Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Correction, 57164-57166 [05-19762]

Download as PDF 57164 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Rules and Regulations DRG 69 ................... DRG title OTITIS MEDIA & URI AGE >17 W/O CC 7. On page 47638, in Table 6E— Revised Diagnosis Code Titles, the first entry, the CC (column 3) is corrected to read as follows: Diagnosis code 285.21* ....................................... CC N 8. On page 47675, in Table 9A— Hospital Reclassifications and Redesignations by Individual Hospital and CBSA—FY 2006, first set of entries, the 36th entry, the Reclassified CBSA is corrected to read as follows: Provider No. Reclassified CBSA 360095 .................................. For the same reasons, we are also waiving the 30-day delay in effective date for this correction notice. We believe that it is in the public interest to ensure that the FY 2006 final rule accurately represents our prospective payment methodology, payment rates, and policies. Thus delaying the effective date of these corrections would be contrary to the public interest. Therefore, we also find good cause to waive the 30-day delay in effective date. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare—Supplementary Medical Insurance Program) Dated: September 27, 2005. Ann C. Agnew, Executive Secretary to the Department. [FR Doc. 05–19612 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 45780 BILLING CODE 4120–01–P III. Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking and Delay in Effective Date DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES We ordinarily publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register to provide a period for public comment before the provisions of a rule take effect in accordance with section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553(b)). However, we can waive the notice and comment procedures if the Secretary finds, for good cause, that the notice and comment process is impracticable, unnecessary or contrary to the public interest, and incorporates a statement of the finding and the reasons therefore in the notice. We can also waive the 30day delay in effective date under the APA (5 U.S.C. 553(d)) when there is good cause to do so and we publish in the rule an explanation of our good cause. The policies and payment methodology expressed in the FY 2006 final rule have previously been subjected to notice and comment procedures. This correction notice merely corrects typographical and technical errors in the preamble, regulations text, and addendum of the FY 2006 final rule and does not make substantive changes to the policies or payment methodologies that were adopted in the final rule. As a result, this correction notice is intended to ensure that the FY 2006 final rule accurately reflects the policies adopted in the final rule. Therefore, we find that undertaking further notice and comment procedures to incorporate these corrections into the final rule is unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:28 Sep 29, 2005 Jkt 205001 [CMS–1282–CN] 42 CFR Parts 411 and 424 RIN 0938–AN65 Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Correction Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. ACTION: Final rule; correction notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: This document corrects typographical and technical errors that appeared in the August 4, 2005 Federal Register, entitled ‘‘Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities for FY 2006.’’ EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2005. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanette Kranacs, (410) 786–9385. Bill Ullman, (410) 786–5667. Sheila Lambowitz, (410) 786–7605. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background In FR Doc. 05–15221, (70 FR 45026), the final rule entitled ‘‘Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities for FY 2006’’ (hereinafter referred to as the FY 2006 final rule), there were a number of typographical and technical errors that are identified and corrected in section III. ‘‘Correction of Errors’’ below. The PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 provisions of this correction notice are effective as if they had been included in the FY 2006 final rule. Accordingly, the corrections are effective on October 1, 2005. II. Summary of the Corrections to the FY 2006 Final Rule A. Corrections to the Preamble of the FY 2006 Final Rule On pages 45046 and 45047, in the preamble discussion of the SNF market basket index, we inadvertently included incorrect values in the column labeled ‘‘Relative importance, labor-related, FY 2005 (97 index).’’ Therefore, we are revising the second column in Table 11 (‘‘Labor-Related Relative Importance, FY 2005 and FY 2006’’) to include the correct values for the labor share estimate for FY 2005 based on the 2nd quarter 2004 projection. (See item 1 of section III.A of this notice.) B. Corrections to the Regulations Text of the FY 2006 Final Rule On page 45055, we made a technical error in the regulations text of title 42, part 411. In this paragraph, we inadvertently excluded the updated statutory authority citation for this part. As revised by FR Doc. 05–1321 entitled ‘‘Medicare Program; Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit’’ (70 FR 4525, January 28, 2005), in this notice we are correcting the regulations text to include Secs. 1102, 1860D–1 through D–42, and 1871 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1302, 1395w–101 through 1395w–152, and 1395hh). Accordingly, we are now republishing the corrected statutory authority citation for part 411, as revised by FR Doc. 05–1321. (See item 1 of section III. B. of this notice.) Also on page 45055, in our revisions to two different sections of the regulations text in part 424 of the FY 2006 final rule, we inadvertently omitted a subpart heading. Specifically, revised § 424.3 and § 424.20 were both displayed as being included within subpart B of part 424 (‘‘Certification and Plan of Treatment Requirements’’). In fact, only § 424.20 is included within that subpart, while § 424.3 is included within subpart A (‘‘General Provisions’’). (See items 2 and 3 of section III. B. of this notice.) C. Corrections of Errors to the Addendum of the FY 2006 Final Rule Wage index data for two providers were erroneously omitted from the wage index calculation. This affected the wage index determination for the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX CBSA and the Nashville-DavidsonMurfreesboro, TN CBSA. Accordingly, E:\FR\FM\30SER1.SGM 30SER1 57165 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Rules and Regulations we are revising Table 8 and Table A to reflect the correct information. In addition, both Table 8 and Table A contained a number of technical and typographical errors. Therefore, we are including the corrected data in Table 8 and Table A. (See items 1 and 2 of section III.C. of this notice.) A. Corrections to Errors in the Preamble 1. On pages 45046 and 45047, in Table 11—Labor-Related Relative Importance, FY 2005 is corrected to read as follows: III. Correction of Errors In FR Doc. 05–15221 of August 4, 2005 (70 FR 45026), we are making the following corrections: TABLE 11.