20414 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 79 / Friday, April 24, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and

Families

Notice of Program Announcement No.

ACF/ACYF 98–05; Fiscal Year 1998

Discretionary Announcement for Head

Start; Availability of Funds and

Request for Applications

AGENCY: Administration on Children,

Youth and Families (ACYF),

Administration for Children and

Families (ACF), DHHS.

ACTION: Notice of FY 1998 Head Start

availability of financial assistance and

request for applications.

SUMMARY: The Administration on

Children, Youth and Families

announces financial assistance to be

competitively awarded to local public

and private non-profit entities—

including current Head Start grantees—

to provide Head Start services to preschool age children in geographical

areas currently unserved by Head Start.

Head Start programs provide

comprehensive child development and

family support services to low-income

families. The purpose of the Head Start

program is to enhance children’s

physical, social, emotional, and

intellectual development; to support

parents’ efforts to fulfill their parental

roles; and to help parents move toward

self-sufficiency.

The funds available will be

competitively awarded to eligible

applicants to: (1) serve Head Starteligible children living in geographical

areas that are not currently served by

Head Start; (2) serve Head Start-eligible

children living on Federally-recognized

Indian reservations where a Head Start

program does not currently operate; and

(3) serve Head Start-eligible children of

migrant farm workers in geographical

areas that are not currently served by a

Migrant Head Start program.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of

applications is 4:30 p.m. EDT on July 6,

1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A

copy of the program announcement and

necessary application forms can be

obtained by contacting: Head Start

Competition, ACYF Operations Center,

225 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 415,

Arlington, VA 22202. The telephone

number is 1–800–351–2293. The fax

number is 1–703–416–6077.

Copies of the program announcement

can be downloaded from the Head Start

web site at: www.acf.dhhs.gov/

programs/hsb.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Eligible Applicants: Applicants

eligible to apply to become a Head Start

program are local public and private

non-profit agencies. (For Indian

reservations, eligible applicants are the

Tribal governments of unserved

reservations that wish to initiate a Head

Start program or agencies designated by

these Tribal governments.)

Project Duration: Awards will be on a

competitive basis and will be for a oneyear period. The project period is

indefinite.

Federal Share of Project Costs:

Grantees that operate Head Start

programs must, in most instances,

provide a non-Federal contribution of at

least 20 percent of the total approved

costs of the project.

Available Funds: Approximately $4

million is available to fund programs

that will serve approximately 800

children.

Anticipated Number of Projects to be

Funded: It is estimated that up to 20

projects will be funded.

Statutory Authority: The Head Start

Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance:

Number 93.600, Head Start.

Dated: April 8, 1998.

James A. Harrell,

Deputy Commissioner, Administration on

Children, Youth and Families.

[FR Doc. 98–10989 Filed 4–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

Radiological Devices Panel of the

Medical Devices Advisory Committee;

Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration,

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

This notice announces a forthcoming

meeting of a public advisory committee

of the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA). At least one portion of the

meeting will be closed to the public.

Name of Committee: Radiological

Devices Panel of the Medical Devices

Advisory Committee.

General Function of the Committee:

To provide advice and

recommendations to the agency on FDA

regulatory issues.

Date and Times: The meeting will be

held on May 11, 1998, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Corporate Bldg., conference

room 020B, 9200 Corporate Blvd.,

Rockville, MD.

Contact Person: Robert J. Doyle,

Center for Devices and Radiological

Health (HFZ–470), Food and Drug

Administration, 9200 Corporate Blvd.,

Rockville, MD 20850, 301–594–1212, or

FDA Advisory Committee Information

Line, 1–800–741–8138 (301–443–0572

in the Washington, DC area), code

12526. Please call the Information Line

for up-to-date information on this

meeting.

Agenda: The committee will discuss,

make recommendations and vote on a

premarket approval application for a

computer aided detection system for

screening mammograms.

Procedure: On May 11, 1998, from 9

a.m. to 12 m., and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,

the meeting is open to the public.

Interested persons may present data,

information, or views, orally or in

writing, on issues pending before the

committee. Written submissions may be

made to the contact person by May 4,

1998. Oral presentations from the public

will be scheduled between

approximately 9:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.,

and for an additional one half hour near

the end of the Committee deliberations.

Time allotted for each presentation may

be limited. Those desiring to make

formal oral presentations should notify

the contact person before May 4, 1998,

and submit a brief statement of the

general nature of the evidence or

arguments they wish to present, the

names and addresses of proposed

participants, and an indication of the

approximate time requested to make

their presentation.

Closed Committee Deliberations: On

May 11, 1998, from 12 m. to 1 p.m., the

meeting will be closed to permit

discussion and review of trade secret

and/or confidential information. (5

U.S.C. 552b(c)(4)). This portion of the

meeting will be closed to permit

discussion of this information.

Notice of this meeting is given under

the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5

U.S.C. app. 2).

Dated: April 20, 1998.

Michael A. Friedman,

Deputy Commissioner for Operations.

[FR Doc. 98–10971 Filed 4–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–01–F

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

Science Board to the Food and Drug

Administration; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration,

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 79 / Friday, April 24, 1998 / Notices 20415

This notice announces a forthcoming

meeting of a public advisory committee

of the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA). The meeting will be open to the

public.

Name of Committee: Science Board to

the Food and Drug Administration.

General Function of the Committee:

To provide advice and

recommendations to the agency on FDA

regulatory issues.

Date and Time: The meeting will be

held on May 19, 1998, 9 a.m. to 3:30

p.m.

