Department of Health and Human Services January 29, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information, and to allow a second opportunity for public comment on the notice. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including any of the following subjects: the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions; the accuracy of the estimated burden; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

This notice announces the intention of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection project: ``SelectMD 2.0 Clinician Choice Experiment.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), AHRQ invites the public to comment on this proposed information collection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requests public comment on the Draft Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) (draft Guideline). The Draft Guideline addresses new and updated strategies for the prevention of SSI in healthcare settings. This draft Guideline can be found at https:// www.regulations.gov Docket No. CDC-2014-0003. CDC is also publishing the supporting appendices that include primary evidence, study evaluation, and data evaluation tables that were used in developing the draft Guideline recommendations at https://www.regulations.gov. The draft Guideline is designed for use by infection prevention staff, healthcare epidemiologists, administrators, nurses, and personnel responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating infection prevention and control programs for healthcare settings across the continuum of care. The recommendations contained in the draft Guideline are based on a targeted systematic review of the best available evidence for specific topics related to the prevention of surgical site infections (SSI).

This notice announces a Town Hall meeting to solicit input from stakeholders on the future of the Physician Compare Web site. Stakeholders will be able to participate in the session in person and via telephone. Following a short initial presentation, the meeting agenda will provide the opportunity for on-site session attendees to give brief three-minute comments on the issues of interest. As time allows, telephone participants will also have the opportunity to provide brief three-minute comments on these issues. The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to space available.

The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.