—LABOR-RELATED RELATIVE IMPORTANCE, FY2005 AND FY2006 Relative importance,* labor-related, FY 2005 (97 index) Relative importance,** labor-related, FY 2006 (97 index) Wages and salaries ................................................................................................................................................. Employee benefits ................................................................................................................................................... Nonmedical professional fees ................................................................................................................................. Labor-intensive services .......................................................................................................................................... Capital-related .......................................................................................................................................................... 54.720 11.595 2.688 4.125 3.094 54.391 11.648 2.739 4.128 3.016 Total .................................................................................................................................................................. 76.222 75.922 * Source: Global Insights, Inc., formerly DRI-WEFA, 2nd Quarter, 2004. ** Source: Global Insights, Inc., formerly DRI-WEFA, 2nd Quarter, 2005. B. Corrections of Errors in the Regulations Text Act (42 U.S.C. 1302, 1395w–101 through 1395w–152, and 1395hh). PART 411—[CORRECTED] PART 424—[CORRECTED] 1. On page 45055, second column, lines 1 through 3, in part 411 (Exclusions From Medicare and Limitations On Medicare Payment), the authority citation is corrected to read as follows: I I Authority: Secs. 1102, 1860D–1 through 1860D–42, and 1871 of the Social Security the subpart heading to read as follows: ‘‘Subpart B Certification and Plan of Treatment Requirements.’’ 2. On page 45055, second column, above § 424.3 Definitions, remove ‘‘Subpart B—Certification and Plan of Treatment Requirements’’ and add in its place, ‘‘Subpart A—General Provisions.’’ I 3. On page 45055, second column, above amendatory instruction 3., add C. Corrections to the Addendum 1. On pages 45065, 45069, and 45070 in Table 8.—(‘‘FY 2006 Wage Index For Urban Areas Based On CBSA Labor Market Areas’’) the entries for the Urban area and Wage index are corrected to read as follows: CBSA code Urban area (constituent counties) 26420 ............ 31900 ............ 34980 ............ Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX ............................................................................................................................ Mansfield, OH ............................................................................................................................................................ Nashville-Davidson Murfreesboro, TN ....................................................................................................................... 2. On pages 45080 through 45121, the following entries identified in Table A.—(‘‘FY 2006 SNF PPS Transition SSA State/ county code 01330 04280 11451 11840 16350 27130 36710 44070 44100 44180 44210 44400 44550 44730 44740 44790 44820 ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... VerDate Aug<31>2005 MSA No. Geneva County, Alabama .............. Hempstead County, Arkansas ....... Fayette County, Georgia ................ Richmond County, Georgia ........... Fremont County, Iowa ................... Fergus County, Montana ............... Richland County, Ohio ................... Cannon County, Tennessee .......... Cheatham County, Tennessee ...... Davidson County, Tennessee ........ Dickson County, Tennessee .......... Hickman County, Tennessee ......... Macon County, Tennessee ............ Robertson County, Tennessee ...... Rutherford County, Tennessee ...... Smith County, Tennessee ............. Sumner County, Tennessee .......... Jkt 205001 0.9996 0.9891 0.9790 Wage Index’’) are corrected to read as follows: County name 15:28 Sep 29, 2005 Wage index PO 00000 MSA Urban/ rural 2006 MSAbased WI 2006 CBSAbased WI 01 04 0520 0600 16 27 4800 44 5360 5360 5360 44 44 5360 5360 44 5360 Rural ........... Rural ............ Urban .......... Urban .......... Rural ........... Rural ........... Urban .......... Rural ............ Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Rural ............ Rural ........... Urban .......... Urban .......... Rural ........... Urban .......... 0.7432 0.7744 0.9793 0.9808 0.8594 0.8762 0.9891 0.7935 0.9808 0.9808 0.9808 0.7935 0.7935 0.9808 0.9808 0.7935 0.9808 0.7721 0.7466 0.9793 0.9748 0.8509 0.8762 0.9891 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 Frm 00045 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 E:\FR\FM\30SER1.SGM CBSA No. 20020 99904 12060 12260 99916 99927 31900 34980 34980 34980 34980 34980 34980 34980 34980 34980 34980 30SER1 CBSA Urban/ rural Transition wage index * Urban .......... Rural ............ Urban .......... Urban .......... Rural ........... Rural ........... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... 0.7577 0.7605 0.9793 0.9778 0.8552 0.8762 0.9891 0.8863 0.9799 0.9799 0.9799 0.8863 0.8863 0.9799 0.9799 0.8863 0.9799 57166 SSA State/ county code 44840 44930 44940 45070 45180 45280 45341 45530 45550 45610 45757 45801 45884 45950 ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Rules and Regulations MSA No. County name 2006 MSAbased WI 2006 CBSAbased WI 44 5360 5360 45 1145 3360 3810 3360 2920 3360 3360 3360 45 3360 Rural ........... Urban .......... Urban .......... Rural ........... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Urban .......... Rural ........... Urban .......... 0.7935 0.9808 0.9808 0.7931 0.8563 1.0091 0.8526 1.0091 0.9635 1.0091 1.0091 1.0091 0.7931 1.0091 0.9790 0.9790 0.9790 0.9996 0.9996 0.9996 0.8526 0.9996 0.9996 0.9996 0.9996 0.9996 0.9996 0.9996 Trousdale County, Tennessee ....... Williamson County, Tennessee ..... Wilson County, Tennessee ............ Austin County, Texas ..................... Brazoria County, Texas ................. Chambers County, Texas .............. Coryell County, Texas ................... Fort Bend County, Texas ............... Galveston County, Texas .............. Harris County, Texas ..................... Liberty County, Texas .................... Montgomery County, Texas ........... San Jacinto County, Texas ............ Waller County, Texas .................... IV. Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking and Delay in Effective Date We ordinarily publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register to provide a period for public comment before the provisions of a notice such as this take effect in accordance with section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553(b)). We also ordinarily provide a 30-day delay in the effective date of the provisions of a notice in accordance with section 553(d) of the APA (5 U.S.C. 553(d)). However, we can waive both the notice and comment procedure and the 30-day delay in effective date if the Secretary finds, for good cause, that a notice and comment process is impracticable, unnecessary or contrary to the public interest, and incorporates a statement of the finding and the reasons therefore in the notice. We find it unnecessary to undertake notice and comment rulemaking because this notice merely provides technical and typographical corrections to the regulations. We are not making substantive changes to our payment methodologies or policies, but rather, are simply implementing correctly the payment methodologies and policies that we previously proposed, received comments on, and subsequently finalized. The public has already had the opportunity to comment on the payment methodology and policies being used to calculate wage indexes. In addition, this correction notice is intended to ensure that the FY 2006 SNF PPS final rule accurately reflects the payment methodologies and policies adopted in the final rule. Therefore, we believe that undertaking further notice and comment procedures to incorporate these corrections into the final rule is unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Further, we believe a delayed effective date is unnecessary because VerDate Aug<31>2005 MSA Urban/ rural 15:28 Sep 29, 2005 Jkt 205001 this correction notice merely corrects inadvertent technical and typographical errors. The changes noted above do not make any substantive changes to the SNF PPS payment methodologies or policies. Moreover, we regard imposing a delay in the effective date as being contrary to the public interest. We believe that it is in the public interest for providers to receive appropriate SNF PPS payments in as timely a manner as possible and to ensure that the FY 2006 SNF PPS final rule accurately reflects our payment methodologies, payment rates, and policies. Therefore, we find good cause to waive notice and comment procedures, as well as the 30day delay in effective date. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare—Supplementary Medical Insurance Program). Dated: September 28, 2005. Ann C. Agnew, Executive Secretary to the Department. [FR Doc. 05–19762 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4120–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 42 CFR Part 412 [CMS–1290–CN] RIN 0938–AN43 Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for FY 2006; Correction Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. ACTION: Final rule; correction. AGENCY: PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 CBSA No. 34980 34980 34980 26420 26420 26420 28660 26420 26420 26420 26420 26420 26420 26420 CBSA Urban/ rural Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban Urban .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Transition wage index * 0.8863 0.9799 0.9799 0.8964 0.9280 1.0044 0.8526 1.0044 0.9816 1.0044 1.0044 1.0044 0.8964 1.0044 SUMMARY: This document corrects technical errors that appeared in the FY 2006 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) regulation entitled ‘‘Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for FY 2006’’ (70 FR 47880). Effective Date: October 1, 2005. This rule applies for discharges on or after October 1, 2005 and on or before September 30, 2006 (FY 2006). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pete Diaz, (410) 786–1235. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DATES: I. Background In the FY 2006 IRF PPS final rule (70 FR 47880), there were a number of technical errors that are identified and corrected in the ‘‘Correction of Errors’’ section below. The provisions in this correction notice are effective as if they had been included in the FY 2006 IRF PPS final rule (70 FR 47880). Accordingly, the corrections are effective for the payments for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2005 and on or before September 30, 2006. Most of the technical errors identified and corrected in the ‘‘Correction of Errors’’ section below originate from the same error, an inadvertent inclusion of incorrect data for four inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) in the analysis for the FY 2006 final rule (70 FR 47880). In the analysis for the FY 2006 final rule (70 FR 47880), we inadvertently and incorrectly neglected to apply any rural adjustment amount to estimated payments for four IRFs in our analysis sample that should have received a portion of the rural adjustment under the IRF hold harmless policy (as described below). When we reran the data analysis with the correct portion of the rural adjustment applied to payments for these four facilities, it resulted in the technical changes to the E:\FR\FM\30SER1.SGM 30SER1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 189 (Friday, September 30, 2005)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 57164-57166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19762]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[CMS-1282-CN]

