37498 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 133 / Monday, July 13, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

EPA APPROVED NEW MEXICO STATUTES IN THE CURRENT NEW MEXICO SIP—Continued

State citation Title/subject

State

Approval/

effective

date

EPA approval date Comments

74–2–6 .................. Adoption of Regulations Notice and

Hearings.

08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–7 .................. Permits ............................................... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–8 .................. Variances ........................................... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–9 .................. Variances—Judicial Review ............... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–10 ................ Emergency Procedure ....................... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–11 ................ Confidential Information ..................... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–11.1 ............. Limitations on Regulations ................. 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–12 ................ Enforcement ....................................... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–13 ................ Inspection ........................................... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–14 ................ Penalties ............................................. 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–15 ................ Additional Means of Enforcement ...... 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–15.1 ............. Primary Nonferrous Smelter Orders .. 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–16 ................ Declaratory Judgement of Regulation 08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

74–2–17 ................ Continuing Effect of Present Laws,

Rules, and Regulations.

08/11/83 11/02/84, 49 FR 44101

[FR Doc. 98–17975 Filed 7–10–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

42 CFR Parts 409, 410, 411, 413, 424,

483, and 489

[HCFA–1913–N]

RIN 0938–AI47

Medicare Program; Prospective

Payment System and Consolidated

Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities;

Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Health Care Financing

Administration (HCFA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of extension of comment

period for interim final rule.

SUMMARY: This document extends the

comment period for an interim final rule

with comment period that was

published in the Federal Register on

May 12, 1998 (63 FR 26252). That

interim final rule implements

provisions in section 4432 of the

Balanced Budget Act of 1997 related to

Medicare payment for skilled nursing

facility services. Those include the

implementation of a Medicare

prospective payment system for skilled

nursing facilities, consolidated billing,

and a number of related changes. The

comment period is extended for 60

days.

DATES: The comment period is extended

to 5 p.m. on September 11, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments (one

original and three copies) to the

following address: Health Care

Financing Administration, Department

of Health and Human Services,

Attention: HCFA–1913–IFC, P.O. Box

26688, Baltimore, MD 21207–0488.

If you prefer, you may deliver your

written comments (one original and

three copies) to one of the following

addresses: Room 309–G, Hubert H.

Humphrey Building, 200 Independence

Avenue, SW, ashington, DC 20201, or

Room C5–09–26, Central Building, 7500

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD

21244–1850.

Because of staffing and resource

limitations, we cannot accept comments

by facsimile (FAX) transmission. In

commenting, please refer to file code

HCFA–1913–IFC. Comments received

timely will be available for public

inspection as they are received,

generally beginning approximately 3

weeks after publication of a document,

in Room 309–G of the Department’s

offices at 200 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC, on Monday

through Friday of each week from 8:30

a.m. to 5 p.m. (phone: (202) 690–7890).

For comments that relate to

information collection requirements,

mail a copy of comments to: Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Room 10235, New Executive Office

Building, Washington, DC 20503, Attn:

Allison Herron Eydt, HCFA Desk

Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Laurence Wilson, (410) 786–4603 (for

general information). John Davis, (410)

786–0008 (for information related to the

Federal rates). Dana Burley, (410) 786–

4547 (for information related to the

case-mix classification methodology).

Steve Raitzyk, (410) 786–4599 (for

information related to the facilityspecific transition payment rates). Bill

Ullman, (410) 786–5667 (for information

related to consolidated billing and

related provisions).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May

12, 1998, we issued an interim final rule

with comment period in the Federal

Register (63 FR 26252) that implements

provisions in section 4432 of the

Balanced Budget Act of 1997 related to

Medicare payment for skilled nursing

facility services. Those include the

implementation of a Medicare

prospective payment system for skilled

nursing facilities, consolidated billing,

and a number of related changes. We

indicated that comments would be

considered if we received them by July

13, 1998.

Because of the complexity and scope

of the interim final rule and because

numerous members of the industry and

professional associations have requested

more time to analyze the potential

consequences of the rule, we have

decided to extend the comment period

for an additional 60 days. This

document announces the extension of

the public comment period to

September 11, 1998.

Authority: Secs. 1102 and 1871 of the

Social Security Act.

(42 U.S.C. 1302 and 1395hh).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital

Insurance; Program No. 93.774, Medicare—

Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 133 / Monday, July 13, 1998 /Rules and Regulations 37499

Dated: June 30, 1998.

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle,

Administrator, Health Care Financing

Administration.

Dated: July 9, 1998.

