Government Accountability Office 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The 21st Century Cures Act established HITAC to provide recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on policies, standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria relating to the implementation of a health information technology infrastructure that advances the electronic access, exchange, and use of health information. The Act gave the Comptroller General of the United States responsibility for appointing a portion of HITAC's members. The Act requires that members at least reflect providers, ancillary health care workers, consumers, purchasers, health plans, health information technology developers, researchers, patients, relevant Federal agencies, and individuals with technical expertise on health care quality, system functions, privacy, security, and on the electronic exchange and use of health information, including the use standards for such activity. GAO is now accepting nominations for HITAC appointments that will be effective January 1, 2022. From these nominations, GAO expects to appoint at least 5 new HITAC members, focusing especially on health care providers, ancillary health care workers, health information technology developers, and patient advocates. Nominations should be sent to the email address listed below. Acknowledgement of submissions will be provided within a week of submission.

GAO is now accepting comments on estimated potential lump sum catch-up payments to certain 9/11 victims, 9/11 spouses, and 9/11 dependents who have submitted eligible claims for payment from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. GAO is conducting a review and publishing this notice pursuant to the requirements of the Sudan Claims Resolution Act. Comments should be sent to the email address below.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) proposes to revise its system of personnel records under its privacy regulations, Privacy Procedures for Personnel Records. This system of records encompasses records collected, maintained, used and disseminated in the course of conducting GAO human capital management activities. Further, this notice is intended to notify individuals about personally identifiable information (PII) maintained in this system of records and the manner in which that information is maintained and protected.

The No Surprises Act, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 required the Secretary of Labor to convene an Advisory Committee of 15 members to advise on the standardized format for the voluntary reporting, by group health plans to State All Payer Claims Databases, of medical claims, pharmacy claims, dental claims, and eligibility and provider files collected from private and public payers. The Committee shall also advise the Secretary on the guidance provided to States on the process by which States may collect such data in the standardized reporting format. This Committee will be responsible for issuing a report to the Secretary of Labor and certain congressional committees within 180 days of the enactment of the Act, which shall include recommendations on the standardized format and guidance described above. The Act provides for members of this Committee to have distinguished themselves in fields of health services research, health economics, health informatics, data privacy and security, or the governance of State All Payer Claims Databases, or who represent organizations likely to submit data to or use the database, including patients, employers, employee organizations that sponsor group health plans, health care providers, health insurance issuers, or third-party administrators of group health plans. The Act gave the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, responsibility for appointing 9 of the 15 members to include eight representatives of various agencies within the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, as well as one representative of a State All Payer Claims Database. The Act gave the Comptroller General responsibility for appointing the remaining 6 of the committee's 15 members, including 1 representative of an employer that sponsors a group health plan; 1 representative of an employee organization that sponsors a group health plan; 1 academic researcher with expertise in health economics or health services research; 1 consumer advocate; and 2 additional members. GAO is accepting nominations of individuals for Committee appointments that will be effective in March 2021. Nominations should be sent to the email address listed below. Acknowledgement of submissions will be provided within a week of submission.