Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 58 / Friday, March 27, 2009 / Notices 13441 

‘‘Comprehensive Accreditation Manual 

for Home Care’’ (CAMHC) and its survey 

process in the ‘‘Surveyor Activity 

Guide’’ with the Medicare hospice 

conditions for participation and our 

State Operations Manual (SOM). Our 

review and evaluation of the Joint 

Commission’s deeming application, 

which were conducted as described in 

section III of this notice yielded the 

following: 

• On June 5, 2008, CMS published a 

final rule (73 FR 32088) that revised the 

existing conditions of participation that 

hospices must meet to participate in the 

Medicare and Medicaid Program. In 

accordance with the regulations at 

§ 488.4(a)(3)(iv), the Joint Commission 

updated and revised their standards and 

survey procedures to meet the Medicare 

requirements. 

• To meet the Medicare requirements 

at section 2728 of the SOM, the Joint 

Commission modified its policies for 

posting the deemed status survey results 

within 10 days onto its extranet site. 

• The Joint Commission will conduct 

all for-cause surveys on an 

unannounced basis. 

• The Joint Commission modified its 

executive summary statement to clearly 

indicate that providers must meet all 

accreditation standards in order to be 

recommended for deemed status. 

B. Term of Approval 

Based on the review and observations 

described in section III of this final 

notice, we have determined that the 

Joint Commission’s requirements for 

hospices meet or exceed our 

requirements. Therefore, we recognize 

the Joint Commission as a national 

accreditation organization for hospices 

that request participation in the 

Medicare program, effective June 18, 

2009 through June 18, 2015. 

V. Collection of Information 

Requirements 

This final notice does not impose any 

information collection and record 

keeping requirements. Consequently, it 

does not need to be reviewed by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under the authority of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 35). 

(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 4, 2009. 

Charlene Frizzera, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–6775 Filed 3–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–3212–N] 

Medicare Program; Request for 

Nominations for Members for the 

Medicare Evidence Development & 

Coverage Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

request for nominations for 

consideration for membership on the 

Medicare Evidence Development & 

Coverage Advisory Committee 

(MEDCAC). Among other things, the 

MEDCAC advises the Secretary of the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (the Secretary) and the 

Administrator of the Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services on 

whether medical items and services are 

‘‘reasonable and necessary’’ and 

therefore eligible for coverage under 

Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. 

We are requesting nominations for 

both voting and nonvoting members to 

serve on the MEDCAC. Nominees are 

selected based upon their individual 

qualifications and not as representatives 

of professional associations or societies. 

We have a special interest in ensuring 

that women, minority groups, and 

physically challenged individuals are 

adequately represented on the 

MEDCAC. Therefore, we encourage 

nominations of qualified candidates 

from these groups. 

The MEDCAC reviews and evaluates 

medical literature, reviews technology 

assessments, and examines data and 

information on the effectiveness and 

appropriateness of medical items and 

services that are covered or eligible for 

coverage under Medicare. 

DATES: Nominations for membership 

will be considered if postmarked by 

April 27, 2009 and mailed to the contact 

person specified in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

notice to the designated address, as 

provided in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. 

ADDRESSES: You may mail nominations 

for membership to the following: 

Attention: Maria Ellis, Office of Clinical 

Standards and Quality, Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 

Security Boulevard, Mail Stop: C1–09– 

06, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Maria Ellis, Executive Secretary for 

MEDCAC, Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services OCSQ—Coverage 

and Analysis Group, Mailstop: C1–09– 

06, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 

MD 21244, or contact Ms. Ellis by phone 

at 410–786–0309; or via e-mail at 

Maria.Ellis@cms.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

On December 14, 1998, we published 

a notice in the Federal Register (63 FR 

68780) announcing establishment of the 

Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee 

(MCAC). The Secretary signed the initial 

charter for the Medicare Coverage 

Advisory Committee on November 24, 

1998. On January 26, 2007 the Secretary 

published a notice in the Federal 

Register (72FR 3853), changing the 

Committee’s name to the Medicare 

Evidence Development and Coverage 

Advisory Committee (MEDCAC). The 

charter for the committee was renewed 

by the Secretary and will terminate on 

November 24, 2010, unless renewed 

again by the Secretary. 

The MEDCAC is governed by 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, Public Law 92–463, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), which sets 

forth standards for the formulation and 

use of advisory committees, and is 

authorized by section 222 of the Public 

Health Service Act as amended (42 

U.S.C. 217a). 

The MEDCAC consists of a pool of 

100 appointed members including: 6 

patient advocates, who are standard 

voting members, and 6 representatives 

of industry interests, who are nonvoting 

members. Members are selected from 

among authorities in clinical medicine 

of all specialties, administrative 

medicine, public health, biologic and 

physical sciences, health care data and 

information management and analysis, 

patient advocacy, the economics of 

health care, medical ethics, and other 

related professions such as 

epidemiology and biostatistics, and 

methodology of trial design. 

