Department of Health and Human Services January 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports published a document in the Federal Register of December 28, 2009, concerning the opportunity for non-Federal entities to co-sponsor and administer a series of financially self-sustaining activities related to the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards

As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS) is hereby giving notice that the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) will hold a meeting. The meeting will be open to the public.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be transferring Health Center Program (section 330 of the Public Health Service Act) funds originally awarded to Trover Health System to Regional Health Care Affiliates to ensure the provision of critical primary health care services to underserved populations in Webster and McLean Counties, Kentucky.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is requesting nominations to fill three (3) vacancies on the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.

This Federal Register notice sets forth the recently issued

This proposed rule would implement the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Pub. L. 111-5) that provide incentive payments to eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs that adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. The proposed rule would specify theinitial criteria an EP and eligible hospital must meet in order to qualify for the incentive payment; calculation of the incentive payment amounts; payment adjustments under Medicare for covered professional services and inpatient hospital services provided by EPs and eligible hospitals failing to meaningfully use certified EHR technology; and other program participation requirements. Also, as required by ARRA the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) will be issuing a closely related interim final rule that specifies the Secretary's adoption of an initial set of standards, implementation, specifications, and certification criteria for electronic health records. ONC will also be issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking on the process for organizations to conduct the certification of EHR technology.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is issuing non-competitive supplemental funding under the Maternal Child Health Bureau, Title V program to ensure that Georgetown University, Maternal and Child Health Library can continue to provide much needed services to MCH professionals and members of the public.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance entitled, ``Guidance for IRBs, Clinical Investigators, and Sponsors: IRB Continuing Review After Clinical Investigation Approval.'' The draft guidance announced in this notice is intended to assist institutional review boards (IRBs) in carrying out their continuing review responsibility by providing recommendations regarding the criteria, process, and frequency of continuing review to assure the protection of the rights and welfare of subjects in clinical investigations. The draft guidance should also help clinical investigators and sponsors better understand their responsibilities related to continuing review.

This is notice, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 CFR Part 404.7(a)(1)(i), that the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of an exclusive patent license to practice the inventions embodied in the following U.S. Patents and Patent Applications to the Australian Institute of Marine Science (``AIMS'') located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

HHS gives notice as required by 42 CFR 83.12(e) of a decision to evaluate a petition to designate a class of employees for the General Electric Company, Evendale, Ohio, to be included in the Special Exposure Cohort under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000. The initial proposed definition for the class being evaluated, subject to revision as warranted by the evaluation, is as follows: