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