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Notice2023-16146

Meeting Date for Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee-August 16, 2023

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Published
July 31, 2023

Issuing agencies

Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Abstract

This notice announces the second public meeting of the Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee on August 16, 2023. The GAPB Advisory Committee will make recommendations with respect to the disclosure of charges and fees for ground ambulance services and insurance coverage, consumer protection and enforcement authorities of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the Departments) and relevant States, and the prevention of balance billing to consumers. The recommendations will address options, best practices, and identified standards to prevent instances of balance billing; steps that can be taken by State legislatures, State insurance regulators, State attorneys general, and other State officials as appropriate, consistent with current legal authorities regarding consumer protection; and, legislative options for Congress to prevent balance billing.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 145 (Monday, July 31, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 145 (Monday, July 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49466-49467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16146]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-9893-N]


Meeting Date for Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) 
Advisory Committee--August 16, 2023

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the second public meeting of the Ground 
Ambulance and Patient Billing (GAPB) Advisory Committee on August 16, 
2023. The GAPB Advisory Committee will make recommendations with 
respect to the disclosure of charges and fees for ground ambulance 
services and insurance coverage, consumer protection and enforcement 
authorities of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
the Treasury (the Departments) and relevant States, and the prevention 
of balance billing to consumers. The recommendations will address 
options, best practices, and identified standards to prevent instances 
of balance billing; steps that can be taken by State legislatures, 
State insurance regulators, State attorneys general, and other State 
officials as appropriate, consistent with current legal authorities 
regarding consumer protection; and, legislative options for Congress to 
prevent balance billing.

DATES: 
    Virtual Meeting Date: The GAPB Advisory Committee will hold a 
virtual meeting on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 
p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
    Registration Link: The virtual meeting will be open to the public 
and held via the Zoom webinar platform. Virtual attendance information 
will be provided upon registration. To register for this virtual 
meeting visit: <a href="https://priforum.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_fRPS8zNkQbOl1GZux_M-eA">https://priforum.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_fRPS8zNkQbOl1GZux_M-eA</a>. Attendance is open to the public subject to 
any technical or capacity limitations.
    Deadline for Registration: All individuals who plan to attend the 
virtual public meeting must register to attend. The deadline to 
register for the public meeting is Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Interested 
parties are encouraged to register as far in advance of the meeting as 
possible. A detailed agenda and materials will be available prior to 
the meeting on the GAPB Advisory Committee website at: <a href="https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb">https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb</a>.
    A recording and a summary of the meeting will be made available on 
the GAPB Advisory Committee website within 45 calendar days after the 
meeting.

ADDRESSES: Virtual Meeting Location: The August 16, 2023, public 
meeting will be held virtually via Zoom only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shaheen Halim, CMS, by phone (410) 
786-0641 or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c4b4d5c4e4d485a455f435e554f43414145585849496c4f415f0244445f024b435a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bddadccddfdcd9cbd4ced2cfc4ded2d0d0d4c9c9d8d8fdded0ce93d5d5ce93dad2cb">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    Press inquiries may be submitted by phone at (202) 690-6145 or via 
email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bacac8dfc9c9fad9d7c994d2d2c994ddd5cc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c4b4b6a1b7b784a7a9b7eaacacb7eaa3abb2">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Section 117(a) of the No Surprises Act, enacted as part of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, div. BB, tit. I, Public Law 116-
260 (Dec. 27, 2020), requires the Secretaries of the Departments of 
Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the 
Treasury (collectively, the Departments) to establish and convene an 
advisory committee for the purpose of reviewing options to improve the 
disclosure of charges and fees for ground ambulance services, better 
inform consumers of insurance options for such services, and protect 
consumers from balance billing. The GAPB Advisory Committee is governed 
by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public 
Law 92-463 (Oct. 6, 1972), as amended, 5 U.S.C. app. 2. The GAPB 
Advisory Committee held its first meeting on May 2, 2023 and May 3, 
2023. Information on past and current Committee activity can be found 
at: <a href="https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb">https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb</a>.

II. Advisory Committee Membership Roster

    On November 23, 2021, HHS published a Notice of Charter and 
Invitation for Member Nominations in the Federal Register for the GAPB 
Advisory Committee (86 FR 66565 through 66566). The Departments 
evaluated the nominees for alignment with the membership categories 
required under section 117 of the No Surprises Act, their professional 
qualifications, recognition by the ground ambulance and emergency 
medical services community, years of relevant experience, experience 
with State or Federal committees on related issues, and expertise in 
subject matter to be addressed by the committee. The Departments also 
considered membership balance as required by the FACA, and as 
appropriate to address health equity issues pertaining to ground 
ambulance consumer balance billing, and ground ambulance services in 
underserved communities. On December 16, 2022, HHS published a Federal 
Register notice, announcing the 17 Members of the GAPB Advisory 
Committee (87 FR 77122 through 77123). A subsequent update to the 
Committee Roster was published on April 14, 2023 (88 FR 23046).
    The 17 Members of the GAPB Advisory Committee are as follows:
    <bullet> Asbel Montes--Committee Chairperson; Additional 
Representative

