February 9, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are superseding airworthiness directive (AD) 2014-13-01 for Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (Airbus Helicopters) Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 helicopters with a certain Goodrich rescue hoist damper unit (damper unit) installed. AD 2014-13-01 required repairing or replacing the damper unit or deactivating the rescue hoist. AD 2014-13-01 was prompted by a report of an uncommanded detachment of a damper unit from the cable. This new AD retains the optional requirement of deactivating the rescue hoist, expands the applicability, and requires either replacing or modifying the damper unit with a newly developed single- piece retainer. These actions are intended to prevent the hoist damper unit detaching from the cable resulting in loss of an external load or person from the helicopter hoist and injury to persons being lifted by the hoist.

This proposed rule addresses changes to the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations. This proposal was prompted by the need to update and modernize the regulations. These laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of substance abuse records were written out of great concern about the potential use of substance abuse information against an individual, preventing those individuals with substance use disorders from seeking needed treatment. The last substantive update to these regulations was in 1987. Over the last 25 years, significant changes have occurred within the U.S. health care system that were not envisioned by the current regulations, including new models of integrated care that are built on a foundation of information sharing to support coordination of patient care, the development of an electronic infrastructure for managing and exchanging patient information, and a new focus on performance measurement within the health care system. SAMHSA wants to ensure that patients with substance use disorders have the ability to participate in, and benefit from new integrated health care models without fear of putting themselves at risk of adverse consequences. These new integrated models are foundational to HHS's triple aim of improving health care quality, improving population health, and reducing unnecessary health care costs. SAMHSA strives to facilitate information exchange within new health care models while addressing the legitimate privacy concerns of patients seeking treatment for a substance use disorder. These concerns include: The potential for loss of employment, loss of housing, loss of child custody, discrimination by medical professionals and insurers, arrest, prosecution, and incarceration. This proposal is also an effort to make the regulations more understandable and less burdensome. We welcome public comment on this proposed rule.