Department of Health and Human Services November 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following public meeting: ``Partnerships to Advance the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)''. Public Meeting Time and Date: 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. EST, January 30, 2013. Place: Patriots Plaza, 395 E Street SW., Conference Room 9000, Washington, DC 20201. Purpose of the Meeting: The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) has been structured to engage partners with each other and/or with NIOSH to advance NORA priorities. The NORA Liaison Committee continues to be an opportunity for representatives from organizations with national scope to learn about NORA progress and to suggest possible partnerships based on their organization's mission and contacts. This opportunity is now structured as a public meeting via the Internet to attract participation by a larger number of organizations and to further enhance the success of NORA. Some of the types of organizations of national scope that are especially encouraged to participate are employers, unions, trade associations, labor associations, professional associations, and foundations. Others are welcome. This meeting will include updates from NIOSH leadership on NORA as well as updates from approximately half of the NORA Sector Councils on their progress, priorities, and implementation plans to date, likely including the NORA Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Healthcare; Mining; Oil and Gas Extraction; and Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities Sector Councils. An update will also be given on planning for the evaluation of the second decade of NORA. An additional NIOSH Program that is working on several NORA priorities may also provide an update. After each update, there will be time to discuss partnership opportunities. Status: The meeting is open to the public, limited only by the capacities of the conference call and conference room facilities. There is limited space available in the meeting room (capacity 34). Therefore, information to allow participation in the meeting through the Internet (to see the slides) and a teleconference call (capacity 50) will be provided to registered participants. Participants are encouraged to consider attending by this method. Each participant is requested to register for the free meeting by sending an email to noracoordinator@cdc.gov containing the participant's name, organization name, contact telephone number on the day of the meeting, and preference for participation in-person or by Web meeting (requirements include: computer, Internet connection, and telephone, preferably with `mute' capability). An email confirming registration will include the details needed to participate in the Web meeting. Non-US citizens are encouraged to participate in the Web meeting. Non-US citizens who do not register to attend in person on or before January 7, 2013, will not be granted access to the meeting site and will not be able to attend the meeting in-person due to mandatory security clearance procedures at the Patriots Plaza facility. Background: NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research in occupational safety and health leading to improved workplace practices. Unveiled in 1996, NORA has become a research framework for the nation. Diverse parties collaborate to identify the most critical issues in workplace safety and health. Partners then work together to develop goals and objectives for addressing those needs and to move the research results into practice. The NIOSH role is facilitator of the process. For more information about NORA, see http:/ /www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/about.html. Since 2006, NORA has been structured according to industrial sectors. Ten major sector groups have been defined using the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). After receiving public input through the Web and town hall meetings, ten NORA Sector Councils defined sector-specific strategic plans for conducting research and moving the results into widespread practice. To view the National Sector Agendas, see https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This final rule implements Medicaid payment for primary care services furnished by certain physicians in calendar years (CYs) 2013 and 2014 at rates not less than the Medicare rates in effect in those CYs or, if greater, the payment rates that would be applicable in those CYs using the CY 2009 Medicare physician fee schedule conversion factor. This minimum payment level applies to specified primary care services furnished by a physician with a specialty designation of family medicine, general internal medicine, or pediatric medicine, and also applies to services rendered by these provider types paid by Medicaid managed care plans contracted by states to provide the primary care services. It also provides for 100 percent federal financial participation (FFP) for any increase in payment above the amounts that would be due for these services under the provisions of the approved Medicaid state plan, as of July 1, 2009. In other words, there will not be any additional cost to states for payments above the amount required by the 2009 rate methodology. In this final rule, we specify which services and types of physicians qualify for the minimum payment level in CYs 2013 and 2014, and the method for calculating the payment amount and any increase for which increased federal funding is due. In addition, this final rule will update the interim regional maximum fees that providers may charge for the administration of pediatric vaccines to federally vaccine-eligible children under the Pediatric Immunization Distribution Program, more commonly known as the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.