Location: Doubletree Hotel, Plaza

Room, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville,

MD.

Contact Person: Susan K. Meadows,

Office of Science (HF–32), Food and

Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers

Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301–827–

4591, or FDA Advisory Committee

Information Line, 1–800–741–8138

(301–443–0572 in the Washington, DC

area), code 12603. Please call the

Information Line for up-to-date

information on this meeting.

Agenda: Information will be

presented to the board regarding: (1)

FDA’s research and science programs,

(2) the process for peer review and

findings from the Subcommittee for the

Center for Biologics Evaluation and

Research Review, (3) the status of the

Biomaterials Forum project (a process

for information exchange addressing

issues in biomaterials science), (4) the

activities of the Science Board

Subcommittee on Toxicology, and (5) a

proposed model for support for FDA

Science.

Procedure: Interested persons may

present data, information, or views,

orally or in writing, on issues pending

before the committee. Written

submissions may be made to the contact

person by May 1, 1998. Oral

presentations from the public will be

scheduled between approximately 2

p.m. and 3 p.m. Time allotted for each

presentation may be limited. Those

desiring to make formal oral

presentations should notify the contact

person before May 1, 1998, and submit

a brief statement of the general nature of

the evidence or arguments they wish to

present, the names and addresses of

proposed participants, and an

indication of the approximate time

requested to make their presentation.

Notice of this meeting is given under

the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5

U.S.C. app. 2).

Dated: April 17, 1998.

Michael A. Friedman,

Deputy Commissioner for Operations.

[FR Doc. 98–10970 Filed 4–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–01–F

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Office of Inspector General

Publication of OIG Special Fraud Alert:

Fraud and Abuse in Nursing Home

Arrangements With Hospices

AGENCY: Office of Inspector General

(OIG), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This Federal Register notice

sets forth a recently issued OIG Special

Fraud Alert concerning fraud and abuse

practices involving nursing home

arrangements with hospices. For the

most part, OIG Special Fraud Alerts

address national trends in health care

fraud, including potential violations of

the Medicare anti-kickback statute. This

Special Fraud Alert, issued to the health

care provider community and now

being reprinted in this issue of the

Federal Register, specifically identifies

and highlights some vulnerabilities in

nursing home arrangements with

hospices and instances of potential

kickbacks between nursing homes and

hospices to influence the referral of

patients.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joel

J. Schaer, Office of Counsel to the

Inspector General, (202) 610–0089.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Office of Inspector General (OIG)

issues Special Fraud Alerts based on

information it obtains concerning

particular fraudulent and abusive

practices within the health care

industry. These Special Fraud Alerts

provide the OIG with a means of

notifying the industry that we have

become aware of certain abusive

practices which we plan to pursue and

prosecute, or bring civil and

administrative action, as appropriate.

The Special Fraud Alerts also serve as

an effective tool to encourage industry

compliance by giving providers an

opportunity to examine their own

practices.

Special Fraud Alerts are intended for

extensive distribution to the health care

provider community, as well as those

charged with administering the

Medicare and Medicaid programs. To

date, the OIG has published in the

Federal Register the texts of 8

previously-issued Special Fraud Alerts

(December 19, 1994, 59 FR 65372;

August 10, 1995, 60 FR 40847; and June

17, 1996, 61 FR 30623), and we have

indicated our intention of publishing

future Special Fraud Alerts in this same

manner as a regular part of our

dissemination of such information.

With regard to nursing home

arrangements with hospices, this newlyissued Special Fraud Alert discusses (1)

the nature of hospice care and who is

eligible to receive such care; (2) the

reimbursement for hospice care

provided by nursing homes; (3) the

vulnerabilities in nursing home

arrangements with hospices; (4) several

suspected kickback arrangements that

are designed to induce Medicare or

Medicaid referrals. A reprint of this

Special Fraud Alert follows.

II. Special Fraud Alert: Fraud and

Abuse in Nursing Home Arrangements

With Hospices (April 1998)

Office of Inspector General was

established at the Department of Health

and Human Services by Congress in

1976 to identify and eliminate fraud,

abuse and waste in the Department’s

programs and to promote efficiency and

economy in departmental operations.

The OIG carries out this mission

through a nationwide program of audits,

investigations, and inspections.

To reduce fraud and abuse in the

Federal health care programs, including

Medicare and Medicaid, the OIG

actively investigates fraudulent schemes

to obtain money from these programs

and, when appropriate, issues Special

Fraud Alerts that identify segments of

the health care industry that are

particularly vulnerable to abuse. This

Special Fraud Alert focuses on the

interrelationship between the hospice

and nursing home industries and

describes some potentially illegal

practices the OIG has identified in

arrangements between these providers.

What Is Hospice Care and Who Is

Eligible To Receive It?

Medicare’s hospice benefit provides

palliative care to individuals who are

terminally ill. Palliative care focuses on

pain control, symptom management,

and counseling for both the patient and

family. Medicare hospice payments

increased from about $958 million for

Fiscal Year 1993 to over $1.8 billion for

Fiscal Year 1995. Although the hospice

benefit is still a relatively small portion

of total Medicare Part A expenditures

(about 1.5 percent), it has grown

considerably over the past several years.

In order to elect the hospice benefit,

a Medicare beneficiary must be entitled

to Medicare Part A services and certified

as terminally ill, which is defined as a

medical prognosis of a life expectancy

of 6 months or less if the illness runs its

normal course. A beneficiary who elects

to enroll in a hospice program waives

his or her rights to all curative care