Medicare: Home health prospective payment system overview; open town hall meeting and general home health listening session,

[Federal Register: October 26, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 206)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 57612-57613]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr26oc99-31]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

42 CFR Parts 409, 410, 411, 413, 424 and 484

[HCFA-1103-N]

Medicare Program; Open Town Hall Meeting on November 8, 1999 To Present an Overview of the Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule Followed by a General Home Health Listening Session

AGENCY: Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting to provide information on the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) proposed rule. The proposed rule will be published in October 1999 in the Federal Register. In addition, there will be a general home health listening session.

DATES: The HH PPS town hall meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 8, 1999, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., E.S.T. The HH PPS presentation will be followed by the general home health listening session, which is scheduled for Monday, November 8, 1999, from 3:15 p.m. until 5:15 p.m., E.S.T.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the HCFA Central Office Main Auditorium, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244 with satellite broadcast viewing areas located in Boston, Chicago, and Dallas. The general home health listening session will be held in the HCFA Central Office Main Auditorium only, and there will be no satellite broadcast of this session.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharon Ventura, (410) 786-1985 (for information on the overview of the HH PPS proposed rule).

Gina Perantoni, (410) 786-3219 (for information on the general home health listening session).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register in October 1999. We are planning to hold a town hall meeting on Monday, November 8, 1999, which is during the 60-day comment period to brief the public on the proposed rule. We will not be accepting oral comments on the rule at this meeting. Written comments during the 60-day comment period are

[[Page 57613]]

welcome. We anticipate interested parties to include: the home health agency (HHA) industry association representatives, HHA administrators and owners, home care professionals, university-based and private research organizations, Congressional members and staff, home care software vendors, beneficiary advocates, and any other interested parties.

In this meeting, we will provide an overview of the HH PPS proposed rule and will focus on a number of its key components and present past and current research efforts related to the HH PPS.

This meeting will be broadcast live from the HCFA Central Office Main Auditorium and will include three satellite broadcast viewing sites in Boston, Chicago, and Dallas. All four sites have a capacity of approximately 500 individuals. The audiences viewing the broadcast via satellite will have the ability to participate in the question-and- answer period at the end of this presentation. For those who cannot attend in Baltimore, the address of the downlink sites, registration information, and satellite coordinates for this presentation will be posted on the HCFA website www.hcfa.gov. Once individuals are on this website, they will need to highlight the red bullet, in the lower right hand corner, titled ``Events, Meetings, and Workgroups.''

The meeting will conclude with a question-and-answer session including the HCFA Central Office location as well as the three- satellite downlink sites. The toll-free phone number to call to participate will be broadcast during the meeting.

At the conclusion of the satellite broadcast, a 2-hour listening session is planned for participants in Baltimore only in the HCFA Central Office Main Auditorium during which time we will listen to concerns related to home health issues in general. This is a listening session only and not part of the HH PPS overview presentation.

In order to participate in the general home health listening session, individuals must sign up at 10 a.m. on the day of the town hall meeting. Presenters will be limited to the first 20 people who sign up. A sign up sheet will be available outside of the HCFA Main Auditorium. Individuals must limit their presentation to 3 minutes in length. We also ask that the oral presenters provide their statements in writing. Individuals who are unable to present oral statements may submit their statements in writing. We believe this will enable us to better consider all the concerns raised during this general home health listening session.

While the meeting is open to the public, attendance is limited to space available. Individuals must register in advance as described below.

Registration

AFYA Inc. will handle registration for all four meeting sites. Individuals must register following the directions posted on the HCFA website, www.hcfa.gov. Once individuals are on this website, they will need to highlight the red bullet, in the lower right hand corner, titled ``Events, Meetings, and Workgroups.''

Each participant will receive a confirmation letter as receipt of registration. Each participant will be provided with a meeting agenda at the time of the meeting. If individuals have any questions regarding registration, they should contact the AFYA Event Management Help Desk at (800) 377-9921.

Authority: Section 1895 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395fff).

Dated: October 21, 1999. Michael M. Hash, Deputy Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-27995Filed10-25-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120-01-P