Updating Competitive Bidding Rules, 3729-3730 [2016-01185]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 14 / Friday, January 22, 2016 / Rules and Regulations
report settlement; and receipt of total
outlier payments exceeding $500,000
during the cost reporting period. We
identified approximately 50 hospitals
that we determined likely to meet these
criteria in FY 2004, and we specially
calculated cost-to-charge ratios for those
hospitals as explained previously and in
the FY 2004 IPPS final rule, so that our
payment simulations would represent
our best approximation of the final
amount of outlier payments after
reconciliation had been completed. We
did not expect that all of the 123
hospitals discussed in the March 2003
proposed rule would be likely to meet
the criteria for reconciliation, and so we
did not make this same adjustment with
respect to all of those 123 hospitals.
The court rulings also called for an
explanation of other steps taken to
account for any ‘‘distorting effect’’
associated with the 123 hospitals
discussed in the March 2003 proposed
rule. As we explained previously, our
payment simulations employed cost-tocharge ratios calculated from recent data
for all hospitals, including the 123
hospitals, and did not employ cost-tocharge ratios drawn from older
historical data. That reduced any reason
for concern that cost-to-charge ratios
drawn from older historical data for the
123 hospitals would not reliably
approximate the cost-to-charge ratios
that would be used to pay FY 2004
claims for those 123 hospitals. We also
anticipated that implementation of the
June 2003 outlier final rule would curb
the turbocharging practices that had
caused rapid increases in charges in
previous years; and therefore, we saw
no reason to further adjust our payment
simulations to account for future
turbocharging by the 123 hospitals.
Therefore, we did not apply any
additional adjustments focused on the
123 hospitals that had been discussed in
the March 2003 proposed rule, beyond
the adjustments we have already
discussed.
The court rulings also stated that we
should explain further why we did not
exclude the 123 identified turbo
charging hospitals from the charge
inflation calculation for FY 2004. We
simply did not have strong reason to
believe that excluding the 123 hospitals
from the charge inflation calculation, or
from other parts of the fixed loss outlier
threshold calculation, would improve
our projections.
When we simulate payments for
purposes of calculating the fixed loss
outlier threshold, we use MedPAR data
from an earlier period to produce a
simulated set of claims for the period for
which we are calculating the fixed loss
outlier threshold. For the FY 2004 final
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16:27 Jan 21, 2016
Jkt 238001
rule, we used cases from the FY 2002
MedPAR file to simulate FY 2004 cases.
We applied a charge inflation factor to
account for growth in hospital charges
between the period covered by the
MedPAR data and the period for which
we are calculating the fixed loss outlier
threshold. In this instance, the charge
inflation factor was intended to account
for growth in hospital charges over the
2-year period between FY 2002 and FY
2004. We estimated charge growth over
this period based on actual charge
growth over an earlier 2-year period, FY
2000 to FY 2002. More specifically, our
estimate of charge inflation was based
on the 2-year average annual rate of
change in charges per case from FY
2000 to FY 2001 and from FY 2001 to
FY 2002 (12.5978 percent annually, or
26.8 percent over 2 years).
Although we expected the June 2003
outlier final rule to curb turbocharging,
which would affect the rate of charge
growth after the rule became effective,
we believed that past charge growth
would still be a satisfactory basis for
estimating more recent charge growth,
for the 123 hospitals as well as for other
hospitals. The outlier final rule was in
effect for only part of the interval that
our charge inflation estimate was
intended to reflect. The outlier final rule
went into effect only in part for the last
2 months of FY 2003, and went into
effect in full only at the beginning of FY
2004.
We had no strong reason to expect
that excluding the 123 hospitals from
our charge inflation calculations, or
from other parts of our simulations,
would improve our simulations in a
way that would bring outlier payments
closer to our target of 5.1 percent of
operating DRG payments. The 123
hospitals were not excluded from
claiming outlier payments in FY 2004,
so excluding them from our simulations
would have introduced a different form
of distortion into our simulations, by
causing the simulations to disregard the
impact of those hospitals. While
excluding the 123 hospitals might
produce a lower estimate of charge
inflation, a lower estimate is not
necessarily a better estimate. A charge
inflation estimate that is too low could
lead to a fixed loss outlier threshold that
produces outlier payments farther from,
instead of closer to, the target of 5.1
percent of operating DRG payments.
Finally, the court rulings state that if
we decide to recalculate the FY 2004
fixed loss outlier threshold, we should
also address any effect that recalculation
has on the FY 2005 and FY 2006 outlier
and fixed-loss thresholds. We are not
recalculating the FY 2004 fixed-loss
threshold. We also note that the fixed
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3729
loss outlier thresholds are set based on
new calculations each year without
reference to the previous year’s
threshold; even if the FY 2004 threshold
had been reset, there would be no
reason to revisit the FY 2005 or FY 2006
calculation.
III. Collection of Information
Requirements
This document does not impose
information collection requirements,
that is, reporting, recordkeeping or
third-party disclosure requirements.
Consequently, there is no need for
review by the Office of Management and
Budget under the authority of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Dated: January 4, 2016.
Andrew M. Slavitt,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services.
Approved: January 15, 2016.
Sylvia M. Burwell,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human
Services.
[FR Doc. 2016–01309 Filed 1–21–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 1
[GN Docket No. 12–268, WT Docket Nos.
14–70, 05–211, RM–11395; FCC 15–80]
Updating Competitive Bidding Rules
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of
effective date.
AGENCY:
In this document, the
Commission announces that the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB)
approved, on an emergency basis, a
revision to an approved information
collection to implement modified and
new collection requirements on FCC
Form 175, Application to Participate in
an FCC Auction, contained in the Part
1 Report and Order, Updating
Competitive Bidding Rules, FCC 15–80.
This document is consistent with the
Part 1 Report and Order, which stated
that the Commission would publish a
document in the Federal Register
announcing OMB approval and the
effective date of the rules and
requirements.
DATES: 47 CFR 1.2105(a)(2),
1.2105(a)(2)(iii)–(vi), (a)(2)(viii)–(x),
(a)(2)(xii), 1.2105(c)(3), and
1.2112(b)(1)(iii)–(vi), published at 80 FR
56764 on September 18, 2015, and
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\22JAR1.SGM
22JAR1
3730
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 14 / Friday, January 22, 2016 / Rules and Regulations
revised FCC Form 175, are effective on
January 22, 2016. OMB approved the
information collection requirements in
47 CFR 1.2105(c)(3), 1.2110(b)(1), and
1.2112(b) on January 14, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Contact Cathy Williams,
Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov, (202) 418–
2918.
This
document announces that, on January
14, 2016, OMB approved, on an
emergency basis, a revision to an
approved information collection to
implement modified and new collection
requirements on FCC Form 175,
Application to Participate in an FCC
Auction, and under 47 CFR 1.2105(a)(2),
1.2105(a)(2)(iii)–(vi), (a)(2)(viii)–(x),
(a)(2)(xii), 1.2105(a)(3), 1.2105(c)(3),
1.2110(b)(1), 1.2112(b), and
1.2112(b)(1)(iii)–(vi), published at 80 FR
56764 on September 18, 2015. The OMB
Control Number is 3060–0600. The
Commission publishes this document as
an announcement of the effective date of
the rules and requirements. If you have
any comments on the burden estimates
listed below, or how the Commission
can improve the collections and reduce
any burdens caused thereby, please
contact Cathy Williams, Federal
Communications Commission, Room 1–
C823, 445 12th Street SW., Washington,
DC 20554. Please include the OMB
Control Number, 3060–0600, in your
correspondence. The Commission will
also accept your comments via the
Internet if you send them to
PRA@fcc.gov.
To request materials in accessible
formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files,
audio format), send an email to
fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer
and Governmental Affairs Bureau at
(202) 418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432
(TTY).
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Synopsis
As required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507),
the Commission is notifying the public
that it received emergency approval
from OMB on January 14, 2016 for the
revised information collection
requirements contained in the
information collection 3060–0600,
Application to Participate in an FCC
Auction.
Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency
may not conduct or sponsor a collection
of information unless it displays a
current, valid OMB Control Number.
No person shall be subject to any
penalty for failing to comply with a
collection of information subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act that does not
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:27 Jan 21, 2016
Jkt 238001
display a current, valid OMB Control
Number. The OMB Control Number is
3060–0600. The foregoing document is
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13,
October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
The total annual reporting burdens
and costs for the respondents are as
follows:
OMB Control Number: 3060–0600.
OMB Approval Date: January 14,
2016.
OMB Expiration Date: July 31, 2016.
Title: Application to Participate in an
FCC Auction.
Form No.: FCC Form 175.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit entities; Not-for-profit
institutions; State, local or Tribal
government.
Number of Respondents and
Responses: 500 respondents; 500
responses.
Estimated Time per response: 90
minutes.
Frequency of Response: On-occasion
reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to
obtain or retain benefits. The statutory
authority for this information collection
is contained in sections 154(i) and
309(j)(5) of the Communications Act of
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 4(i),
309(j)(5), and sections 1.2105, 1.2110,
1.2112 of the Commission’s rules, 47
CFR 1.2105, 1.2110, 1.2112.
Total Annual Burden: 750 hours.
Total Annual Cost: None.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No
impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality:
Information collected on FCC Form 175
is made available for public inspection.
To the extent that a respondent seeks to
have certain information collected on
FCC Form 175 withheld from public
inspection, the respondent may request
confidential treatment of such
information pursuant to section 0.459 of
the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 0.459.
Needs and Uses: In the Part 1 Report
and Order, the Commission updated
many of its Part 1 competitive bidding
rules. The updated Part 1 rules apply to
applicants seeking to participate in
future non-reverse auctions for
Commission licenses and permits,
including the forward auction
component of the Commission’s
upcoming television broadcast incentive
auction (BIA). The revised information
collection on FCC Form 175 implements
the modified and new collection
requirements contained in sections
1.2105(a)(2), 1.2105(a)(2)(iii)–(vi),
(a)(2)(viii)–(x), (a)(2)(xii), 1.2105(a)(3),
1.2105(c)(3), 1.2110(b)(1), 1.2112(b), and
1.2112(b)(1)(iii)–(vi) of the
Commission’s rules, as adopted in the
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Part 1 Report and Order. The
information collected on the revised
FCC Form 175 will be used by the
Commission to determine if an
applicant is legally, technically, and
financially qualified to participate in a
non-reverse Commission auction for
Commission licenses and permits,
including the forward component of the
BIA. Commission staff will review the
information collected on FCC Form 175
for a particular auction as part of the
pre-auction process, prior to the auction
being held. Staff will determine whether
each applicant satisfies the
Commission’s requirements to
participate in the auction and, if an
applicant claims status as a particular
type of auction participant, whether that
applicant is eligible for the status
claimed. This approach provides an
appropriate screen to ensure serious
participation and deter possible abuse of
the bidding process without being
unduly burdensome.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–01185 Filed 1–21–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
48 CFR Parts 504 and 552
[GSAR–TA–01; Docket No. 2015–0016;
Sequence No. 1]
General Services Administration
Acquisition Regulation (GSAR);
Technical Amendments; Corrections
Office of Acquisition Policy,
General Services Administration (GSA).
ACTION: Correcting amendments.
AGENCY:
GSA published a technical
amendment document, GSAR–TA–01,
which was published in the Federal
Register on Wednesday, January 13,
2016 at 81 FR 1531, to make editorial
changes. That document inadvertently
failed to update a subpart heading and
a clause heading. This document
corrects the final regulation by revising
the subpart.
DATES: Effective: January 22, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Leah Price, Procurement Analyst, by
phone at 703–605–2558, or email at
leah.price@gsa.gov for clarification of
content. For information pertaining to
the status or publication schedules,
contact the Regulatory Secretariat
Division at 202–501–4755. Please cite
GSAR–TA–01; Technical Amendments;
Corrections.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\22JAR1.SGM
22JAR1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 3729-3730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01185]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 1
[GN Docket No. 12-268, WT Docket Nos. 14-70, 05-211, RM-11395; FCC 15-
80]
Updating Competitive Bidding Rules
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approved, on an emergency basis, a revision
to an approved information collection to implement modified and new
collection requirements on FCC Form 175, Application to Participate in
an FCC Auction, contained in the Part 1 Report and Order, Updating
Competitive Bidding Rules, FCC 15-80. This document is consistent with
the Part 1 Report and Order, which stated that the Commission would
publish a document in the Federal Register announcing OMB approval and
the effective date of the rules and requirements.
