Medicare Program; Application by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE): Recognition as a National Accreditation Organization for Accrediting Entities to Furnish Outpatient Diabetes Self-Management Training
Federal Register: October 24, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 207)
Notices
Page 63483-63485
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
DOCID:fr24oc08-85
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS-3205-PN
Medicare Program; Application by the American Association of
Diabetes Educators (AADE) for Recognition as a National Accreditation
Organization for Accrediting Entities To Furnish Outpatient Diabetes
Self-Management Training
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Proposed notice.
SUMMARY: This proposed notice announces the receipt of an application from the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) for recognition as a national accreditation program for accrediting entities that wish to furnish outpatient diabetes self-management training to Medicare beneficiaries. The statute requires that the
Secretary publish a notice identifying the national accreditation body making the request, describing the nature of the request, and providing at least a 30-day public comment period.
DATES: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided below no later than 5 p.m. on November 24, 2008.
ADDRESSES: In commenting, please refer to file code CMS-3205-PN.
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 specific issues in this regulation to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions under the more search options tab. 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-3205-PN, 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-3205-PN, Mail
Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
Page 63484
4. By hand or courier. If you prefer, you may deliver (by hand or courier) your written comments (one original) before the close of the comment period to one of the following addresses: a. 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. 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
If you intend to deliver your comments to the Baltimore address, please call telephone number (410) 786-9994 in advance to schedule your arrival with one of our staff members.
Comments mailed to the addresses indicated as appropriate for hand or courier delivery may be delayed and received after the comment period.
For information on viewing public comments, see the beginning of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan A. Moliki, (410) 786-5526.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Inspection of Public Comments: All comments received before the close of the comment period are available for viewing by the public, including any 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.
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Background
Under the Medicare program, eligible beneficiaries may receive outpatient diabetes self-management training when ordered by the physician (or qualified non-physician practitioner) treating the beneficiary's diabetes, provided certain requirements are met. We sometimes use national accrediting organizations to determine whether an entity meets some or all of the Medicare requirements when providing services for which Medicare payment is made.
Under section 1865(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (the Act), a national accreditation organization must have an agreement in effect with the Secretary and meet the standards and requirements specified by the Secretary in 42 CFR 410, subpart H to qualify for deeming authority. The regulations pertaining to application procedures for national accreditation organizations for diabetes self-management training are specified at Sec. 410.142 (CMS process for approving national accreditation organizations). One of the regulations requires national accreditation organizations applying for deeming authority to provide us with reasonable assurance that the accrediting organization requires accredited entities to meet requirements that are at least as stringent as our requirements.
We may approve and recognize a nonprofit or not-for-profit organization with demonstrated experience in representing the interests of individuals with diabetes to accredit entities to furnish training.
The accreditation organization, after being approved and recognized by us, may accredit an entity to meet one of the sets of quality standards in Sec. 410.144 (Quality standards for deemed entities).
Section 1865(a)(2) of the Act further requires that we review the applying accreditation organization as follows:
The organization's requirements for accreditation,
Survey procedures,
Ability to provide adequate resources for conducting required surveys,
Ability to supply information for use in enforcement activities,
Monitoring procedures for providers found out of compliance with the conditions or requirements, and
Ability to provide us with necessary data for validation.
We then examine the national accreditation organization's accreditation requirements to determine if they meet or exceed the
Medicare conditions as we would have applied them. Section 1865(a)(3)(A) of the Act requires that we publish a notice identifying the national accreditation body making the request within 30 days of receipt of a completed application. The notice must describe the nature of the request and provide at least a 30-day public comment period. We have 210 days from receipt of the request to publish a finding of approval or denial of the application. If we recognize an accreditation organization in this manner, any entity accredited by the national accreditation body's CMS-approved program for that service will be
``deemed'' to meet the Medicare conditions for coverage.
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Provisions of the Proposed Notice
The purpose of this notice is to notify the public of the American
Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE's) request for the Secretary's approval of its accreditation program for outpatient diabetes self- management training services. This notice also solicits public comments on the ability of the AADE to develop standards that meet or exceed the
Medicare conditions for coverage, and apply them to entities furnishing outpatient diabetes self-management training.
Conditions for Coverage and Requirements for Outpatient Diabetes Self-
Management Training Services
The regulations specifying the Medicare conditions for coverage for outpatient diabetes self-management training services are located in 42
CFR parts 410, subpart H. These conditions implement section 1861(qq) of the Act, which provides for Medicare Part B coverage of outpatient diabetes self-management training services specified by the Secretary.
Under section 1865(a)(2) of the Act and our regulations at Sec. 410.142 (CMS process for approving national accreditation organizations) and Sec. 410.143 (Requirements for approved accreditation organizations), we review and evaluate a national accreditation organization based on (but not necessarily limited to) the criteria set forth in Sec. 410.142(b).
We may conduct on-site inspections of a national accreditation organization's operations and office to verify information in the organization's application and assess the organization's compliance with its own policies and procedures. The onsite inspection may include, but is not limited to, reviewing documents, auditing documentation of meetings concerning the accreditation process, evaluating accreditation results or the accreditation status decisionmaking process, and interviewing the organization's staff.
Notice Upon Completion of Evaluation
Upon completion of our evaluation, including evaluation of comments received as a result of this notice, we will publish a notice in the
Federal
Page 63485
Register announcing the result of our evaluation.
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Collection of Information Requirements
This document does not impose information collection and recordkeeping requirements. Consequently, it need not be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget under the authority of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
(44 U.S.C. Chapter 35)
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Response to Comments
Because of the large number of public comments we normally receive on Federal Register documents, we are not able to acknowledge or respond to them individually. We will consider all comments we receive by the date and time specified in the DATES section of this preamble, and, when we proceed with a subsequent document, we will respond to the comments in the preamble to that document.
In accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 12866, this regulation was not reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773,
Medicare-Hospital Insurance Program; and No. 93.774, Medicare-
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)
Dated: October 9, 2008.
Kerry Weems,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
FR Doc. E8-25195 Filed 10-23-08; 8:45 am
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