit input 
from stakeholders on the future of the Physician Compare Web site. 
Stakeholders will be able to participate in the session in person and 
via telephone. Following a short initial presentation, the meeting 
agenda will provide the opportunity for on-site session attendees to 
give brief three-minute comments on the issues of interest. As time 
allows, telephone participants will also have the opportunity to 
provide brief three-minute comments on these issues. The meeting is 
open to the public, but attendance is limited to space available.

DATES: Registration Date: All participants must register by Monday, 
February 17, 2014. Requests for special accommodations must be received 
no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (e.s.t.) on Friday, 
February, 21, 2014.
    Meeting Date: Monday, February 24, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 
p.m. e.s.t.; check-in will begin at 12:00 p.m. e.s.t.

ADDRESSES: Main auditorium (Central building) at the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 
21244.
    Written Questions or Statements: Any interested party may send 
written comments by mail or electronically. We will accept written 
testimony, questions, or other statements, not to exceed two single-
spaced, typed pages, before the meeting, and up until March 3, 2014, at 
5:00 p.m. e.s.t. Send written testimony, questions, or other statements 
to: Division of Electronic and Clinician Quality (DECQ), Mailstop S3-
02-01, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security 
Boulevard, Baltimore Maryland 21244-1850, Attention: Rashaan Byers or 
Regina Chell, or, PhysicianCompare@Westat.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rashaan Byers, (410) 786-2305, 
rashaan.byers@cms.hhs.gov, or Regina Chell, (410) 786-6551, 
regina.chell@cms.hhs.gov.
    You may also send inquires about this meeting via email to 
PhysicianCompare@Westat.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 10331(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
(Pub. L. 111-148, enacted on March 23, 2010, as amended by the Health 
Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111-15, and 
collectively known as the Affordable Care Act) requires by January 1, 
2013, and with respect to reporting periods that begin no earlier than 
January 1, 2012, that CMS develop a plan for making publicly available 
through Physician Compare information on physician performance that 
provides comparable information on quality and patient experience 
measures. We met this requirement ahead of the deadline, and continue 
to build on the plan through rulemaking.
    Specifically, we began finalizing the first phase of the plan in 
the 2012 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule with comment period 
(76 FR 73417) and the 2013 PFS final rule with comment period (77 FR 
69166) to add quality data to Physician Compare via a phased approach. 
According to this plan, we will post the first set of measure data on 
the site in early 2014, reflecting data collected in program year 2012, 
if technically feasible. These data will include Physician Quality 
Reporting System (PQRS) Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) measures 
for group practices and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) collected 
via the web interface. In the 2014 PFS final rule with comment period 
(78 FR 74229), we further built on the plan for public reporting 
including PQRS GPRO Registry and EHR measures in addition to a larger 
pool of web interface measures, as well as Clinician and Group Consumer 
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) measures for 
certain group practices and ACOs. We also finalized public reporting of 
2014 individual quality measures in calendar year (CY) 2015 as 
specified in the 2014 PFS rule, if technically feasible.
    Since Physician Compare's inception in 2010, we have been working 
continually to enhance the site and its functionality, improve the 
information available, and include more and increasingly useful 
information about physicians and other healthcare professionals who 
take part in Medicare. This effort, along with the addition of quality 
measures on the site, will help it serve its two-fold purpose:
     To provide information for consumers to encourage informed 
healthcare decisions; and,
     To create explicit incentives for physicians to maximize 
performance.
    In an effort to maximize Physician Compare and make it as useful 
and beneficial as possible for consumers, we are seeking input 
regarding the types of information that could potentially be included 
on Physician Compare in the future. This Town Hall meeting is an 
opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions regarding the future of 
public reporting on Physician Compare. We are looking to receive input 
on questions such as,
     What types of measures could be most useful to consumers?
     What measures would most accurately identify quality care?
     What measures would most accurately/completely represent 
the various Medicare specialties?
     What non-CMS measures should potentially be considered for 
Physician Compare and what are the logistical means of obtaining these 
measure data?
     Is it appropriate to reduce the length of the measure 
preview period from 30 days to 2 weeks?
    We are also seeking input regarding the inclusion of additional 
information that may be of interest to consumers. Specifically, we are 
looking to receive input on questions such as,
     Is there additional Board Certification information we 
should consider including on Physician Compare?
     What other types of quality improvement programs or 
quality initiatives should we potentially consider publishing 
participation information for?
     Are there additional medical qualifications we should 
consider publishing on Physician Compare?
     Is there additional healthcare professional or group 
practice information we should include on Physician Compare, such as 
office hours or Web site addresses, etc.?
    For all of the above questions, we also seek input on accessing the 
most up-to-date and accurate data sources for this information.

II. Meeting Format

    The initial portion of the meeting will be a short background 
presentation on the Physician Compare Web site and public reporting 
plan to date, followed by a presentation setting out the key issues of 
interest for the day. The remainder of the meeting will be reserved for 
individual statements from interested parties.
    Time for participants to make a statement will be limited according 
to

[[Page 4730]]

the number of registered participants. Therefore, individuals who wish 
to make a statement must send an email to PhysicianCompare@Westat.com 
as soon as possible to register for the meeting and to sign up to make 
a statement. Participants will be permitted to speak in the order in 
which they sign up starting with participants who attend in person and 
followed by participants who attend via telephone. Comments from 
individuals not registered to speak will be heard after scheduled 
statements, only if time permits. Written submissions will also be 
accepted through March 3, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. e.s.t.

III. Registration Instructions

    The Division of Electronic and Clinician Quality (DECQ) within the 
Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) of CMS is coordinating 
the meeting registration for the Town Hall Meeting. Although there is 
no registration fee, individuals must register to attend. You may 
register by sending an email to PhysicianCompare@Westat.com. Please use 
the subject line ``Physician Compare Town Hall Registration'' and 
include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and, if 
available, fax number. Indicate if you wish to participate in person or 
via telephone. You will receive a registration confirmation with 
instructions for your arrival at the CMS complex or for accessing the 
meeting via telephone. If capacity has been reached, you will be 
notified that the meeting has reached capacity.
    Individuals requiring sign language interpretation or other special 
accommodations must send an email to PhysicianCompare@Westat.com 
indicating the needed accommodations by the date listed in the DATES 
section of this notice.

IV. Security, Building, and Parking Guidelines

    Because this meeting will be located on federal property, for 
security reasons, any persons wishing to attend this meeting must 
register by close of business on the date specified in the DATES 
section of this notice. Individuals who have not registered in advance 
will not be allowed to enter the building to attend the meeting. 
Seating capacity is limited to the first 250 registrants.
    The on-site check-in for visitors starts at 12:00 p.m. e.s.t. on 
the day of the meeting. Please allow sufficient time to go through the 
security checkpoints. It is suggested that you arrive at 7500 Security 
Boulevard no later than 12:30 p.m. so that you will be able to arrive 
promptly at the meeting by 1:00 p.m. All items brought to the building, 
whether personal or for the purpose of demonstration or to support a 
presentation, are subject to inspection.
    Security measures will include inspection of vehicles, inside and 
out, at the entrance to the grounds. Visitors to the complex are 
required to show a valid U.S. Government issued photo identification, 
preferably a driver's license, at the time of entry. In addition, all 
persons entering the building must pass through a metal detector. All 
items brought to CMS, including personal items such as laptops, cell 
phones, smart phones, tablets, etc. are subject to physical inspection.

    Authority: (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 
93.773, Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, 
Medicare--Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)

    Dated: January 23, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-01642 Filed 1-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
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