Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 57363 

EXHIBIT 2—ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED COST BURDEN

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Total burden 

hours 

Average hourly 

wage rate1 Total cost burden 

Risk manager questionnaire ............................................................ 1,020 425 $27.10 $11,518 

Total .......................................................................................... 1,020 425 (2) $11,518 

1Based upon the mean of the average wages, National Compensation Survey: Occupational wages in the United States 2006, ‘‘U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.’’ 2 Not applicable. 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

The Agency is supporting the conduct 

of this survey and analysis of survey 

data as part of a contract with the RAND 

Corporation under which RAND serves 

as the Patient Safety Evaluation Center 

for AHRQ’s patient safety initiative. The 

estimated cost for this work is $240,000, 

including $190,000 for data collection 

activities and $50,000 to design the 

study, analyze the data and report the 

findings. 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with the above-cited 

Paperwork Reduction Act legislation, 

comments on AHRQ’s information 

collection are requested with regard to 

any of the following: (a) Whether the 

proposed collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

AHRQ health care research, quality 

improvement and information 

dissemination functions, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

AHRQ’s estimate of burden (including 

hours and costs) of the proposed 

collection(s) of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information upon the 

respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and 

included in the Agency’s subsequent 

request for OMB approval of the 

proposed information collection. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. 

Dated: September 19, 2008. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. E8–23370 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

Ethics Subcommittee, Advisory 

Committee to the Director (ACD), 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) 

In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463), CDC announces the 

following meeting for the 

aforementioned subcommittee: 

Name: Ethics Subcommittee, Advisory 

Committee to the Director (ACD), CDC. 

Time and Date: 12–2 p.m., October 9, 2008. 

Place: This meeting will be held by 

conference call. The call in number is (866) 

919–3560 and enter passcode: 4168828. 

Status: Open to the public. The public is 

welcome to participate during the public 

comment period which is tentatively 

scheduled from 1:30 p.m.–1:45 p.m. 

Purpose: The Ethics Subcommittee will 

provide counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding 

a broad range of public health ethics 

questions and issues arising from programs, 

scientists and practitioners. 

Matters to be Discussed: Agenda items will 

include review of ethics guidance for public 

health emergency preparedness and 

response. 

Contact Person for More Information: Drue 

Barrett, PhD, Designated Federal Official, 

Ethics Subcommittee, CDC, 1600 Clifton 

Road, NE., M/S D–50, Atlanta, Georgia 

30333. Telephone 404–639–4690, e-mail: 

dbarrett@cdc.gov. 

The Ethics Subcommittee determines that 

subcommittee business requires its 

consideration of this matter on less than 15 

days notice to the public and that no earlier 

notice of this meeting was possible. At the 

Ethics Subcommittee’s September 25, 2008 

meeting, the subcommittee discussed this 

matter and determined that additional 

consideration is necessary prior to submitting 

the report to the ACD, CDC. The ACD, CDC 

is scheduled to meet late October. 

The Director, Management Analysis and 

Services Office, has been delegated the 

authority to sign Federal Register notices 

pertaining to announcements of meetings and 

other committee management activities, for 

both the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention and the Agency for Toxic 

Substances and Disease Registry. 

Dated: September 26, 2008. 

Elaine L. Baker, 

Director, Management Analysis and Services 

Office, Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention. 

[FR Doc. E8–23268 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services 

[CMS–1419–N] 

Medicare Program; Request for 

Nominations for the Program Advisory 

and Oversight Committee for the 

Competitive Acquisition of Durable 

Medical Equipment and Other Items 

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice solicits 

nominations for individuals to serve on 

the Program Advisory and Oversight 

Committee (PAOC) that will advise the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services 

on the competitive acquisition of 

durable medical equipment and certain 

other items and services under the 

Medicare program. Section 1847(c) of 

the Social Security Act requires the 

Secretary of the Department of Health 

and Human Services (Secretary) to 

establish the PAOC. In addition, section 

1847(c)(4) exempts the PAOC from the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 

U.S.C., appendix 2. 

DATES: Nominations will be considered 

if we receive all of the required 

information no later than 5 p.m., 

November 3, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver nominations 

to the following address: Division of 

DMEPOS Policy, Mail stop C5–08–17, 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore MD, 21244–1850. Attention: 

Ralph Goldberg or Gina Longus. 

Nominations may also be e-mailed to 

ralph.goldberg@cms.hhs.gov or 

gina.longus@cms.hhs.gov. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

57364 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ralph Goldberg, (410) 786–4870 or Gina 

Longus, (410) 786–1287. Press inquiries 

are handled through the CMS Press 

Office at (202) 690–6145. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Payment for durable medical 

equipment (DME) is currently based on 

fee schedule amounts established using 

reasonable charge data from earlier 

years. Section 1847 of the Social 

Security Act (the Act) requires the 

Secretary to replace the current DME 

payment methodology for certain items 

with a competitive bidding process to 

improve the effectiveness of Medicare’s 

methodology for setting DME payment 

amounts. This bidding process will 

establish payment for certain durable 

medical equipment, enteral nutrition, 

prosthetics, and off-the-shelf orthotics. 

In addition, section 1847(c) of the Act 

requires the Secretary to establish a 

Program Advisory and Oversight 

Committee (PAOC) to provide advice on 

the development and implementation of 

the program. 

We established a PAOC pursuant to 

this statutory mandate, and the PAOC 

has provided advice in the development 

and implementation of the program to 

date. On July 15, 2008, Congress passed 

the Medicare Improvements for Patients 

and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). 

Section 154 of MIPPA delays 

competition for Rounds 1 and 2 of the 

competitive bidding program and 

requires certain modifications to the 

program. Section 154(c)(2)(A) of MIPPA 

delays the termination date for the 

PAOC from December 31, 2009 to 

December 31, 2011. 

The PAOC committee continues to 

have an important role in the 

implementation of the competitive 

bidding program. The PAOC members 

will need to review the previous 

bidding process and consider all of the 

MIPPA changes. Due to the length of the 

MIPPA delay and these additional 

duties, we have decided to end the term 

of service for the initial PAOC members 

and solicit nominees to serve for the 

next phase of the program. 

II. Goals, General Responsibilities, and 

Composition of the Program Advisory 

and Oversight Committee (PAOC) 

A. Goals and General Responsibilities 

Section 1847(c)(3) of the Act requires 

the PAOC to provide advice to the 

Secretary on the following: 

• The implementation of the program. 

• The establishment of financial 

standards, taking into account the needs 

of small providers. 

• The establishment of requirements 

for collection of data for the efficient 

management of the program. 

• The development of proposals for 

efficient interaction among 

manufacturers, providers of services, 

suppliers, and individuals. 

• The establishment of quality 

standards. 

Section 1847(c)(3)(B) of the Act 

requires the PAOC to perform additional 

functions to assist the Secretary in 

implementing the program as the 

Secretary may specify. In accordance 

with section 1847(c)(5) of the Act, as 

amended by section 154 of MIPPA, the 

Committee will terminate on December 

31, 2011. Committee meetings are 

expected to occur on an ad hoc basis. 

Committee meetings will be held in the 

Baltimore/Washington DC area. (We 

will reimburse travel expenses, which 

will be based on government per diem 

rates and travel policy.) 

B. Composition of the Program Advisory 

and Oversight Committee 

We have particular interest in 

individuals with expertise in DME, 

prosthetics, orthotics, or supplies 

(DMEPOS) and competitive bidding, as 

well as experience in furnishing 

services and items in the rural and the 

urban marketplace. The PAOC will be 

composed of 10 to 12 members from the 

following broad representation: 

• Beneficiary/consumer 

representatives. 

• Physicians and other practitioners. 

• Suppliers. 

• Professional standards 

organizations. 

• Financial standards specialists (that 

is, economist/CPA). 

• Association representatives. 

• Other. (If you believe that 

representatives of other specialties or 

with other skills should be included on 

the committee, you may indicate the 

category or respective categories and 

you may nominate an individual for that 

category.) 

III. Submission of Nominations 

This notice is requesting nominations 

for membership on the PAOC. The 

Secretary will consider qualified 

individuals who are determined to have 

the expertise required to meet specific 

agency needs and who will ensure an 

appropriate balance of membership. 

Nominations may be made for one or 

more qualified individuals, and selfnominations will also be accepted. Each 

nomination must include the following: 

1. A letter of nomination that includes 

both of the following: 

a. Contact information for both the 

nominator and nominee (if not the 

same). 

b. The category, as specified in 

section II.B. of this notice for which the 

nomination is being made (for example, 

suppliers or association 

representatives). 

2. A curriculum vitae or resume of the 

nominee that includes a statement of the 

nominee’s current professional 

responsibilities (not to exceed five 

pages). 

3. A statement that the nominee is 

willing to serve on the committee for its 

duration (that is, until December 31, 

2011). This statement should also 

include a discussion of the nominee’s 

relevant experience (not to exceed three 

pages). (For self-nominations, this 

information may be included in the 

nomination letter.) 

Authority: Section 1847(c) of the Social 

Security Act. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance Program; and Program No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplementary Medical 

Insurance Program) 

Dated: September 25, 2008. 

Kerry Weems, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. E8–23159 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Health Resources and Services 

Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Submission for OMB 

Review; Comment Request 

Periodically, the Health Resources 

and Services Administration (HRSA) 

publishes abstracts of information 

collection requests under review by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), in compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of 

the clearance requests submitted to 

OMB for review, e-mail 

paperwork@hrsa.gov or call the HRSA 

Reports Clearance Office on 301–443– 

1129. 

The following request has been 

submitted to the Office of Management 

and Budget for review under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: 

Proposed Project: The National Health 

Service Corps Uniform Data System 

(OMB No. 0915–0232) Extension 

HRSA’s Bureau of Clinician 

Recruitment and Service places 

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) 

health care professionals at sites that 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES