August 2, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule updates the prospective payment rates, the outlier threshold, and the wage index for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPF), which include psychiatric hospitals and excluded psychiatric units of an acute care hospital or critical access hospital. Additionally, this final rule rebases and revises the IPF market basket to reflect a 2021 base year. These changes will be effective for IPF discharges occurring during the Fiscal Year (FY) beginning October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024 (FY 2024). In addition, this final rule discusses quality measures and reporting requirements under the Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Quality Reporting (IPFQR) Program with changes beginning with the FY 2025 payment determination through changes beginning with the FY 2028 payment determination.

This proposed rule would adjust quotas and retention limits and establish the opening date for the 2024 fishing year for the Atlantic shark commercial fisheries. Within this proposed rule, NMFS also considers options for the 2024 and future fishing years to automatically open the commercial fishing year on January 1 of each year under the base quotas and default retention limits, and to increase the default commercial retention limit for the large coastal shark (LCS) fisheries. Quotas would be adjusted as required or allowable based on any underharvests from the previous fishing years. The proposed measures could affect fishing opportunities for commercial shark fishermen in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating the materials that are incorporated by reference (IBR) into the North Carolina State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulations affected by this update have been previously submitted by North Carolina and approved by EPA. In this final rule, EPA is also notifying the public of corrections and clarifying changes in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) tables that identify material incorporated by reference into the North Carolina SIP. This update affects the materials that are available for public inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the EPA Regional Office.

This is a notice of the Presidential declaration of an emergency for the territory of Guam (FEMA-3594-EM), dated May 22, 2023, and related determinations.

This is a notice of the Presidential declaration of an emergency for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (FEMA- 3593-EM), dated May 22, 2023, and related determinations.

This action changes the effective date of a final rule published in the Federal Register on July 17, 2023, that amends the United States Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-230 in the vicinity of St. Paul Island, AK, in support of a large and comprehensive T-route modernization project for the state of Alaska. The effective date in the final rule was incorrectly stated as August 10, 2023. The correct effective date for Airspace Docket No. 19-AAL-63 is October 5, 2023.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is requesting comments on proposed guidance for assessing changes in environmental and ecosystem services in benefit-cost analysis.

This final rule updates the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. This rule discusses the comments received regarding information related to the provision of higher levels of hospice care; spending patterns for non-hospice services provided during the election of the hospice benefit; ownership transparency; equipping patients and caregivers with information to inform hospice selection; and ways to examine health equity under the hospice benefit. This rule also finalizes conforming regulations text changes related to the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. In addition, this rule updates the Hospice Quality Reporting Program; discusses the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation tool; provides an update on Health Equity and future quality measures; and provides updates on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, Hospice Survey Mode Experiment. This rule also codifies hospice data submission thresholds and discusses updates to hospice survey and enforcement procedures. Additionally, the rule requires hospice certifying physicians to be Medicare-enrolled or to have validly opted-out.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Hoopa Valley Tribe (FEMA-4707-DR), dated April 25, 2023, and related determinations.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is requesting a 3-year extension of the information collection Case Plan Requirement, Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #0970-0428, expiration September 30, 2023). There are no changes to the requirements, but burden estimates have been updated to reflect current numbers of children in foster care.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Texas (FEMA-4705-DR), dated April 21, 2023, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Texas (FEMA-4705-DR), dated April 21, 2023, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Navajo Nation (FEMA-4703-DR), dated April 11, 2023, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Tennessee (FEMA-4701-DR), dated April 7, 2023, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of California (FEMA-4699-DR), dated April 3, 2023, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria (FEMA-4692-DR), dated March 8, 2023, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Havasupai Tribe (FEMA-4681-DR), dated December 30, 2022, and related determinations.

This notice amends the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Louisiana (FEMA-4611-DR), dated August 29, 2021, and related determinations.