Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices 50357

Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770–

488–1515, E-mail: Swynn@cdc.gov.

VIII. Other Information 

Applicants can find this and other 

HHS funding opportunity 

announcements on the HHS/CDC Web 

site, Internet address: www.cdc.gov

(Click on ‘‘Funding’’ then ‘‘Grants and 

Cooperative Agreements’’), and on the 

web site of the HHS Office of Global 

Health Affairs, Internet address: 

www.globalhealth.gov.

Dated: August 22, 2005. 

William P. Nichols, 

Director, Procurement and Grants Office, 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services.

[FR Doc. 05–16990 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[Document Identifier: CMS–10166] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services, HHS. 

In compliance with the requirement 

of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services (CMS), Department of Health 

and Human Services, is publishing the 

following summary of proposed 

collections for public comment. 

Interested persons are invited to send 

comments regarding this burden 

estimate or any other aspect of this 

collection of information, including any 

of the following subjects: (1) The 

necessity and utility of the proposed 

information collection for the proper 

performance of the Agency’s function; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity 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. 

1. Type of Information Collection 

Request: New Collection; Title of 

Information Collection: Payment Error 

Rate Measurement in Medicaid and 

State Children’s Health Insurance 

Program (SCHIP); Form No.: CMS–

10166 (OMB # 0938–NEW); Use: The 

information collected will be used by 

CMS for, among other purposes, 

estimating improper payments in 

Medicaid and SCHIP as required by the 

Improper Payments Information Act 

(IPIA) of 2002. To implement the IPIA 

in Medicaid and SCHIP, CMS will use 

a national contracting strategy to 

produce Medicaid and SCHIP error 

rates. CMS plans to adopt this approach 

based on a recommendation that CMS 

hire a Federal contractor to perform 

payment error rate measurement. This 

recommendation was made during 

public comment on the proposed rule 

entitled ‘‘Medicaid Program and State 

Children’s Health Insurance Program 

(SCHIP): Payment Error Rate 

Measurement’’ which published on 

August 27, 2004 (69 FR 52620), that 

contained provisions for all states to 

produce error rates in Medicaid and 

SCHIP. 

The new error measurement 

methodology will rely on a Federal 

contractor to conduct medical and data 

processing reviews using generally the 

same methodologies developed during 

the past pilot projects and produce 

State-specific and national Medicaid 

and SCHIP error rates based on reviews 

conducted each Federal fiscal year (FY). 

We expect to begin measuring improper 

payments made in Medicaid fee-forservice in FY 2006. We have not yet 

determined the best method to measure 

improper payments made in Medicaid 

and SCHIP managed care. However, 

under the national contracting strategy, 

we expect the Federal contractor will 

implement these reviews and States will 

submit the same information listed 

below except for medical policies. 

(Managed care claims are not subject to 

medical reviews so there is no burden 

to providers to submit medical records.) 

Similarly, we are considering the best 

approach to measure improper 

payments based on eligibility errors 

within the confines of current law and 

with minimal budgetary impact. It is 

possible that States will be required to 

conduct at least part of the eligibility 

tests. However, this notice is not 

intended to address the cost or burden 

estimates associated with either the 

managed care or eligibility reviews in 

Medicaid or SCHIP. 

Initially, based on States’ annual 

medical expenditures from the previous 

year, the Federal contractor will group 

all States into three equal strata of small, 

medium and large and select a random 

sample of an estimated 18 States to be 

reviewed for each program. (However, 

CMS may revise its sampling 

methodology in the future and may use 

a methodology to select States that will 

ensure each State is selected at least 

every three years but that no State is 

sampled more than once every three 

years. The error rates produced by this 

selection methodology will provide the 

State with a State-specific error rate 

estimated to be within 3% precision at 

the 95% confidence level. ) The States 

selected for review would submit to the 

Federal contractor, annual expenditures, 

quarterly stratified claims data, medical 

policies (which include State statutes, 

regulations, individual Medicaid 

Provider Manual and Administrative 

Directives as well as other information 

that the contractor may need to 

determine errors in the medical 

reviews), and other information so that 

the contractor can determine the 

specific State sample sizes and conduct 

medical and data processing reviews on 

the sampled claims. In addition, the 

contractor will request medical records 

from providers whose claims were 

sampled; the medical records are 

needed to support the medical reviews. 

