Notice of Public Input Opportunity, 69765-69766 [05-22762]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 221 / Thursday, November 17, 2005 / Notices • Describes their current or proposed policies and procedures, including fiscal control; • Describes reporting and evaluation procedures; • Narrative description of the Title VI, Part B, service area. The area to be served by Title VI, Part B, must have clear geographic boundaries. There is no prohibition, however, on its overlapping with areas served by Title III. VII. Agency Contacts Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Yvonne Jackson, Director, Office of American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian Programs, Washington, DC 20201, telephone: (202) 357–3501. Dated: November 10, 2005. Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging. [FR Doc. 05–22769 Filed 11–16–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4154–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following: Availability of opportunity for the Public to Provide Input on two proposed documents: ‘‘Recommendations for Applying the International Labour Office (ILO) International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses in Medical Diagnosis, Research and Population Surveillance, Worker Health Monitoring, Government Program Eligibility, and Compensation Settings,’’ and ‘‘Ethical Considerations for B Readers.’’ The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), acting on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for prescribing the manner in which radiographs are read and classified for the chest x-ray program available to coal miners under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, 30 U.S.C. 843; 42 CFR part 37. In carrying out this responsibility, NIOSH issues B Reader certifications to physicians who demonstrate proficiency in the classification of chest radiographs for the pneumoconioses using the International Labour Office (ILO) AGENCY: 2005 White House Conference on Aging Administration on Aging, HHS. Notice of conference call. AGENCY: SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice is hereby given that the Policy Committee of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) will have a conference call to finalize the resolutions and other items related to the 2005 WHCoA. The conference call will be open to the public to listen, with call-ins limited to the number of telephone lines available. Individuals who plan to call in and need special assistance, such as TTY, should inform the contact person listed below in advance of the conference call. This notice is being published less than 15 days prior to the conference call due to scheduling problems. DATES: The conference call will be held on Thursday, November 17, 2005, at 12 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. ADDRESSES: The conference call may be accessed by dialing, U.S. toll-free,1– 800–857–0419, passcode: 8932323, on the date and time indicated above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Butcher, (301) 443–2887, or e-mail at Kim.Butcher@whcoa.gov. Registration is 17:38 Nov 16, 2005 BILLING CODE 4154–01–P Notice of Public Input Opportunity Administration on Aging VerDate Aug<31>2005 Dated: November 14, 2005. Edwin L. Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Programs. [FR Doc. 05–22810 Filed 11–16–05; 8:45 am] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACTION: not required. Call in is on a first come, first-served basis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000 (Pub. L. 106–501, November 2000), the Policy Committee will have a meeting by conference call to finalize on the resolutions that will be mailed to the delegates for review prior to the WHCoA that is scheduled from December 11 to 14, 2005. The public is invited to listen by dialing the telephone number and using the passcode listed above under the ADDRESSES section. Jkt 208001 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 69765 Classification System. NIOSH uses these B Readers in its Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program. B Readers are also employed in a variety of other clinical, research and compensation settings. NIOSH is using the issuance of the new International Labour Office (ILO) Classification of Radiographs as an opportunity to expand its Web site on the B Reader Program and use of the ILO system. NIOSH-certified B Readers use the internationally-recognized ILO system to classify chest radiographs for the presence and severity of pulmonary parenchymal and pleural changes potentially caused by exposure to dusts such as asbestos, silica, and coal mine dust. The revised program Web site provides more information about radiographic reading and the ILO system including recommendations or ‘‘best practices’’ for use of the ILO system in different settings. We are specifically seeking public comment for the draft Document: ‘‘Recommendations for Applying the International Labour Office (ILO) International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses in Medical Diagnosis, Research and Population Surveillance, Worker Health Monitoring, Government Program Eligibility, and Compensation Settings.’’ This document can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ chestradiography/ recommendations.html. At this same time, NIOSH is also seeking comment on its proposed ‘‘Ethical Considerations for B Readers’’ which can be found at this same Web site. In a recent decision in the In Re Silica Products Litigation, 2005 WL 1593936 (S.D. Tex June 30, 2005), Federal District Court Judge Janis Jack raised questions regarding the ethical conduct of certain physicians, some of whom were B Readers, in reading x-rays in litigation. NIOSH is proposing ‘‘Ethical Considerations for B Readers’’ which includes a code of ethics modeled after those of the American College of Radiology and the American Medical Association. We welcome comments on this proposed code of ethics. Please review and submit your comments on either or both of these documents to CWHSP@cdc.gov. If you would prefer to have a hard copy rather than electronic, please contact NIOSH at this same e-mail address, and we will be happy to fax or mail copies of the documents to you. The documents will remain available for comment until January 17, 2006. After that date, NIOSH will consider all the comments submitted and make appropriate revisions to the document E:\FR\FM\17NON1.SGM 17NON1 69766 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 221 / Thursday, November 17, 2005 / Notices before posting a final version on its Web site. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David N. Weissman, MD, CDC/NIOSH, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, Mailstop H–2900, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, 304– 285–5749. Information requests can also be submitted by e-mail to CWHSP@cdc.gov. Dated: November 10, 2005. John Howard, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [FR Doc. 05–22762 Filed 11–16–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4163–19–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Privacy Act of 1974; Report of New System of Records Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). ACTION: Notice of New System of Records (SOR). AGENCY: SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, we are proposing a new SOR titled, ‘‘Medicare Premium Withhold System (PWS), No. 09–70–0552.’’ On December 8, 2003, Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Public Law (Pub. L.) 108–173). Among other provisions, MMA allows Medicare payment to health plans for coverage of outpatient prescription drugs under the Medicare Part D benefit. The Social Security Act (the Act) provides for four summary payment mechanisms: Risk adjusted, federal reinsurance subsidies, risk corridor payments, and subsidized coverage for qualified low-income individuals. In addition, there is a premium payable by each beneficiary for Part D coverage, as well as the preexisting premium for Part C (now known as Medicare Advantage (MA)), created under Title II legislation. Beginning January 2006, MMA will provide enrollees in MA, and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plans an option to have Part C and Part D premiums withheld from their monthly retirement annuities provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA), Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), or Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The Medicare Premium VerDate Aug<31>2005 17:38 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 208001 Withhold System is the system of record (SOR) for maintaining and managing Part C and Part D beneficiary premium payment amounts. For 2006, two external agencies, the SSA and the RRB, provide this monthly premium withholding through the PWS. The Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug System (MARx) notifies SSA and RRB of premium amounts to be withheld and applicable periods on a daily basis. PWS uses interfaces from MARx to track these premium withholding amounts as ‘‘expected.’’ PWS also uses interfaces with SSA and RRB to record the withheld premium amounts and periods they apply to as ‘‘actual.’’ The PWS notifies the appropriate MA and MAPD of all beneficiary withholdings and facilitates the payment of withheld premiums via the automated plan payment system (APPS) and the Financial Accounting System (FACS) for ultimate payment by the United States Treasury. The primary purpose of the SOR is to process a monthly premium withhold file from SSA and RRB, capture expected premium withholding amounts from MARx and compare them to actual withholding amounts, produce a reconciliation of the reported withholding amounts with amounts transferred via Governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) files from SSA and RRB, and generate plan payment requests to APPS. Information in this system will also be disclosed to: (1) Support regulatory, reimbursement, and policy functions performed by a contractor or consultant contracted by the Agency; (2) support Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans (MAPD) directly or through a CMS contractor for the administration of Title XVIII of the Act; (3) support another Federal or State agency, agency of a state government, an agency established by state law, or its fiscal agent; (4) support constituent requests made to a congressional representative; (5) support litigation involving the Agency, and (6) combat fraud and abuse in certain health benefits programs. We have provided background information about the modified system in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Although the Privacy Act requires only that CMS provide an opportunity for interested persons to comment on the proposed routine uses, CMS invites comments on all portions of this notice. See EFFECTIVE DATES section for comment period. DATES: Effective Dates: CMS filed a new system report with the Chair of the House Committee on Government PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Reform and Oversight, the Chair of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 3, 2005. To ensure that all parties have adequate time in which to comment, the SOR, including routine uses, will become effective 40 days from the publication of the notice, or from the date it was submitted to OMB and the Congress, whichever is later, unless CMS receives comments that require alterations to this notice. ADDRESSES: The public should address comments to: CMS Privacy Officer, Division of Privacy Compliance Data Development (DPCDD), CMS, Room N2– 04–27, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244–1850. Comments received will be available for review at this location, by appointment, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Eastern daylight time. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Bosque, Computer Technology Information Specialist, Division of Medicare Advantage Payment Systems, Information Services Modernization Group, Office of Information Services, CMS, Room N3–13–10, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244– 1850. The telephone number is 410– 786–0164. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CMS has long realized that the Medicare program is in the middle of a rapidly changing health insurance industry characterized by an expansion of service delivery models and payment options. The managed care provisions of the Balance Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 (Public Law 105–33) combined with the MMA have made managing beneficiary health choices one of the most critical challenges facing CMS and the health industry at large. To be of maximum use, the data must be organized and categorized into comprehensive interrelated systems. The Medicare Premium Withhold System (PWS) is a new system that helps remove barriers to beneficiary enrollment in Medicare’s new prescription drug benefits, which will be offered by MAPDs and PDPs effective January 1, 2006. Through the PWS, CMS has extended to both Part C and Part D enrollees the option of withholding their monthly premium amounts from retirement annuities provided by external agencies, including SSA and RRB (and OPM in future releases of the system). The PWS builds upon the Enterprise Data Exchange with these three agencies, adding data stores and reporting capabilities in order to E:\FR\FM\17NON1.SGM 17NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 221 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69765-69766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22762]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Notice of Public Input Opportunity

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
announces the following:
    Availability of opportunity for the Public to Provide Input on two 
proposed documents:
    ``Recommendations for Applying the International Labour Office 
(ILO) International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses in 
Medical Diagnosis, Research and Population Surveillance, Worker Health 
Monitoring, Government Program Eligibility, and Compensation 
Settings,'' and
    ``Ethical Considerations for B Readers.''
    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 
acting on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), 
is responsible for prescribing the manner in which radiographs are read 
and classified for the chest x-ray program available to coal miners 
under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, 30 U.S.C. 843; 42 CFR 
part 37. In carrying out this responsibility, NIOSH issues B Reader 
certifications to physicians who demonstrate proficiency in the 
classification of chest radiographs for the pneumoconioses using the 
International Labour Office (ILO) Classification System. NIOSH uses 
these B Readers in its Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program. B 
Readers are also employed in a variety of other clinical, research and 
compensation settings. NIOSH is using the issuance of the new 
International Labour Office (ILO) Classification of Radiographs as an 
opportunity to expand its Web site on the B Reader Program and use of 
the ILO system. NIOSH-certified B Readers use the internationally-
recognized ILO system to classify chest radiographs for the presence 
and severity of pulmonary parenchymal and pleural changes potentially 
caused by exposure to dusts such as asbestos, silica, and coal mine 
dust. The revised program Web site provides more information about 
radiographic reading and the ILO system including recommendations or 
``best practices'' for use of the ILO system in different settings.
    We are specifically seeking public comment for the draft Document:
    ``Recommendations for Applying the International Labour Office 
(ILO) International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses in 
Medical Diagnosis, Research and Population Surveillance, Worker Health 
Monitoring, Government Program Eligibility, and Compensation 
Settings.''
    This document can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/
chestradiography/recommendations.html.
    At this same time, NIOSH is also seeking comment on its proposed 
[l x dquo]Ethical Considerations for B Readers'' which can 
be found at this same Web site. In a recent decision in the In Re 
Silica Products Litigation, 2005 WL 1593936 (S.D. Tex June 30, 2005), 
Federal District Court Judge Janis Jack raised questions regarding the 
ethical conduct of certain physicians, some of whom were B Readers, in 
reading x-rays in litigation. NIOSH is proposing ``Ethical 
Considerations for B Readers'' which includes a code of ethics modeled 
after those of the American College of Radiology and the American 
Medical Association. We welcome comments on this proposed code of 
ethics.
    Please review and submit your comments on either or both of these 
documents to CWHSP@cdc.gov. If you would prefer to have a hard copy 
rather than electronic, please contact NIOSH at this same e-mail 
address, and we will be happy to fax or mail copies of the documents to 
you.
    The documents will remain available for comment until January 17, 
2006. After that date, NIOSH will consider all the comments submitted 
and make appropriate revisions to the document

[[Page 69766]]

before posting a final version on its Web site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David N. Weissman, MD, CDC/NIOSH, 
Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, Mailstop H-2900, 1095 
Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, 304-285-5749.
    Information requests can also be submitted by e-mail to 
CWHSP@cdc.gov.

    Dated: November 10, 2005.
John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-22762 Filed 11-16-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P
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