42 CFR Parts 411 and 424

RIN 0938-AN65


Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated 
Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Correction

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

ACTION: Final rule; correction notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document corrects typographical and technical errors that 
appeared in the August 4, 2005 Federal Register, entitled ``Medicare 
Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for 
Skilled Nursing Facilities for FY 2006.''

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanette Kranacs, (410) 786-9385. Bill 
Ullman, (410) 786-5667. Sheila Lambowitz, (410) 786-7605.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In FR Doc. 05-15221, (70 FR 45026), the final rule entitled 
``Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing 
for Skilled Nursing Facilities for FY 2006'' (hereinafter referred to 
as the FY 2006 final rule), there were a number of typographical and 
technical errors that are identified and corrected in section III. 
``Correction of Errors'' below. The provisions of this correction 
notice are effective as if they had been included in the FY 2006 final 
rule. Accordingly, the corrections are effective on October 1, 2005.

II. Summary of the Corrections to the FY 2006 Final Rule

A. Corrections to the Preamble of the FY 2006 Final Rule

    On pages 45046 and 45047, in the preamble discussion of the SNF 
market basket index, we inadvertently included incorrect values in the 
column labeled ``Relative importance, labor-related, FY 2005 (97 
index).'' Therefore, we are revising the second column in Table 11 
(``Labor-Related Relative Importance, FY 2005 and FY 2006'') to include 
the correct values for the labor share estimate for FY 2005 based on 
the 2nd quarter 2004 projection. (See item 1 of section III.A of this 
notice.)

B. Corrections to the Regulations Text of the FY 2006 Final Rule

    On page 45055, we made a technical error in the regulations text of 
title 42, part 411. In this paragraph, we inadvertently excluded the 
updated statutory authority citation for this part. As revised by FR 
Doc. 05-1321 entitled ``Medicare Program; Medicare Prescription Drug 
Benefit'' (70 FR 4525, January 28, 2005), in this notice we are 
correcting the regulations text to include Secs. 1102, 1860D-1 through 
D-42, and 1871 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1302, 1395w-101 
through 1395w-152, and 1395hh). Accordingly, we are now republishing 
the corrected statutory authority citation for part 411, as revised by 
FR Doc. 05-1321. (See item 1 of section III. B. of this notice.)
    Also on page 45055, in our revisions to two different sections of 
the regulations text in part 424 of the FY 2006 final rule, we 
inadvertently omitted a subpart heading. Specifically, revised Sec.  
424.3 and Sec.  424.20 were both displayed as being included within 
subpart B of part 424 (``Certification and Plan of Treatment 
Requirements''). In fact, only Sec.  424.20 is included within that 
subpart, while Sec.  424.3 is included within subpart A (``General 
Provisions''). (See items 2 and 3 of section III. B. of this notice.)