Donna E. Shalala,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–18746 Filed 7–10–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 0 and 63

[FCC 98–127 ]

Notification of Common Carriers of

Service Disruptions

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: This Order amends the

Commission’s rules that require carriers

to send final reports of certain telephone

network service outages to the Chief of

the Common Carrier Bureau. This order

amends the rules so that carriers

required to provide the Commission

with final reports of those outages will

be directed to send them to the Chief of

the Office of Engineering and

Technology instead of the Chief of the

Common Carrier Bureau.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 13, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert Kimball, Office of Engineering

and Technology, (202) 418–2339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

summary of the Commission’s Order,

FCC 98–127, adopted June 19, 1998, and

released June 25, 1998. The full text of

this Commission decision is available

for inspection and copying during

normal business hours in the FCC

Reference Center (Room 239), 1919 M

Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., and also

may be purchased from the

Commission’s duplication contractor,

International Transcription Service,

(202) 857–3800, 1231 20th Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036.

Summary of Order

The Commission’s rules require

wireline common carriers to send final

reports of certain telephone network

service outages to the Chief of the

Common Carrier Bureau. The Order

summarized here amends the rule so

that carriers required to provide the

Commission with final reports of those

outages will be directed to send them to

the Chief of the Office of Engineering

and Technology instead.

Since February 18, 1996, the Office of

Engineering and Technology has

coordinated the meetings and other

activities of the Network Reliability

Council, now called the Network

Reliability and Interoperability Council.

Previously this coordinating function

was carried out by the Common Carrier

Bureau. The receipt and tabulation of

outage reports, however, continues to be

carried out by the staff of the Common

Carrier Bureau. Since these outage

reports are relied upon by the Council

in the conduct of its research and since

tabulation and any analysis that may be

required is best conducted by those

most familiar with the best practice

recommendations of the Council, the

Council coordination function and the

receipt and tabulation function should

be consolidated in the same office.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5

U.S.C. 601, et seq., does not apply to

this proceeding because the

Commission is adopting this rule

without notice and comment. See 5

U.S.C. 603(a) and 604(a). Notice and

comment are not required because the

Commission is modifying a ‘‘rule of

agency organization, procedure, or

practice.’’ See 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A).

Moreover, the Commission has found

that notice and comment are

unnecessary here. See 5 U.S.C.

553(b)(B).

List of Subjects

47 CFR Part 0

Organization and functions

(government agencies).

47 CFR Part 63

Communications common carriers,

Reporting and recordkeeping

requirements.

Federal Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,

Secretary.

Rule Changes

For the reasons discussed in the

preamble, Parts 0 and 63 of Title 47 of

the Code of Federal Regulations are

amended as follows:

PART 0—COMMISSION

ORGANIZATION

1. The authority citation for part 0

continues to read as follows:

Authority: Secs. 5, 48 Stat. 1068, as

amended; 47 U.S.C. 155.

2. Section 0.31 is amended by revising

paragraph (j) to read as follows:

§ 0.31 Functions of the Office.

* * * * *

(j) To perform all engineering and

management functions of the

Commission with respect to formulating

rules and regulations, technical

standards, and general policies for parts

15, 18 and section 63.100 of this

chapter, and for type approval and

acceptance, and certification of radio

equipment for compliance with the

Rules.

* * * * *

PART 63—EXTENSION OF LINES AND

DISCONTINUANCE, REDUCTION,

OUTAGE AND IMPAIRMENT OF

SERVICE BY COMMON CARRIERS;

AND GRANTS OF RECOGNIZED

PRIVATE OPERATING AGENCY

STATUS

3. The authority citation for part 63

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 154(j),

201–205, 218, 403 and 533, unless otherwise

noted.

4. Section 63.100, paragraphs (b), (c),

(d), and (h) are amended by revising the

last sentence of each paragraph and

paragraph (e) introductory text, is

amended by revising the ninth sentence

to read as follows:

§ 63.100 Notification of service outage.

* * * * *

(b) * * * Not later than thirty days

after the outage, the carrier shall file

with the Chief, Office of Engineering

and Technology, a Final Service

Disruption Report providing all

available information on the service

outage, including any information not

contained in its Initial Service

Disruption Report and detailing

specifically the root cause of the outage

and listing and evaluating the

effectiveness and application in the

immediate case of any best practices or

industry standards identified by the

Network Reliability Council to eliminate

or ameliorate outages of the reported

type.

(c) * * * Not later than thirty days

after the outage, the carrier shall file

with the Chief, Office of Engineering

and Technology, a Final Service

Disruption Report providing all

available information on the service

outage, including any information not

contained in its Initial Service

Disruption Report and detailing

specifically the root cause of the outage

and listing and evaluating the

effectiveness and application in the

immediate case of any best practices or

industry standards identified by the

Network Reliability Council to eliminate