The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Federal Register notice on May 25, 2012 announcing that the second semi-annual meeting of the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (Panel) will take place on the following dates:
- Monday, August 27, 2012, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT
- Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT
- Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT
The purpose of the Panel is to advise CMS on the clinical integrity of the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) groups and their associated weights, and hospital outpatient therapeutic supervision issues. Each year, the second meeting of the Panel is held after CMS has released the hospital outpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for the coming year, with the 2013 proposed rule expected in July of 2012. This meeting offers the opportunity for raising hospital outpatient payment issues to a group that can recommend actions for CMS to take, with such recommendations typically considered by CMS in the hospital outpatient final rule.