C. Corrections of Errors to the Addendum of the FY 2006 Final Rule

    Wage index data for two providers were erroneously omitted from the 
wage index calculation. This affected the wage index determination for 
the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX CBSA and the Nashville-Davidson-
Murfreesboro, TN CBSA. Accordingly,

[[Page 57165]]

we are revising Table 8 and Table A to reflect the correct information. 
In addition, both Table 8 and Table A contained a number of technical 
and typographical errors. Therefore, we are including the corrected 
data in Table 8 and Table A. (See items 1 and 2 of section III.C. of 
this notice.)

III. Correction of Errors

    In FR Doc. 05-15221 of August 4, 2005 (70 FR 45026), we are making 
the following corrections:

A. Corrections to Errors in the Preamble

    1. On pages 45046 and 45047, in Table 11--Labor-Related Relative 
Importance, FY 2005 is corrected to read as follows:

     Table 11.--Labor-Related Relative Importance, FY2005 and FY2006
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Relative        Relative
                                           importance,*    importance,**
                                          labor-related,  labor-related,
                                            FY 2005 (97     FY 2006 (97
                                              index)          index)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wages and salaries......................          54.720          54.391
Employee benefits.......................          11.595          11.648
Nonmedical professional fees............           2.688           2.739
Labor-intensive services................           4.125           4.128
Capital-related.........................           3.094           3.016
                                         -----------------
    Total...............................          76.222         75.922
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Source: Global Insights, Inc., formerly DRI-WEFA, 2nd Quarter, 2004.
** Source: Global Insights, Inc., formerly DRI-WEFA, 2nd Quarter, 2005.

B. Corrections of Errors in the Regulations Text

PART 411--[CORRECTED]

0
1. On page 45055, second column, lines 1 through 3, in part 411 
(Exclusions From Medicare and Limitations On Medicare Payment), the 
authority citation is corrected to read as follows:

    Authority: Secs. 1102, 1860D-1 through 1860D-42, and 1871 of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1302, 1395w-101 through 1395w-152, 
and 1395hh).

PART 424--[CORRECTED]

0
2. On page 45055, second column, above Sec.  424.3 Definitions, remove 
``Subpart B--Certification and Plan of Treatment Requirements'' and add 
in its place, ``Subpart A--General Provisions.''

0
3. On page 45055, second column, above amendatory instruction 3., add 
the subpart heading to read as follows: ``Subpart B Certification and 
Plan of Treatment Requirements.''

C. Corrections to the Addendum

    1. On pages 45065, 45069, and 45070 in Table 8.--(``FY 2006 Wage 
Index For Urban Areas Based On CBSA Labor Market Areas'') the entries 
for the Urban area and Wage index are corrected to read as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Urban area (constituent
     CBSA code                  counties)                 Wage index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
26420.............  Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX..  0.9996
31900.............  Mansfield, OH...................  0.9891
34980.............  Nashville-Davidson Murfreesboro,  0.9790
                     TN.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. On pages 45080 through 45121, the following entries identified 
in Table A.--(``FY 2006 SNF PPS Transition Wage Index'') are corrected 
to read as follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                              Transition
 SSA State/county code         County name        MSA No.       MSA Urban/rural      2006 MSA-  2006 CBSA-  CBSA No.     CBSA Urban/rural     wage index
                                                                                      based WI   based WI                                          *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01330..................  Geneva County, Alabama         01  Rural..................     0.7432     0.7721      20020  Urban.................      0.7577
04280..................  Hempstead County,              04  Rural..................     0.7744     0.7466      99904  Rural.................      0.7605
                          Arkansas.
11451..................  Fayette County,              0520  Urban..................     0.9793     0.9793      12060  Urban.................      0.9793
                          Georgia.
11840..................  Richmond County,             0600  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9748      12260  Urban.................      0.9778
                          Georgia.
16350..................  Fremont County, Iowa..         16  Rural..................     0.8594     0.8509      99916  Rural.................      0.8552
27130..................  Fergus County, Montana         27  Rural..................     0.8762     0.8762      99927  Rural.................      0.8762
36710..................  Richland County, Ohio.       4800  Urban..................     0.9891     0.9891      31900  Urban.................      0.9891
44070..................  Cannon County,                 44  Rural..................     0.7935     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.8863
                          Tennessee.
44100..................  Cheatham County,             5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
44180..................  Davidson County,             5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
44210..................  Dickson County,              5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
44400..................  Hickman County,                44  Rural..................     0.7935     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.8863
                          Tennessee.
44550..................  Macon County,                  44  Rural..................     0.7935     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.8863
                          Tennessee.
44730..................  Robertson County,            5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
44740..................  Rutherford County,           5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
44790..................  Smith County,                  44  Rural..................     0.7935     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.8863
                          Tennessee.
44820..................  Sumner County,               5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.

