Medicare Program; Evaluation Criteria and Standards for Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization Contract, 43747-43749 [2014-17625]
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43747
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 144 / Monday, July 28, 2014 / Notices
Background and Brief Description
The mission of the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) is to promote safety and health
at work for all people through research
and prevention.
High rates of traumatic injury are
associated with the use of older tractors
that are not equipped with rollover
protective structures (ROPS), which
have been proven to reduce tractorrollovers, a leading cause of injury to
agricultural workers. To reduce the
incidence of traumatic injury among
farm workers, NIOSH proposes to
administer stated-preference
questionnaires designed to assess
preference among a group of tractorparts dealers in Pennsylvania, New
York, New Hampshire and Vermont,
who have membership in the Northeast
Equipment Dealers’ Association
(NEDA). NEDA is a trade group for
tractor parts dealers and is active in 12
States in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
States. This information will be used to
assess the impediments and barriers to
adoption, as well as the incentives, for
the distribution and sale of ROPS.
ROPS are generally provided to end
users by tractor parts dealers, who
constitute distribution channel
intermediaries between the
manufacturer and the consumer.
However, little is known about the
decision processes that tractor parts
dealers follow in deciding whether or
not to provide ROPS to end users. The
current project will generate ranking
scores for the importance given to
various items of concern to tractor parts
dealers; these most-important items
were previously developed through
review of relevant research studies.
CDC proposes to collect customized
information, from 520 NEDA
establishments, over a one-month
period. This information will be of three
kinds: 1. General screening information
as to the appropriateness of
administering a survey to the
respondent organization; 2. Limited
respondent perception of the
demographic characteristics on the
client base served by the NEDA
establishment, and 3. Importance
ranking of attributes of the process of
providing ROPS, or the ROPS
configuration itself.
This information will allow CDC to
compile a systematic, quantifiable
inventory of preference data for a group
that is considered representative of
tractor parts dealers nationwide. It will
also allow CDC to develop
recommendations for overcoming the
barriers that have compromised the
effectiveness of occupational health and
safety programs.
The total estimated burden for the
one-time retrospective data collection is
43 hours as indicated in the table below.
The average burden per response is 5
minutes. There are no costs to
respondents other than their time.
ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS
Type of respondents
Form name
Number of
respondents
Number of
responses per
respondent
Average
burden per
response
(in hrs)
Tractor Parts Dealers .......................
ROPS Questionnaire for Tractor Parts Dealers ...........
520
1
5/60
Leroy Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office,
Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the
Associate Director for Science, Office of the
Director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014–17651 Filed 7–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
[CMS–3296–NC]
RIN 0938–ZB14
Medicare Program; Evaluation Criteria
and Standards for Beneficiary and
Family Centered Care Quality
Improvement Organization Contract
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
This notice with comment
period describes the general criteria we
intend to use to evaluate the
effectiveness and efficiency of
Beneficiary and Family Centered Care
(BFCC) Quality Improvement
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:53 Jul 25, 2014
Jkt 232001
Organizations (QIOs) that will enter into
contracts with CMS under the 11th
Statement of Work (SOW) in May 2014
titled, ‘‘Beneficiary and Family Centered
Care (BFCC) Quality Improvement
Organization (QIO) Contract’’ (HHSM–
500–2014–RFP–BFCC–QIO). This
contract allows for a transition period
from the incumbent QIOs to the
successor QIOs. The activities for the
BFCC–QIO SOW begin August 1, 2014.
The evaluation of a BFCC–QIO’s
performance related to the SOW will be
based on evaluation criteria specified
for the tasks set forth in Attachment J–
10 of the BFCC–QIOs’ SOW contract.
DATES: Effective Date: August 1, 2014 to
July 31, 2019.
Comment Date: To be assured
consideration, comments must be
received at one of the addresses
provided below, no later than 5 p.m. on
August 27, 2014.
ADDRESSES: In commenting, refer to file
code CMS–3296–NC. 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 this regulation
PO 00000
Frm 00042
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the ‘‘Submit a comment’’ instructions.
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–3296–NC, P.O. Box 8010,
Baltimore, MD 21244–1850.
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–3296–NC,
Mail Stop C4–26–05, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850.
4. By hand or courier. Alternatively,
you may deliver (by hand or courier)
your written comments ONLY to the
following addresses:
a. For delivery in Washington, DC—
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, Department of Health and
Human Services, 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
E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 144 / Monday, July 28, 2014 / Notices
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.)