[[Page 49467]]

determined necessary and appropriate by the Secretaries.
    <bullet> Ali Khawar--Secretary of Labor's Designee.
    <bullet> Carol Weiser--Secretary of the Treasury's Designee.
    <bullet> Rogelyn McLean--Secretary of Health and Human Services' 
Designee.
    <bullet> Gamunu Wijetunge--Department of Transportation--National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
    <bullet> Suzanne Prentiss--State Insurance Regulators.
    <bullet> Adam Beck--Health Insurance Providers.
    <bullet> Patricia Kelmar--Consumer Advocacy Groups.
    <bullet> Gary Wingrove--Patient Advocacy Groups.
    <bullet> Ayobami Ogunsola--State and Local Governments.
    <bullet> Ritu Sahni--Physician specializing in emergency, trauma, 
cardiac, or stroke.
    <bullet> Peter Lawrence--State Emergency Medical Services 
Officials.
    <bullet> Shawn Baird--Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, 
and Other Emergency Medical Services Personnel.
    <bullet> Edward Van Horne--Representative of Various Segments of 
the Ground Ambulance Industry.
    <bullet> Regina Godette-Crawford--Representative of Various 
Segments of the Ground Ambulance Industry.
    <bullet> Rhonda Holden--Representative of Various Segments of the 
Ground Ambulance Industry.
    <bullet> Loren Adler--Additional Representative determined 
necessary and appropriate by the Secretaries
    The GAPB Advisory Committee Roster is also available on the GAPB 
Advisory Committee website at: <a href="https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb">https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb</a>. All future updates to the Advisory Committee 
Roster will be published on this website.

III. Meeting Agenda

    The second public meeting of the GAPB Advisory Committee will take 
place on August 16, 2023. During this meeting, the Committee will 
review and discuss preliminary findings and recommendations from its 
two subcommittees. The agenda will cover the following topics:
    <bullet> Preliminary findings and recommendations of the GAPB 
Advisory Committee's subcommittee on Network Adequacy and Cost/Payment 
Structures.
    <bullet> Preliminary findings and recommendations of the GAPB 
Advisory Committee's subcommittee on Public/Consumer Disclosures and 
Protections.
    A more detailed agenda and materials will be made available prior 
to the meeting on the GAPB Advisory Committee website (listed 
previously).

Anticipated Dates for Future GAPB Advisory Committee Meetings

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects to 
convene future GAPB Advisory Committee Meetings on the following dates: 
October 31, 2023 and November 1, 2023. Agendas and registration 
information for future meeting dates will be published in the Federal 
Register and on the GAPB Advisory Committee website closer to the 
anticipated meeting dates, which are subject to change.

IV. Public Participation

    The August 16, 2023, GAPB Advisory Committee meeting will be open 
to the public. Attendance may be limited due to virtual meeting 
constraints. Interested parties are encouraged to register as far in 
advance of the meeting as possible. To register for the meeting visit: 
<a href="https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb">https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb</a>. CMS is committed 
to providing equal access to this meeting for all participants and to 
ensuring section 508 compliance. Closed captioning will be provided. To 
request alternative formats or services because of a disability, such 
as sign language interpreters or other ancillary aids, refer to the 
appropriate contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section.

V. Submitting Written Comments

    Members of the public may submit written comments for consideration 
by the Committee at any time via email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#294e48594b484d5f405a465b504a464444405d5d4c4c694a445a0741415a074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="73141203111217051a001c010a101c1e1e1a0707161633101e005d1b1b005d141c05">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Additionally, members of the public 
will have the opportunity to submit comments during the August 16, 
2023, virtual meeting through the chat feature of the Zoom webinar 
platform. Members of the public are encouraged to submit lengthy 
written comments on topics discussed during the meeting to the email 
address in the DATES section by September 5, 2023, to ensure timely 
consideration by the Committee.

VI. Viewing Documents

    You may view the documents discussed in this notice at <a href="https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb">https://www.cms.gov/regulations-guidance/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-ground-ambulance-and-patient-billing-gapb</a>.
    The Administrator of CMS, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, having reviewed 
and approved this document, authorizes Evell J. Barco Holland, who is 
the Federal Register Liaison, to electronically sign this document for 
purposes of publication in the Federal Register.

Evell J. Barco Holland,
Federal Register Liaison, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-16146 Filed 7-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P


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