Department of Health and Human Services February 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2015 page 71815 and allowed 60 days for public comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov or by fax to 202-395-6974, Attention: NIH Desk Officer. Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of the date of this publication.

This proposed rule addresses changes to the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations. This proposal was prompted by the need to update and modernize the regulations. These laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of substance abuse records were written out of great concern about the potential use of substance abuse information against an individual, preventing those individuals with substance use disorders from seeking needed treatment. The last substantive update to these regulations was in 1987. Over the last 25 years, significant changes have occurred within the U.S. health care system that were not envisioned by the current regulations, including new models of integrated care that are built on a foundation of information sharing to support coordination of patient care, the development of an electronic infrastructure for managing and exchanging patient information, and a new focus on performance measurement within the health care system. SAMHSA wants to ensure that patients with substance use disorders have the ability to participate in, and benefit from new integrated health care models without fear of putting themselves at risk of adverse consequences. These new integrated models are foundational to HHS's triple aim of improving health care quality, improving population health, and reducing unnecessary health care costs. SAMHSA strives to facilitate information exchange within new health care models while addressing the legitimate privacy concerns of patients seeking treatment for a substance use disorder. These concerns include: The potential for loss of employment, loss of housing, loss of child custody, discrimination by medical professionals and insurers, arrest, prosecution, and incarceration. This proposal is also an effort to make the regulations more understandable and less burdensome. We welcome public comment on this proposed rule.

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 (the 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 60 days for public comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (1) The necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

The meeting of the Advisory Committee on Minority Health (ACMH) scheduled for January 28 and 29, 2016, is cancelled due to inclement weather. This meeting will be rescheduled at a future date.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on the proposed revision of the information collection project entitled National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS), formerly known as the National Voluntary Environmental Assessment Information System (NVEAIS). The NEARS collects data on foodborne illness outbreaks and environmental assessments routinely conducted by food safety programs during outbreak investigations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project entitled Performance Monitoring of ``Working with Publicly Funded Health Centers to Reduce Teen Pregnancy among Youth from Vulnerable Populations.'' CDC seeks to collect information to monitor performance of three awardees working on teen pregnancy prevention project and to determine training and technical assistance needs to address any performance issues.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, announces plans to submit a new Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, OS seeks comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the ICR.

This notice announces the availability of test tools and test procedures approved by the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the testing of Health IT Modules to the 2015 Edition health IT certification criteria under the ONC Health IT Certification Program. The approved test tools and test procedures are identified on the ONC Web site at: https://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers- implementers/2015-edition-test-method.

The Health and Human Services Department announces an update to the meeting address of the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (hereafter referred to as ``the Committee'') on Monday, February 1, 2016.

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the Commission) will conduct its twenty fourth meeting on March 3, 2016. At this teleconference meeting, the Commission will discuss its ongoing development of pedagogical materials to facilitate the integration of bioethics into education in a range of traditional and non-traditional settings.

The meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) scheduled for January 28 and 29, 2016, is postponed due to inclement weather. This meeting will be rescheduled at a future date.