CMS is not requiring States and 

providers to use a specific form, e.g., 

facsimile, or electronic to transmit the 

information. Based on the reviews, the 

contractor will calculate State-specific 

error rates which will serve as the basis 

for calculating national Medicaid and 

SCHIP error rates. Each State reviewed 

also will submit a corrective action plan 

to CMS that outlines its plans to 

develop, implement and monitor 

corrective actions designed to address 

error causes for purposes of reducing 

the State’s error rate. Frequency:

Reporting—On occasion and quarterly; 

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal 

Government; Number of Respondents:

36; Total Annual Responses: 5076; Total 

Annual Hours: 58,680. 

To obtain copies of the supporting 

statement and any related forms for the 

proposed paperwork collections 

referenced above, access CMS Web site 

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

regulations/pra/, or E-mail your request, 

including your address, phone number, 

OMB number, and CMS document 

identifier, to Paperwork@cms.hhs.gov, 

or call the Reports Clearance Office on 

(410) 786–1326. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collections must be mailed 

within 30 days of this notice directly to 

the OMB desk officer: OMB Human 

Resources and Housing Branch, 

Attention: Katherine Astrich, New 

Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 

Washington, DC 20503.

50358 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices 

Dated: August 24, 2005. 

Michelle Shortt, 

Director, Regulations Development Group, 

Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory 

Affairs.

[FR Doc. 05–17100 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1486–N] 

Medicare Program; Announcement of 

New Members of the Advisory Panel 

on Ambulatory Payment Classification 

(APC) Groups

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The purpose of the Advisory 

Panel on Ambulatory Payment 

Classification (APC) Groups (the Panel) 

is to review the APC groups and their 

associated weights and to advise the 

Secretary of the Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS) and the 

Administrator of the Centers for 

Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 

concerning the clinical integrity of the 

APC groups and their associated 

weights. The advice provided by the 

Panel will be considered as CMS 

prepares its annual updates of the 

hospital Outpatient Prospective 

Payment System (OPPS) through 

rulemaking. This notice announces the 

new members selected to serve on the 

Panel.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

inquiries about the Panel, please contact 

the Designated Federal Officer (DFO): 

Shirl Ackerman-Ross, DFO, CMS, CMM, 

HAPG, DOC, 7500 Security Boulevard, 

Mail Stop C4–05–17, Baltimore, MD 

21244–1850. Phone (410) 786–4474. 

E-mail Address for comments is: 

APCPanel@cms.hhs.gov. News media 

representatives must contact our Public 

Affairs Office at (202) 690–6145. 

Advisory Committees’ Information 

Lines: The CMS Advisory Committees’

Information Line is 1–877–449–5659 

(toll free) and (410) 786–9379 (local). 

Web Sites: For additional information 

on APC meeting agendas and updates to 

the Panel’s activities, search our Web 

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

apc/default.asp. To obtain Charter 

copies, search our Web site at http://

www.cms.hhs.gov/faca or e-mail the 

Panel DFO.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Secretary of the Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) (the 

Secretary) is required by section 

1833(t)(9)(A) of the Social Security Act, 

as amended and redesignated by 

sections 201(h) and 202(a)(2) of the 

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP 

Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 

1999 (Pub. L. 106–113), respectively, to 

establish and consult with an expert, 

outside advisory panel on APC groups. 

