Medicare Program; Expanded Coverage for Outpatient Diabetes Self-Management Training and Diabetes Outcome Measurements

In the December 29, 2000 issue of the Federal Register (65 FR 83130), we published a final rule that implements section 4105 of the Balanced Budget Act by expanding Medicare coverage for outpatient diabetes self-management training and establishes outcome measurements for evaluating the improvement of the health status of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. The final rule provided for a 60-day delay from the publication date in implementing the expanded coverage of the diabetes training; that is, February 27, 2001. We unknowingly delayed forwarding our report on the final rule to the Congress for review under 5 U.S.C. 801(a) at the time we published the final rule. This document reaffirms that the final rule, and its expansion of Medicare coverage for outpatient diabetes self-management training, went into effect on February 27, 2001, notwithstanding the delay in forwarding our report to the Congress. It also corrects cost assumptions that were overstated in the final rule.