[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 71081-71082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28266]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

42 CFR Parts 409, 410, 418, 440, 484, 485 and 488

[CMS-3819-N]


Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Conditions of Participation for 
Home Health Agencies; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This notice extends the comment period for the October 9, 2014 
proposed rule entitled ``Conditions of Participation for Home Health 
Agencies'' (79 FR 61164). The comment period for the proposed rule, 
which would have ended on December 8, 2014, is extended for 30 days.

DATES: The comment period is extended to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 
on January 7, 2015.

ADDRESSES: In commenting, please refer to file code CMS-3819-P. Because 
of staff and resource limitations, we cannot accept comments by 
facsimile (FAX) transmission.
    You may submit comments in one of four ways (please choose only one 
of the ways listed):
    1. Electronically. You may submit electronic comments on this 
regulation to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the ``Submit a 
comment'' instructions.
    2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following 
address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of 
Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-3819-P, P.O. Box 8016, 
Baltimore, MD 21244-8016.
    Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received 
before the close of the comment period.
    3. By express or overnight mail. You may send written comments to 
the following address only: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 
Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-3819-P, Mail 
Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
    4. By hand or courier. Alternatively, you may deliver (by hand or 
courier) your written comments ONLY to the following addresses prior to 
the close of the comment period:
    a. For delivery in Washington, DC--Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Room 445-G, Hubert 
H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20201. (Because access to the interior of the Hubert H. Humphrey 
Building is not readily available to persons without Federal government 
identification, commenters are encouraged to leave their comments in 
the CMS drop slots located in the main lobby of the building. A stamp-
in clock is available for persons wishing to retain a proof of filing 
by stamping in and retaining an extra copy of the comments being 
filed.)
    b. For delivery in Baltimore, MD--Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services, Department of Health and Human Services, 7500 Security 
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
    If you intend to deliver your comments to the Baltimore address, 
call telephone number (410) 786-9994 in advance to schedule your 
arrival with one of our staff members.
    Comments erroneously mailed to the addresses indicated as 
appropriate for hand or courier delivery may be delayed and received 
after the comment period.
    Inspection of Public Comments: All comments received before the 
close of the comment period are available for viewing by the public, 
including any

[[Page 71082]]

personally identifiable or confidential business information that is 
included in a comment. We post all comments received before the close 
of the comment period on the following Web site as soon as possible 
after they have been received: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
search instructions on that Web site to view public comments.
    Comments received timely will also be available for public 
inspection as they are received, generally beginning approximately 3 
weeks after publication of a document, at the headquarters of the 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21244, Monday through Friday of each week from 8:30 
a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment to view public comments, 
phone 1-800-743-3951.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danielle Shearer (410) 786-6617. 
Jacqueline Leach (410) 786-4282. Maria Hammel (410) 786-1775.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 9, 2014, we published a proposed 
rule in the Federal Register (79 FR 61164) entitled, ``Conditions of 
Participation for Home Health Agencies'' that would revise the health 
and safety requirements that home health agencies (HHAs) must meet in 
order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 
Specifically, the proposed requirements would focus on the care 
delivered to patients by home health agencies, reflect an 
interdisciplinary view of patient care, allow HHAs greater flexibility 
in meeting quality care standards, and eliminate unnecessary procedural 
requirements. In addition, we proposed a set of fundamental 
requirements for HHA services that would encompass patient rights, 
comprehensive patient assessment, and patient care planning and 
coordination by an interdisciplinary team. Overarching these 
requirements would be a quality assessment and performance improvement 
program that would build on the philosophy that a provider's own 
quality management system is key to improved patient care performance. 
The objective would be to achieve a balanced regulatory approach by 
ensuring that a HHA furnished health care that met essential health and 
quality standards, while ensuring that it monitored and improved its 
own performance. These changes are an integral part of our overall 
effort to achieve broad-based, measurable improvements in the quality 
of care furnished through the Medicare and Medicaid programs, while at 
the same time eliminating unnecessary procedural burdens on providers.
    We have received inquiries from state-based and national industry 
organizations regarding the 60 day turn-around time to submit comments 
regarding this proposed rule. The organizations stated that they needed 
additional time to respond to the rule due to the complex nature of the 
proposed revisions. Because of the scope of the proposed rule, and 
since we have specifically requested the public's comments on various 
aspect of the rule in an attempt to benefit from the vast experiences 
of the HHA provider and patient communities, we believe that it is 
important to allow ample time for all sections of the public to comment 
on this proposed rule. Therefore, we have decided to extend the comment 
period for an additional 30 days. This document announces the extension 
of the public comment period to January 7, 2015.

    Dated: November 24, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-28266 Filed 11-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P