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
b. For delivery in Baltimore, MD—
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, Department of Health and
Human Services, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850.
If you intend to deliver your
comments to the Baltimore address, call
telephone number (410) 786–9994 in
advance to schedule your arrival with
one of our staff members.
Comments erroneously 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:
Alfreda Staton, (410) 786–4194.
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: https://
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.
I. Background
Section 1153(h)(2) of the Social
Security Act (the Act) requires the
Secretary of the Department of Health
and Human Services to publish in the
Federal Register the general criteria and
standards that will be used to evaluate
the effective and efficient performance
of contract obligations by the Quality
Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and
to provide the opportunity for public
comment with respect to these criteria
and standards. This notice describes the
general criteria that will be used to
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:53 Jul 25, 2014
Jkt 232001
evaluate the performance of Beneficiary
and Family Centered Care (BFCC)
Quality Improvement Organizations
(QIOs) under the 11th Statement of
Work (SOW) contract beginning August
1, 2014.
II. Provisions of the Notice With
Comment Period
The purpose of the BFCC–QIO
contract is to improve healthcare
services for Medicare beneficiaries
through BFCC performance of numerous
statutory and regulatory review
functions, including, but not limited to
the following:
• Quality of care reviews, including
beneficiary complaint reviews and
general quality of care reviews;
• Beneficiary appeals of hospital
discharges and terminations of service
decisions, commonly referred to as
Grijalva, BIPA, and Weichardt appeals.
• Medical necessity reviews;
• Appropriateness of setting reviews;
• Diagnosis Related Group (DRG)
reviews;
• Readmission reviews;
• Reviews under Emergency Medical
Treatment and Active Labor Act
(EMTALA);
• Sanctions; and
• Monitoring of Physician
Acknowledgement Statements under
section 1156(a) of the Act and our
regulations at 42 CFR 412.46.
The BFCC–QIO contract also imposes
other BFCC–QIO responsibilities:
Coordinating and collaborating with
other QIOs; developing and making
recommendations to promote
responsiveness to beneficiary and
family needs; providing opportunities
for listening to and addressing
beneficiary and family concerns; and
providing resources for beneficiaries
and caregivers in decision making.
These QIO beneficiary and family
centered efforts align with the National
Quality Strategy, which encourages
patient and family engagement. (See the
BFCC–QIO Statement of Work,
Solicitation Number: HHSM–500–2014–
RFP–BFCC–QIO, which was posted on
December 5, 2013 and is available at
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=
opportunity&mode=form&id=6a3ac
f7d9bd34efb1268e120a13b22e8.)
III. Evaluation of the Tasks (See
Sections C.6, H.2, H.5 and J–10 of the
BFCC–QIO SOW)
We will conduct monitoring activities
throughout the course of the contract
and will act upon findings as necessary.
Information used for these monitoring
purposes includes but is not limited to:
• Deliverables submitted by the
BFCC–QIO to CMS in accordance with
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
the Section F ‘‘Deliverables or
Performance.’’
• Provider/facility surveys and/or
productivity measures, including cost
benefit analysis.
• Data for measures indicated in
Attachments J–4 and J–10 of the BFCC–
QIO SOW.
• Data from the BFCC–QIO’s Internal
Quality Control Program.
• Other data submitted by BFCC–
QIOs as required by CMS.
• Additional information gathered by
email, telephone, video or in-person
visits.
BFCC–QIOs must cooperate with the
Contracting Officer Representative
(COR) on all our monitoring processes
and address any concerns identified by
the COR. We will take appropriate
contract action (for example, providing
warning for the need for adjustment,
instituting a formal correction plan,
terminating an activity, or
recommending early termination of a
contract because of failure to meet
contract timelines or performance as
specified in the contract). This means
that the BFCC–QIO must comply with
the Contract, Tasks, Schedules of
Deliverables, Evaluation Measures
Tables, and any subsequent
modifications (including Health Care
Quality Improvement System and
Transmission of Policy Memorandums)
issued by CMS.
Additionally, there will be multiple
periods of more formal evaluation under
this contract. The first evaluation will
occur at the end of the 12th month of
the contract. Subsequent evaluations
will occur at the end of the 24, 36, 48
and 54th month of the contract. The
evaluations will be based on the most
recent data available to us. The
performance results of the evaluation at
each evaluation period (that is, 12, 24,
36, 48 and 54th months) will be used,
in addition to ongoing monitoring
activities, to determine the BFCC–QIO’s
performance on the overall contract.
The BFCC–QIO measures for the 11th
SOW are as follows:
• Quality of Review: Inter-Rater
Reliability.
• 4-day Data Entry Compliance.
• Timeliness of Beneficiary
Complaints and Other Quality of Care
Reviews.
• Timeliness of Discharge/Service
Termination Reviews.
• Timeliness of EMTALA and Higher
Weighted Diagnosis-Related Group
Reviews.
• Complainant Agreement to
Complete Survey.
• Beneficiary Experience with
Quality of Care Complaints.
• Beneficiary Experience with Appeal
Reviews.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 144 / Monday, July 28, 2014 / Notices
Annual and 54th Month Evaluation
Annual and 54th month evaluation
criteria are specifically defined in
Attachment J–10, ‘‘Annual and 54th
Month Evaluation Criteria Measures
Table,’’ of the BFCC–QIO SOW; the
criteria for evaluating each deliverable
are identified in Section F
(‘‘Deliverables or Performance’’) of the
11th SOW. Further, the Contracting
Officer will use the Contractor
Performance Assessment Reporting
System (CPARS) criteria in performing
evaluations: Quality, Schedule/
Timeliness, Cost/Price Control, Business
Relations, Management, and Small
Business. Performance on the evaluation
criteria defined in Attachment J–10 will
be considered for assessment of the
Quality sub-factor for the CPARS
assessment.
Overall Contract Evaluation
The results of the annual (12, 24, 36,
48th month) and 54th month evaluation
periods, in addition to ongoing
monitoring activities, will be used to
determine how the contractor performed
on the overall contract. If we choose, we
may notify the BFCC–QIO of our
intention not to renew the BFCC–QIO
contract and inform the BFCC–QIO of
their rights under the current statute.
Any failure at one or more of the
annual or 54th month evaluations for
any Task may result in the BFCC–QIO
receiving an adverse past performance
evaluation. Further, failure may impact
on the BFCC–QIO’s ability to continue
similar work in or eligibility for future
QIO Program awards.
We reserve the right at any point,
prior to the notification of our intent not
to renew the contract, to revise
measures or adjust the expected
minimum thresholds for satisfactory
performance or remove criteria from a
Task evaluation protocol for any reason,
including, but not limited to, data
gathered based on experience with the
amount of improvement achieved
during the contract cycle or in pilot
projects currently in progress,
information gathered through evaluation
of the BFCC–QIO performance overall,
or any unforeseen circumstances.
Further, in accordance with standard
contract procedures, we reserve the
right at any time to discontinue all or
part of one or more Tasks for one or
more states or territories in the QIO area
or any other part of this contract,
regardless of BFCC–QIO performance on
the Task.
Dated: June 3, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services.
IV. Collection of Information
Requirements
Title: Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families/National Directory of New
Hires Match Results Report.
OMB No.: 0970–0311.
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.
V. 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.
VI. Regulatory Impact Statement
In accordance with the provisions of
Executive Order 12866, this notice was
not reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget.
[FR Doc. 2014–17625 Filed 7–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and
Families
Proposed Information Collection
Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects
Description
Section 453(j)(3) of the Social Security
Act (the Act) allows for matching
between the National Directory of New
Hires (maintained by the Federal Office
of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE))
and State TANF Agencies for purposes
of carrying out responsibilities under
programs funded under part A of Title
IV of the Act. To assist OCSE and the
Office of Family Assistance (OFA) in
measuring savings to the TANF program
attributable to the use of NDNH data
matches, the State TANF Agencies have
agreed to provide OCSE with a written
description of the performance outputs
and outcomes attributable to the State
TANF Agency’s use of NDNH match
results. This information will help
OCSE demonstrate how the NDNH
supports the OCSE’s mission and
strategic goals.
Respondents
State TANF Agencies
ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATES
Number of
respondents
Number of
responses per
respondent
Average
burden hours
per response
Total burden
hours
TANF/NDNH Match Results Report ................................................................
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Instrument
40
4
0.17
27.20
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 27.20.
