03-26825. Medicare Program: Meeting of the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education-November 20, 2003

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C.

Appendix 2, section 10(a) (Pub. L. 92-463), this notice announces a meeting of the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education (the Panel) on November 20, 2003. The Panel advises and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of consumer education strategies concerning the Medicare program. This meeting is open to the public. This meeting replaces the September 18, 2003 meeting that was canceled due to inclement weather.

DATES:

The meeting is scheduled for November 20, 2003 from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

Deadline for Presentations and Comments: November 13, 2003, 12 noon EST.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Wyndham Washington Hotel, 1400 M Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lynne Johnson, Health Insurance Specialist, Division of Partnership Development, Center for Beneficiary Choices, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, mail stop S2-23-05, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, [phone]. Please refer to the CMS Advisory Committees' Information Line (1-877-449-5659 toll free)/(410-786-9379 local) or the Internet (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/​faca/​apme/​default.asp) for additional information and updates on committee activities, or contact Ms. Johnson via e-mail at [e-mail]. Press inquiries are handled through the CMS Press Office at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 217a), as amended, grants to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) the authority to establish an advisory panel if the Secretary finds the panel necessary and in the public interest. The Secretary signed the charter establishing this Panel on January 21, 1999 (64 FR 7849) and approved the renewal of the charter on January 21, 2003. The Panel advises and makes recommendations to the Secretary and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of consumer education strategies concerning the Medicare program.

The goals of the Panel are as follows:

• To develop and implement a national Medicare education program that describes the options for selecting a health plan under Medicare.
• To enhance the Federal government's effectiveness in informing the Medicare consumer, including the appropriate use of public-private partnerships.
• To expand outreach to vulnerable and underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the context of a national Medicare education program.
• To assemble an information base of best practices for helping consumers evaluate health plan options and build a community infrastructure for information, counseling, and assistance.

The current members of the Panel are: James L. Bildner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tier Technologies; Dr. Jane Delgado, Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Hispanic Health; Joyce Dubow, Senior Policy Advisor, Public Policy Institute, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP); Clayton Fong, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging; Timothy Fuller, Executive Director, National Gray Panthers; John Graham IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Society of Association Executives; Dr. William Haggett, Senior Vice President, Government Programs, Independence Blue Cross; Thomas Hall, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cardio-Kinetics, Inc.; David Knutson, Director, Health System Studies, Park Nicollet Institute for Research and Education; Brian Lindberg, Executive Director, Consumer Coalition for Quality Health Care; Katherine Metzger, Director, Medicare and Medicaid Programs, Fallon Community Health Plan; Dr. Laurie Powers, Co-Director, Center on Self-Determination, Oregon Health Sciences University; Dr. Marlon Priest, Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Dr. Susan Reinhard, Co-Director, Center for State Health Policy, Rutgers University and Chairperson of the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education; Dr. Everard Rutledge, Vice President of Community Health, Bon Secours Health Systems, Inc.; Jay Sackman, Executive Vice President, 1199 Service Employees International Union; Dallas Salisbury, President and Chief Executive Officer, Employee Benefit Research Institute; Rosemarie Sweeney, Vice President, Socioeconomic Affairs and Policy Analysis, American Academy of Family Physicians; and Bruce Taylor, Director, Employee Benefit Policy and Plans, Verizon Communications.

The agenda for the November 20, 2003 meeting will include the following:

• Recap of the previous (May 21, 2003) meeting.
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Update and Center for Beneficiary Choices Update.
• Medicare Reform Update.
• Quality Initiatives Update.
• Website Update.
• CMS Demonstrations.
• Research and Evaluation: Sharing Research with Stakeholders.
• Public Comment.
• Listening Session with CMS Leadership.
• Next Steps.

Individuals or organizations that wish to make a 5-minute oral presentation on an agenda topic must submit a written copy of the oral presentation to Lynne Johnson, Health Insurance Specialist, Division of Partnership Development, Center for Beneficiary Choices, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Mail stop S2-23-05, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or by email at [e-mail] no later than 12 noon EST, November 13, 2003. The number of oral presentations may be limited by the time available. Individuals not wishing to make a presentation may submit written comments to Ms. Johnson by 12 noon EST, November 13, 2003. The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the space available.

Special Accommodation: Individuals requiring sign language interpretation or other special accommodations should contact Ms. Johnson at least 15 days before the meeting.

Authority: Sec. 222 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 217a) and sec. 10(a) of Pub. L. 92-463 (5 U.S.C. App. 2, sec. 10(a) and 41 CFR 102-3).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.733, Medicare—Hospital Insurance Program; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare—Supplementary Medical Insurance Program)

Dated: October 17, 2003.

Thomas A. Scully,

Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.