The MEDCAC functions on a 

committee basis. The Committee 

reviews and evaluates medical 

literature, reviews technology 

assessments, and examines data and 

information on the effectiveness and 

appropriateness of medical items and 

services that are covered or eligible for 

coverage under Medicare. The 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

13442 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 58 / Friday, March 27, 2009 / Notices 

Committee works from an agenda 

provided by the Designated Federal 

Official that lists specific issues, and 

develops technical advice to assist us in 

determining reasonable and necessary 

applications of medical services and 

technology when we make national 

coverage decisions for Medicare. The 

Committee also advises CMS as part of 

Medicare’s coverage evidence 

development activities. 

II. Provisions of the Notice 

As of May 2009, there will be 20 

terms of membership expiring, 2 of 

which are nonvoting industry 

representatives and 2 are voting patient 

advocates. 

Accordingly, we are requesting 

nominations for both voting and 

nonvoting members to serve on the 

MEDCAC. Nominees are selected based 

upon their individual qualifications and 

not as representatives of professional 

associations or societies. We have a 

special interest in ensuring that women, 

minority groups, and physically 

challenged individuals are adequately 

represented on the MEDCAC. Therefore, 

we encourage nominations of qualified 

candidates from these groups. 

All nominations must be 

accompanied by curricula vitae. 

Nomination packages must be sent to 

the address listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice. Nominees for 

voting membership must meet MEDCAC 

criteria by having expertise and 

experience in one or more of the 

following fields: 

• Clinical medicine of all specialties. 

• Administrative medicine. 

• Public health. 

• Patient advocacy. 

• Biologic and physical sciences. 

• Health care data and information 

management and analysis. 

• The economics of health care. 

• Medical ethics. 

• Other related professions such as 

epidemiology and biostatistics, and 

methodology of clinical trial design. 

We are looking for experts in a 

number of fields. Our most critical 

needs are for experts in Bayesian 

statistics; clinical epidemiology; clinical 

trial methodology; knee, hip, and other 

joint replacement surgery; 

ophthalmology; psychopharmacology; 

registries; rheumatology; screening and 

diagnostic testing analysis; and stroke. 

We also need experts in biostatistics in 

clinical settings, cardiovascular 

epidemiology, cost effectiveness 

analysis, dementia, endocrinology, 

geriatrics, gynecology, minority health, 

observational research design, stroke 

epidemiology, and women’s health. 

The nomination letter must include a 

statement that the nominee is willing to 

serve as a member of the MEDCAC and 

appears to have no conflict of interest 

that would preclude membership. We 

are requesting that all curricula vitae 

include the following: 

• Date of birth. 

• Place of birth. 

• Social security number. 

• Title and current position. 

• Professional affiliation. 

• Home and business address. 

• Telephone and fax numbers. 

• E-mail address. 

• List of areas of expertise. 

In the nomination letter, we are 

requesting that the nominee specify 

whether they are applying for a voting 

patient advocate position, for another 

voting position, or as a non-voting 

industry representative. Potential 

candidates will be asked to provide 

detailed information concerning such 

matters as financial holdings, 

consultancies, and research grants or 

contracts in order to permit evaluation 

of possible sources of conflict of 

interest. 

Members are invited to serve for 

overlapping 2-year terms. A member 

may serve after the expiration of the 

member’s term until a successor takes 

office. Any interested person may 

nominate one or more qualified persons. 

Self-nominations are also accepted. 

The current Secretary’s Charter for the 

MEDCAC is available on the CMS Web 

site at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/FACA/ 

Downloads/medcaccharter.pdf, or you 

may obtain a copy of the charter by 

submitting a request to the contact listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section of this notice. 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 10(a)(1) 

and (a)(2). 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplementary Medical 

Insurance Program) 

Dated: March 18, 2009. 

Barry M. Straube, 

Chief Medical Officer, Director, Office of 

Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–6772 Filed 3–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–7013–N] 

Medicare Program; Announcement of 

Rechartering and Meeting of the 

Advisory Panel on Medicare 

Education, April 22, 2009 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

renewal of the charter of the Advisory 

Panel on Medicare Education (the 

Panel). 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 the Medicare 

program. This notice also announces a 

meeting of the Panel in accordance with 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act. 

This meeting is open to the public. 

DATES: Meeting Date: April 22, 2009 

from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., eastern 

daylight time (e.d.t.). 

Deadline for Meeting Registration, 

Presentations and Comments: April 15, 

2009, 5 p.m., e.d.t. 

Deadline for Requesting Special 

Accommodations: April 8, 2009, 5 p.m., 

e.d.t. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: Hilton 

Washington Hotel Embassy Row, 2015 

Massachusetts Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20036, (202) 265–6800. 

Meeting Registration, Presentations, 

and Written Comments: Lynne Johnson, 

Designated Federal Official, Division of 

Forum and Conference Development, 

Office of External Affairs, Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 

Security Boulevard, Mailstop S1–05–06, 

Baltimore, MD 21244–1850 or contact 

Ms. Johnson via e-mail at 

Lynne.Johnson@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 Lynne Johnson at the address 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice or by telephone at (410) 786– 

0090, by the date listed in the DATES

section of this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynne Johnson, (410) 786–0090. Please 

refer to the CMS Advisory Committees’ 

Information Line (1–877–449–5659 toll 

free)/(410–786–9379 local) or the 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES