Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 28, 27072-27074 [2019-12237]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 11, 2019 / Proposed Rules
announcement for additional
information pertaining to this request.
In addition, we note that CMS will not
respond to questions about the policy
issues raised in this RFI.
We will actively consider all input as
we develop future regulatory proposals
or future subregulatory policy guidance.
We may or may not choose to contact
individual responders. Such
communications would be for the sole
purpose of clarifying statements in the
responders’ written responses.
Contractor support personnel may be
used to review responses to this RFI.
Responses to this notice are not offers
and cannot be accepted by the
Government to form a binding contract
or issue a grant. Information obtained as
a result of this RFI may be used by the
Government for program planning on a
non-attribution basis. Respondents
should not include any information that
might be considered proprietary or
confidential. This RFI should not be
construed as a commitment or
authorization to incur cost for which
reimbursement would be required or
sought. All submissions become U.S.
Government property and will not be
returned. In addition, we may publically
post the public comments received, or a
summary of those public comments.
Dated: April 22, 2019.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services.
Dated: June 3, 2019.
Alex M. Azar II,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human
Services.
Appendix: Patients over Paperwork
Sample Accomplishments
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS
The following is a sample of CMS
accomplishments reducing unnecessary
administrative burden in response to input
from clinicians, providers, beneficiaries, and
other stakeholders. For more Patients over
Paperwork highlights, visit https://
www.cms.gov/About-CMS/story-page/
patients-over-paperwork.html.
Reducing Regulatory Burden
• Removed data elements from the
Outcomes and Assessment Information Set
(OASIS) assessment instrument.
• Removed the inpatient admission order
documentation requirement in an effort to
reduce duplicative documentation
requirements at the time of admission.
• Removed the requirement that
certification/recertification statements detail
where in the medical record the required
information can be found.
• Established the innovative new
classification system, the Patient Driven
Payment Model (PDPM), that ties skilled
nursing facility payments to patients’
conditions and care needs rather than
volume of services provided, and simplifies
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complicated paperwork requirements for
performing patient assessments by
significantly reducing reporting burden.
• Eliminated the requirement that
certifying physicians estimate how much
longer skilled services are required when
recertifying the need for continued home
health care.
• Proposed giving facilities the flexibility
to review their emergency program every 2
years, or more often at their own discretion,
in order to best address their individual
needs.
• Proposed allowing multi-hospital
systems to have unified and integrated
Quality Assessment and Performance
Improvement (QAPI) and unified infection
control programs for all of its member
hospitals.
• Published a proposed rule to streamline
Medicaid & CHIP managed care regulation.
• Issued Medicare Advantage (MA) and
the prescription drug benefit program (Part
D) final rule that promotes innovation,
empowers patients and providers to make
healthcare decisions, and includes burdenreducing provisions.
Simplifying Documentation Requirements
• Changed policy to allow a teaching
physician to rely on medical student
documentation and verify it rather than redocumenting the evaluation and management
(E&M) service, and explained that the
physician’s signature and date is acceptable
verification of the medical student’s
documentation.
• Provided an exception so that physicians
acting as suppliers do not need to write
orders to themselves.
• Simplified the requirements for
preliminary/verbal Durable Medical
Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and
Supplies (DMEPOS) orders: Suppliers may
dispense most items of DMEPOS based on a
verbal order or preliminary written order
from the treating physician.
• Clarified DMEPOS written order prior to
delivery date requirements: If the written
order is dated the day of or prior to delivery,
there is no need for affirmative
documentation of it being ‘‘received’’.
• Clarified that a supplier can use the
discharge date as the date of service if
mailing 1 or 2 days before discharge.
• Released a newly revised Skilled
Nursing Facility Advanced Beneficiary
Notice (SNFABN) with concise instructions
and no longer using the 5 denial letters and
Notice of Exclusion from Medicare Benefits—
SNF.
Improving Operational Efficiencies and
Interoperability
• In implementing the Quality Payment
Program (QPP), established a consolidated
data submission experience for the different
performance categories of the Merit-based
Incentive Payment System (MIPS) so that
clinicians no longer need to submit data in
multiple systems as under the legacy
programs (the Physician Quality Reporting
System (PQRS) and the Medicare Electronic
Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program).
• Refocused the Medicare EHR Incentive
Program (now called the Promoting
Interoperability Program) on interoperability,
emphasizing exchange of health information
between patients and providers.
• Implemented changes resulting in faster
processing of state requests to make program
or benefit changes to their Medicaid program
through the state plan amendment (SPA) and
section 1915 waiver review process.