DATES: 47 CFR 1.2105(a)(2), 1.2105(a)(2)(iii)-(vi), (a)(2)(viii)-(x),
(a)(2)(xii), 1.2105(c)(3), and 1.2112(b)(1)(iii)-(vi), published at 80
FR 56764 on September 18, 2015, and
[[Page 3730]]
revised FCC Form 175, are effective on January 22, 2016. OMB approved
the information collection requirements in 47 CFR 1.2105(c)(3),
1.2110(b)(1), and 1.2112(b) on January 14, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Cathy Williams,
Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov, (202) 418-2918.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that, on January 14,
2016, OMB approved, on an emergency basis, a revision to an approved
information collection to implement modified and new collection
requirements on FCC Form 175, Application to Participate in an FCC
Auction, and under 47 CFR 1.2105(a)(2), 1.2105(a)(2)(iii)-(vi),
(a)(2)(viii)-(x), (a)(2)(xii), 1.2105(a)(3), 1.2105(c)(3),
1.2110(b)(1), 1.2112(b), and 1.2112(b)(1)(iii)-(vi), published at 80 FR
56764 on September 18, 2015. The OMB Control Number is 3060-0600. The
Commission publishes this document as an announcement of the effective
date of the rules and requirements. If you have any comments on the
burden estimates listed below, or how the Commission can improve the
collections and reduce any burdens caused thereby, please contact Cathy
Williams, Federal Communications Commission, Room 1-C823, 445 12th
Street SW., Washington, DC 20554. Please include the OMB Control
Number, 3060-0600, in your correspondence. The Commission will also
accept your comments via the Internet if you send them to PRA@fcc.gov.
To request materials in accessible formats for people with
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format),
send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).
Synopsis
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3507), the Commission is notifying the public that it received
emergency approval from OMB on January 14, 2016 for the revised
information collection requirements contained in the information
collection 3060-0600, Application to Participate in an FCC Auction.
Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB
Control Number.
No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number. The OMB
Control Number is 3060-0600. The foregoing document is required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995,
and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents
are as follows:
OMB Control Number: 3060-0600.
OMB Approval Date: January 14, 2016.
OMB Expiration Date: July 31, 2016.
Title: Application to Participate in an FCC Auction.
Form No.: FCC Form 175.
Respondents: Business or other for-profit entities; Not-for-profit
institutions; State, local or Tribal government.
Number of Respondents and Responses: 500 respondents; 500
responses.
Estimated Time per response: 90 minutes.
Frequency of Response: On-occasion reporting requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for this information collection is contained in
sections 154(i) and 309(j)(5) of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 4(i), 309(j)(5), and sections 1.2105, 1.2110, 1.2112
of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.2105, 1.2110, 1.2112.
Total Annual Burden: 750 hours.
Total Annual Cost: None.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Information collected on FCC
Form 175 is made available for public inspection. To the extent that a
respondent seeks to have certain information collected on FCC Form 175
withheld from public inspection, the respondent may request
confidential treatment of such information pursuant to section 0.459 of
the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.459.
Needs and Uses: In the Part 1 Report and Order, the Commission
updated many of its Part 1 competitive bidding rules. The updated Part
1 rules apply to applicants seeking to participate in future non-
reverse auctions for Commission licenses and permits, including the
forward auction component of the Commission's upcoming television
broadcast incentive auction (BIA). The revised information collection
on FCC Form 175 implements the modified and new collection requirements
contained in sections 1.2105(a)(2), 1.2105(a)(2)(iii)-(vi),
(a)(2)(viii)-(x), (a)(2)(xii), 1.2105(a)(3), 1.2105(c)(3),
1.2110(b)(1), 1.2112(b), and 1.2112(b)(1)(iii)-(vi) of the Commission's
rules, as adopted in the Part 1 Report and Order. The information
collected on the revised FCC Form 175 will be used by the Commission to
determine if an applicant is legally, technically, and financially
qualified to participate in a non-reverse Commission auction for
Commission licenses and permits, including the forward component of the
BIA. Commission staff will review the information collected on FCC Form
175 for a particular auction as part of the pre-auction process, prior
to the auction being held. Staff will determine whether each applicant
satisfies the Commission's requirements to participate in the auction
and, if an applicant claims status as a particular type of auction
participant, whether that applicant is eligible for the status claimed.
This approach provides an appropriate screen to ensure serious
participation and deter possible abuse of the bidding process without
being unduly burdensome.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-01185 Filed 1-21-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P