In compliance with the requirements
of Section 506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the
Administration for Children and
Families is soliciting public comment
on the specific aspects of the
information collection described above.
Copies of the proposed collection of
information can be obtained and
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:53 Jul 25, 2014
Jkt 232001
comments may be forwarded by writing
to the Administration for Children and
Families, Office of Planning, Research
and Evaluation, 370 L’Enfant
Promenade, SW., Washington, DC
20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance
Officer. Email address: inforcollection@
acf.hhs.gov. All requests should be
identified by the title of the information
collection.
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The Department specifically requests
comments on: (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43747-43749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17625]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
[CMS-3296-NC]
RIN 0938-ZB14
Medicare Program; Evaluation Criteria and Standards for
Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization
Contract
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice with comment period describes the general criteria
we intend to use to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of
Beneficiary and Family Centered Care (BFCC) Quality Improvement
Organizations (QIOs) that will enter into contracts with CMS under the
11th Statement of Work (SOW) in May 2014 titled, ``Beneficiary and
Family Centered Care (BFCC) Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)
Contract'' (HHSM-500-2014-RFP-BFCC-QIO). This contract allows for a
transition period from the incumbent QIOs to the successor QIOs. The
activities for the BFCC-QIO SOW begin August 1, 2014. The evaluation of
a BFCC-QIO's performance related to the SOW will be based on evaluation
criteria specified for the tasks set forth in Attachment J-10 of the
BFCC-QIOs' SOW contract.
DATES: Effective Date: August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2019.
Comment Date: To be assured consideration, comments must be
received at one of the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m.
on August 27, 2014.
ADDRESSES: In commenting, refer to file code CMS-3296-NC. 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 this
regulation to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the ``Submit a
comment'' instructions.
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-3296-NC, P.O. Box 8010,
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
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-3296-NC, Mail
Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
4. By hand or courier. Alternatively, you may deliver (by hand or
courier) your written comments ONLY to the following addresses:
a. For delivery in Washington, DC--Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, Department of Health and Human Services, 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
[[Page 43748]]
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. For delivery in Baltimore, MD--Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, Department of Health and Human Services, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
If you intend to deliver your comments to the Baltimore address,
call telephone number (410) 786-9994 in advance to schedule your
arrival with one of our staff members.
Comments erroneously 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: Alfreda Staton, (410) 786-4194.
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: https://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.
I. Background
Section 1153(h)(2) of the Social Security Act (the Act) requires
the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to publish
in the Federal Register the general criteria and standards that will be
used to evaluate the effective and efficient performance of contract
obligations by the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and to
provide the opportunity for public comment with respect to these
criteria and standards. This notice describes the general criteria that
will be used to evaluate the performance of Beneficiary and Family
Centered Care (BFCC) Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) under the
11th Statement of Work (SOW) contract beginning August 1, 2014.
II. Provisions of the Notice With Comment Period
The purpose of the BFCC-QIO contract is to improve healthcare
services for Medicare beneficiaries through BFCC performance of
numerous statutory and regulatory review functions, including, but not
limited to the following:
Quality of care reviews, including beneficiary complaint
reviews and general quality of care reviews;
Beneficiary appeals of hospital discharges and
terminations of service decisions, commonly referred to as Grijalva,
BIPA, and Weichardt appeals.
Medical necessity reviews;
Appropriateness of setting reviews;
Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) reviews;
Readmission reviews;
Reviews under Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor
Act (EMTALA);
Sanctions; and
Monitoring of Physician Acknowledgement Statements under
section 1156(a) of the Act and our regulations at 42 CFR 412.46.
The BFCC-QIO contract also imposes other BFCC-QIO responsibilities:
Coordinating and collaborating with other QIOs; developing and making
recommendations to promote responsiveness to beneficiary and family
needs; providing opportunities for listening to and addressing
beneficiary and family concerns; and providing resources for
beneficiaries and caregivers in decision making. These QIO beneficiary
and family centered efforts align with the National Quality Strategy,
which encourages patient and family engagement. (See the BFCC-QIO
Statement of Work, Solicitation Number: HHSM-500-2014-RFP-BFCC-QIO,
which was posted on December 5, 2013 and is available at https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=6a3acf7d9bd34efb1268e120a13b22e8.)