Enhancing Transparency and Consistency
Made significant changes to the Medicare
Program Integrity Manual Chapter 13 to
improve transparency in the Local Coverage
Determination process. The manual includes
instructions, policies and procedures for
Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC)
that administer the Medicare program in
different regions of the country, as well as
guidance for stakeholder engagement in the
process.
Offering Burden-Reducing Flexibilities in
Payment Model Demonstrations
• In the Bundled Payments for Care
Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced)
model, CMS issued the Post-Discharge Home
Visit Payment Policy waiver which allows for
certain services to be delivered in the eligible
model beneficiary’s home by auxiliary
personnel under the general supervision of a
participating practitioner.
• In the Next Generation Accountable Care
Organization (Next Gen ACO) model, CMS
issued the Telehealth Expansion waiver
which allows for eligible model beneficiaries
to receive Telehealth services in their home.
[FR Doc. 2019–12215 Filed 6–6–19; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
RIN 0648–BI89
Focusing on Meaningful Measures
• Our Meaningful Measures initiative is
centered on holding providers accountable
for patient health outcomes, safe and efficient
care, and making sure the measure sets
providers are asked to report on are
meaningful to patients and clinicians alike.
• Reduced the burden of reporting quality
measures in MIPS with a focus on reporting
through electronic means and incentivizing
the use of clinical registries.
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Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan; Amendment 28
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 11, 2019 / Proposed Rules
Notice of availability of
proposed FMP Amendment; request for
comments.
ACTION:
NMFS announces that the
Pacific Fishery Management Council
submitted Amendment 28 to the Pacific
Coast Groundfish Fishery Management
Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for
review. If approved, Amendment 28
would establish new and revised areas
closed to bottom trawling to conserve
and protect Pacific coast groundfish
essential fish habitat, and would reopen areas that were closed to bottom
trawling to rebuild previouslyoverfished groundfish stocks.
Combined, these two changes are
anticipated to increase protections for
groundfish essential fish habitat and
provide additional flexibility to
participants fishing with bottom trawl
gear in the groundfish trawl
rationalization program. Amendment 28
would also close deep-water areas off
the coast of California to bottom
contacting gear to protect deep-water
habitats, including deep-sea corals using
discretionary fishery management plan
provisions in the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act.
SUMMARY:
Comments on Amendment 28
must be received on or before August
10, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2019–0039, by any of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20190039, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Barry A. Thom., Regional
Administrator, 7600 Sand Point Way
NE, Seattle, WA, 98115.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter
‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish
to remain anonymous).
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DATES:
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FMP Amendment 28, background
information and documents are
available at the Council’s website at
https://www.pcouncil.org/groundfish/
fishery-management-plan/groundfishamendments-in-development/.
Information relevant to Amendment 28,
which includes a draft Environmental
Impact Statement, a regulatory impact
review, and a Regulatory Flexibility Act
certification are available for public
review during business hours at the
NMFS West Coast Regional Office at
7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA
98115, or by requesting them via phone
or the email address listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
Additional background documents are
available at the NMFS West Coast
Region website at https://
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
fisheries/groundfish/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gretchen Hanshew, phone: 206–526–
6147, or email: Gretchen.Hanshew@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the groundfish fisheries in the
exclusive economic zone off
Washington, Oregon, and California
under the Pacific Coast Groundfish
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The
Council prepared and NMFS
implemented the FMP under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq. and by regulations at 50
CFR parts 600 and 660. The MagnusonStevens Act requires that each regional
fishery management council submit any
FMP or plan amendment it prepares to
NMFS for review and approval,
disapproval, or partial approval by the
Secretary of Commerce. The MagnusonStevens Act also requires that NMFS,
upon receiving an FMP or amendment,
immediately publish a notice that the
FMP or amendment is available for
public review and comment. This notice
announces that proposed Amendment
28 to the FMP is available for public
review and comment. NMFS will
consider the public comments received
during the comment period described
above in determining whether to
approve, partially approve, or
disapprove Amendment 28 to the FMP.
Amendment 28 would: (1) Revise, or
create new area closures to conserve and
protect essential fish habitat (EFH) from
the adverse effects of bottom trawl
fishing activities; (2) re-open historically
important fishing grounds to bottom
trawl gear to provide additional
flexibility in harvest strategies in the
Trawl Rationalization Program; (3) close
to fishing with bottom contact gear the
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27073
area of the exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) seaward of 3,500 meters under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act discretionary
authority to protect deep-water habitats,
including deep-sea corals; and (4)
update information in the FMP
regarding designated EFH and the EFH
review process.
Using the best scientific information
available from the periodic review of
groundfish EFH, the Council
recommended changes to spatial
management measures for vessels
fishing with bottom trawl gear or bottom
contact gear; primarily changes to EFH
conservation area (EFHCA) boundaries.
The Council recommended revising
boundaries of some existing EFHCAs
and establishing new EFHCAs in some
areas. The new suite of EFHCAs are
anticipated to minimize the adverse
effects of fishing to groundfish EFH. The
Council also recommended reopening
the trawl rockfish conservation area
(trawl RCA) off Oregon and California.
These historically important fishing
areas have been closed since 2002 to
rebuild overfished groundfish species
during a period when the fishery was
primarily managed using trip limits. In
recent years, NMFS has declared as
rebuilt the overfished groundfish stocks
most commonly found at depths within
the trawl RCA. In addition, the trawl
rationalization program has increased
incentives for fishermen to use
precaution in areas where they may
encounter rebuilding stocks and to
generally reduce discards. Reopening
the trawl RCA off Oregon and California
is anticipated to increase the flexibility
to vessels fishing with bottom trawl gear
so they can harvest a higher proportion
of their groundfish quotas. The
combination of new and revised
EFHCAs and the reopening of the trawl
RCA is anticipated to minimize adverse
impacts to groundfish EFH from the
effects of fishing, while providing
participants in the trawl rationalization
program additional flexibility for
efficient and sustainable harvest of
groundfish species with bottom trawl
gear.
The Council also considered new
information regarding the deep-water
habitats, including the presence of deepsea corals in waters greater than 3,500
meters. While little to no fishing occurs
with gears that are designed to make
contact with the bottom in this area,
permanent damage to these habitats
could occur from future prospective
fishing with bottom contact gear. These
depths are deeper than designated
groundfish EFH. Therefore, Amendment
28 would use the discretionary
authority provisions in the MagnusonStevens Act to close the EEZ seaward of
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27074
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 11, 2019 / Proposed Rules
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3,500 meters to bottom contact gear to
protect deep-water habitats, including
deep-sea corals that occur there.
The Council also recommended
changes to the FMP that do not have
corresponding regulation changes or on
the water effects. The Council
recommended revising the FMP by
updating the description of fishing
effects on designated EFH from fisheries
that are not managed under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the purpose of
the periodic EFH review and the
summaries for research and data needs.
The Council also recommended revising
the FMP by updating the groundfish life
history and the text description of
designated EFH, the effects of fishing
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and non-fishing activities on designated
EFH, and latitude and longitude
coordinates and maps of EFHCAs. The
Council also recommended archiving
portions of EFH-related appendices that
no longer reflected the best scientific
information available.
NMFS welcomes comments on the
proposed FMP amendment through the
end of the comment period. A proposed
rule to implement Amendment 28 has
been submitted for Secretarial review
and approval. NMFS expects to publish
and request public review and comment
on proposed regulations to implement
Amendment 28 in the near future. For
public comments on the proposed rule
to be considered in the approval or
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disapproval decision on Amendment
28, those comments must be received by
the end of the comment period on the
amendment. All comments received by
the end of the comment period for the
amendment, whether specifically
directed to the amendment or the
proposed rule, will be considered in the
approval/disapproval decision.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 5, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–12237 Filed 6–10–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 112 (Tuesday, June 11, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27072-27074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12237]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
RIN 0648-BI89
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan; Amendment 28
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
[[Page 27073]]
ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed FMP Amendment; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council
submitted Amendment 28 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved,
Amendment 28 would establish new and revised areas closed to bottom
trawling to conserve and protect Pacific coast groundfish essential
fish habitat, and would re-open areas that were closed to bottom
trawling to rebuild previously-overfished groundfish stocks. Combined,
these two changes are anticipated to increase protections for
groundfish essential fish habitat and provide additional flexibility to
participants fishing with bottom trawl gear in the groundfish trawl
rationalization program. Amendment 28 would also close deep-water areas
off the coast of California to bottom contacting gear to protect deep-
water habitats, including deep-sea corals using discretionary fishery
management plan provisions in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act.