[[Page 57166]]

 
44840..................  Trousdale County,              44  Rural..................     0.7935     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.8863
                          Tennessee.
44930..................  Williamson County,           5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
44940..................  Wilson County,               5360  Urban..................     0.9808     0.9790      34980  Urban.................      0.9799
                          Tennessee.
45070..................  Austin County, Texas..         45  Rural..................     0.7931     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      0.8964
45180..................  Brazoria County, Texas       1145  Urban..................     0.8563     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      0.9280
45280..................  Chambers County, Texas       3360  Urban..................     1.0091     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      1.0044
45341..................  Coryell County, Texas.       3810  Urban..................     0.8526     0.8526      28660  Urban.................      0.8526
45530..................  Fort Bend County,            3360  Urban..................     1.0091     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      1.0044
                          Texas.
45550..................  Galveston County,            2920  Urban..................     0.9635     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      0.9816
                          Texas.
45610..................  Harris County, Texas..       3360  Urban..................     1.0091     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      1.0044
45757..................  Liberty County, Texas.       3360  Urban..................     1.0091     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      1.0044
45801..................  Montgomery County,           3360  Urban..................     1.0091     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      1.0044
                          Texas.
45884..................  San Jacinto County,            45  Rural..................     0.7931     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      0.8964
                          Texas.
45950..................  Waller County, Texas..       3360  Urban..................     1.0091     0.9996      26420  Urban.................      1.0044
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking and Delay in Effective Date

    We ordinarily publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the 
Federal Register to provide a period for public comment before the 
provisions of a notice such as this take effect in accordance with 
section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 
553(b)). We also ordinarily provide a 30-day delay in the effective 
date of the provisions of a notice in accordance with section 553(d) of 
the APA (5 U.S.C. 553(d)). However, we can waive both the notice and 
comment procedure and the 30-day delay in effective date if the 
Secretary finds, for good cause, that a notice and comment process is 
impracticable, unnecessary or contrary to the public interest, and 
incorporates a statement of the finding and the reasons therefore in 
the notice.
    We find it unnecessary to undertake notice and comment rulemaking 
because this notice merely provides technical and typographical 
corrections to the regulations. We are not making substantive changes 
to our payment methodologies or policies, but rather, are simply 
implementing correctly the payment methodologies and policies that we 
previously proposed, received comments on, and subsequently finalized. 
The public has already had the opportunity to comment on the payment 
methodology and policies being used to calculate wage indexes. In 
addition, this correction notice is intended to ensure that the FY 2006 
SNF PPS final rule accurately reflects the payment methodologies and 
policies adopted in the final rule. Therefore, we believe that 
undertaking further notice and comment procedures to incorporate these 
corrections into the final rule is unnecessary and contrary to the 
public interest.
    Further, we believe a delayed effective date is unnecessary because 
this correction notice merely corrects inadvertent technical and 
typographical errors. The changes noted above do not make any 
substantive changes to the SNF PPS payment methodologies or policies. 
Moreover, we regard imposing a delay in the effective date as being 
contrary to the public interest. We believe that it is in the public 
interest for providers to receive appropriate SNF PPS payments in as 
timely a manner as possible and to ensure that the FY 2006 SNF PPS 
final rule accurately reflects our payment methodologies, payment 
rates, and policies. Therefore, we find good cause to waive notice and 
comment procedures, as well as the 30-day delay in effective date.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program No. 93.773, 
Medicare--Hospital Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, Medicare--
Supplementary Medical Insurance Program).

    Dated: September 28, 2005.
Ann C. Agnew,
Executive Secretary to the Department.
[FR Doc. 05-19762 Filed 9-29-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P

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