The APC Panel meets up to three times 

annually to review the APC groups and 

to provide technical advice to the 

Secretary and the Administrator of the 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 

Services (CMS) (the Administrator) 

concerning the clinical integrity of the 

groups and their associated weights. All 

members must have technical expertise 

that will enable them to participate fully 

in the work of the Panel. The expertise 

encompasses hospital payment systems, 

hospital medical-care delivery systems, 

outpatient payment requirements, APCs, 

Physicians’ Current Procedural 

Terminology Codes (CPTs), the use and 

payment of drugs and medical devices 

in the outpatient setting, and other 

forms of relevant expertise. It is not 

necessary that any one member be an 

expert in all areas. 

We will consider the technical advice 

provided by the Panel as we prepare the 

final rule that updates the OPPS 

payment rates for the next calendar 

year. The Secretary re-chartered the 

Panel on November 1, 2004. 

II. Announcement of New Members

The Panel may consist of a Chair and 

up to 15 representatives who are fulltime employees (not consultants) of 

Medicare providers, which are subject 

to the OPPS. Panel members serve 

without compensation, according to an 

advance written agreement; however, 

travel, meals, lodging, and related 

expenses are reimbursed in accordance 

with standard Government travel 

regulations. CMS has a special interest 

for ensuring that women, minorities, 

and the physically challenged are 

adequately represented on the Panel. 

The Secretary, or his designee, 

appoints new members to the Panel 

from among those candidates 

determined to have the required 

expertise. New appointments are made 

in a manner that ensures a balanced 

membership. 

The Panel presently consists of the 

following members and a Chair: 

• Edith Hambrick, M.D., J.D., Chair. 

• Marilyn Bedell, M.S., R.N., O.C.N. 

• Albert Brooks Einstein, Jr., M.D. 

• Sandra J. Metzler, M.B.A., R.H.I.A., 

C.P.H.Q. 

• Frank G. Opelka, M.D., F.A.C.S. 

• Louis Potters, M.D., F.A.C.R. 

• Lou Ann Schraffenberger, M.B.A., 

R.H.I.A., C.C.S.-P. 

• Judie S. Snipes, R.N., M.B.A., 

F.A.C.H.E. 

• Lynn R. Tomascik, R.N., M.S.N., 

C.N.A.A. 

• Timothy Gene Tyler, Pharm.D. 

On February 25, 2005, we published 

a notice in the Federal Register (70 FR 

9336) requesting nominations to the 

Panel to replace the six Panel members 

whose terms expired on March 31, 2005. 

In order to obtain additional nominees 

whose expertise matched the needs of 

the Panel, we published a second notice 

in the Federal Register on April 8, 2005 

(70 FR 18028) extending the deadline. 

As a result of these two notices, the six 

new 4-year appointments to the APC 

Panel effective August 17, 2005, and 

ending August 16, 2009, are as follows: 

• Gloryanne Bryant, B.S., R.H.I.A., 

R.H.I.T., C.C.S. 

• Hazel Kimmel, R.N., C.C.S., C.P.C. 

• Thomas M. Munger, M.D., F.A.C.C. 

• James V. Rawson, M.D. 

• Kim Allan Williams, M.D., F.A.C.C., 

F.A.B.C. 

• Robert Matthew Zwolak, M.D., 

Ph.D., F.A.C.S.

Authority: Section 1833(t) of the Act (42 

U.S.C. 1395l(t)). The Panel is governed by the 

provisions of Pub. L. 92–463, as amended (5 

U.S.C. Appendix 2).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplementary Medical 

Insurance Program).

Dated: August 9, 2005. 

Mark B. McClellan, 

Administrator, Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services.

[FR Doc. 05–16798 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–03–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–2209–N] 

RIN 0938–AJ74 

Medicaid Program; Fiscal Year 

Disproportionate Share Hospital 

Allotments and Disproportionate Share 

Hospital Institutions for Mental 

Disease Limits

AGENCY: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

final Federal share disproportionate 

share hospital (DSH) allotments for 

Federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2003 and