DATES: Comments on Amendment 28 must be received on or before August
10, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0039, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0039, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Barry A. Thom., Regional
Administrator, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
FMP Amendment 28, background information and documents are
available at the Council's website at https://www.pcouncil.org/groundfish/fishery-management-plan/groundfish-amendments-in-development/. Information relevant to Amendment 28, which includes a
draft Environmental Impact Statement, a regulatory impact review, and a
Regulatory Flexibility Act certification are available for public
review during business hours at the NMFS West Coast Regional Office at
7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, or by requesting them via
phone or the email address listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section. Additional background documents are available at the
NMFS West Coast Region website at https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/groundfish/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gretchen Hanshew, phone: 206-526-6147,
or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fisheries in the
exclusive economic zone off Washington, Oregon, and California under
the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Council
prepared and NMFS implemented the FMP under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. and by regulations at 50 CFR parts
600 and 660. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each regional
fishery management council submit any FMP or plan amendment it prepares
to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval by
the Secretary of Commerce. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that
NMFS, upon receiving an FMP or amendment, immediately publish a notice
that the FMP or amendment is available for public review and comment.
This notice announces that proposed Amendment 28 to the FMP is
available for public review and comment. NMFS will consider the public
comments received during the comment period described above in
determining whether to approve, partially approve, or disapprove
Amendment 28 to the FMP.
Amendment 28 would: (1) Revise, or create new area closures to
conserve and protect essential fish habitat (EFH) from the adverse
effects of bottom trawl fishing activities; (2) re-open historically
important fishing grounds to bottom trawl gear to provide additional
flexibility in harvest strategies in the Trawl Rationalization Program;
(3) close to fishing with bottom contact gear the area of the exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) seaward of 3,500 meters under the Magnuson-Stevens
Act discretionary authority to protect deep-water habitats, including
deep-sea corals; and (4) update information in the FMP regarding
designated EFH and the EFH review process.
Using the best scientific information available from the periodic
review of groundfish EFH, the Council recommended changes to spatial
management measures for vessels fishing with bottom trawl gear or
bottom contact gear; primarily changes to EFH conservation area (EFHCA)
boundaries. The Council recommended revising boundaries of some
existing EFHCAs and establishing new EFHCAs in some areas. The new
suite of EFHCAs are anticipated to minimize the adverse effects of
fishing to groundfish EFH. The Council also recommended reopening the
trawl rockfish conservation area (trawl RCA) off Oregon and California.
These historically important fishing areas have been closed since 2002
to rebuild overfished groundfish species during a period when the
fishery was primarily managed using trip limits. In recent years, NMFS
has declared as rebuilt the overfished groundfish stocks most commonly
found at depths within the trawl RCA. In addition, the trawl
rationalization program has increased incentives for fishermen to use
precaution in areas where they may encounter rebuilding stocks and to
generally reduce discards. Reopening the trawl RCA off Oregon and
California is anticipated to increase the flexibility to vessels
fishing with bottom trawl gear so they can harvest a higher proportion
of their groundfish quotas. The combination of new and revised EFHCAs
and the reopening of the trawl RCA is anticipated to minimize adverse
impacts to groundfish EFH from the effects of fishing, while providing
participants in the trawl rationalization program additional
flexibility for efficient and sustainable harvest of groundfish species
with bottom trawl gear.
The Council also considered new information regarding the deep-
water habitats, including the presence of deep-sea corals in waters
greater than 3,500 meters. While little to no fishing occurs with gears
that are designed to make contact with the bottom in this area,
permanent damage to these habitats could occur from future prospective
fishing with bottom contact gear. These depths are deeper than
designated groundfish EFH. Therefore, Amendment 28 would use the
discretionary authority provisions in the Magnuson-Stevens Act to close
the EEZ seaward of
[[Page 27074]]
3,500 meters to bottom contact gear to protect deep-water habitats,
including deep-sea corals that occur there.
The Council also recommended changes to the FMP that do not have
corresponding regulation changes or on the water effects. The Council
recommended revising the FMP by updating the description of fishing
effects on designated EFH from fisheries that are not managed under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the purpose of the periodic EFH review and the
summaries for research and data needs. The Council also recommended
revising the FMP by updating the groundfish life history and the text
description of designated EFH, the effects of fishing and non-fishing
activities on designated EFH, and latitude and longitude coordinates
and maps of EFHCAs. The Council also recommended archiving portions of
EFH-related appendices that no longer reflected the best scientific
information available.
NMFS welcomes comments on the proposed FMP amendment through the
end of the comment period. A proposed rule to implement Amendment 28
has been submitted for Secretarial review and approval. NMFS expects to
publish and request public review and comment on proposed regulations
to implement Amendment 28 in the near future. For public comments on
the proposed rule to be considered in the approval or disapproval
decision on Amendment 28, those comments must be received by the end of
the comment period on the amendment. All comments received by the end
of the comment period for the amendment, whether specifically directed
to the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered in the
approval/disapproval decision.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 5, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-12237 Filed 6-10-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