III. Evaluation of the Tasks (See Sections C.6, H.2, H.5 and J-10 of
the BFCC-QIO SOW)
We will conduct monitoring activities throughout the course of the
contract and will act upon findings as necessary. Information used for
these monitoring purposes includes but is not limited to:
Deliverables submitted by the BFCC-QIO to CMS in
accordance with the Section F ``Deliverables or Performance.''
Provider/facility surveys and/or productivity measures,
including cost benefit analysis.
Data for measures indicated in Attachments J-4 and J-10 of
the BFCC-QIO SOW.
Data from the BFCC-QIO's Internal Quality Control Program.
Other data submitted by BFCC-QIOs as required by CMS.
Additional information gathered by email, telephone, video
or in-person visits.
BFCC-QIOs must cooperate with the Contracting Officer
Representative (COR) on all our monitoring processes and address any
concerns identified by the COR. We will take appropriate contract
action (for example, providing warning for the need for adjustment,
instituting a formal correction plan, terminating an activity, or
recommending early termination of a contract because of failure to meet
contract timelines or performance as specified in the contract). This
means that the BFCC-QIO must comply with the Contract, Tasks, Schedules
of Deliverables, Evaluation Measures Tables, and any subsequent
modifications (including Health Care Quality Improvement System and
Transmission of Policy Memorandums) issued by CMS.
Additionally, there will be multiple periods of more formal
evaluation under this contract. The first evaluation will occur at the
end of the 12th month of the contract. Subsequent evaluations will
occur at the end of the 24, 36, 48 and 54th month of the contract. The
evaluations will be based on the most recent data available to us. The
performance results of the evaluation at each evaluation period (that
is, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 54th months) will be used, in addition to
ongoing monitoring activities, to determine the BFCC-QIO's performance
on the overall contract.
The BFCC-QIO measures for the 11th SOW are as follows:
Quality of Review: Inter-Rater Reliability.
4-day Data Entry Compliance.
Timeliness of Beneficiary Complaints and Other Quality of
Care Reviews.
Timeliness of Discharge/Service Termination Reviews.
Timeliness of EMTALA and Higher Weighted Diagnosis-Related
Group Reviews.
Complainant Agreement to Complete Survey.
Beneficiary Experience with Quality of Care Complaints.
Beneficiary Experience with Appeal Reviews.
[[Page 43749]]
Annual and 54th Month Evaluation
Annual and 54th month evaluation criteria are specifically defined
in Attachment J-10, ``Annual and 54th Month Evaluation Criteria
Measures Table,'' of the BFCC-QIO SOW; the criteria for evaluating each
deliverable are identified in Section F (``Deliverables or
Performance'') of the 11th SOW. Further, the Contracting Officer will
use the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)
criteria in performing evaluations: Quality, Schedule/Timeliness, Cost/
Price Control, Business Relations, Management, and Small Business.
Performance on the evaluation criteria defined in Attachment J-10 will
be considered for assessment of the Quality sub-factor for the CPARS
assessment.
Overall Contract Evaluation
The results of the annual (12, 24, 36, 48th month) and 54th month
evaluation periods, in addition to ongoing monitoring activities, will
be used to determine how the contractor performed on the overall
contract. If we choose, we may notify the BFCC-QIO of our intention not
to renew the BFCC-QIO contract and inform the BFCC-QIO of their rights
under the current statute.
Any failure at one or more of the annual or 54th month evaluations
for any Task may result in the BFCC-QIO receiving an adverse past
performance evaluation. Further, failure may impact on the BFCC-QIO's
ability to continue similar work in or eligibility for future QIO
Program awards.
We reserve the right at any point, prior to the notification of our
intent not to renew the contract, to revise measures or adjust the
expected minimum thresholds for satisfactory performance or remove
criteria from a Task evaluation protocol for any reason, including, but
not limited to, data gathered based on experience with the amount of
improvement achieved during the contract cycle or in pilot projects
currently in progress, information gathered through evaluation of the
BFCC-QIO performance overall, or any unforeseen circumstances. Further,
in accordance with standard contract procedures, we reserve the right
at any time to discontinue all or part of one or more Tasks for one or
more states or territories in the QIO area or any other part of this
contract, regardless of BFCC-QIO performance on the Task.
IV. 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.
V. 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.
VI. Regulatory Impact Statement
In accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 12866, this
notice was not reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
Dated: June 3, 2014.
Marilyn Tavenner,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-17625 Filed 7-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
