Department of Health and Human Services April 15, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is publishing notice of a proposal to alter an existing System of Records. The existing system of records, ``State-Provided Physician Records for the Application Submission & Processing System (ASAPS), Office of Shortage Designation (OSD), Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), HRSA,'' SORN 09-15-0066, originally published on January 10, 2005, covers health care practitioners who are the subjects of databases collected and maintained by State Primary Care Offices/ Associations. Such health care practitioners include physicians (both M.D.s and D.O.s), licensed or otherwise authorized by a State to provide health care services, dentists, and mental health professionals. This State collected data may now also be made available to contractors employed by the OSD to assist in the application review process. The States affected have signed a Data Use Agreement permitting the contractors to have access to their data.

This final rule makes revisions to the regulations governing the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) and prescription drug benefit program (Part D) based on our continued experience in the administration of the Part C and D programs. The revisions strengthen various program participation and exit requirements; strengthen beneficiary protections; ensure that plan offerings to beneficiaries include meaningful differences; improve plan payment rules and processes; improve data collection for oversight and quality assessment, implement new policies and clarify existing program policy.