Department of Health and Human Services May 4, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

HRSA has determined that a minimum Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score of 17 for assignment of all service-ready National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholars is necessary for HRSA to meet its statutory obligation to identify a number of entities eligible for NHSC scholar placement that is at least equal to, but not greater than, twice the number of NHSC scholars available to serve in the 2017- 2018 placement cycle. HRSA is also posting the proposed listing of entities and associated HPSA scores that will receive priority for assignment of NHSC Scholarship recipients available for service during the period October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018, on the Health Workforce Connector Web site (formerly known as the NHSC Jobs Center) at https://connector.hrsa.gov/. The Health Workforce Connector includes sites that are approved for performance of service by NHSC scholars; however, entities on this list may or may not have current job vacancies.

The Administration for Community Living published a proposed collection of information document in the Federal Register on March 13, 2017 (82 FR 13457 and 13458). The Web page link where the proposed information collection entitled the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants 2017 Draft could be found is no longer functional as of Thursday May 4, 2017, due to an update of the ACL.gov Web site.

The Administration for Community Living published a proposed collection of information document in the Federal Register on April 26, 2017. (82 FR 19245 and 19246) The Web page link where the proposed Protection and or Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI) Program Performance Report (PPR) form could be found is no longer functional as of Thursday May 4, 2017, due to an update of the ACL.gov Web site.

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 ``The Re-engineered Visit for Primary Care (AHRQ REV).'' This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2017 and allowed 60 days for public comment. AHRQ received one comment from the public. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is denying a petition, submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Food Safety, Clean Water Action, Children's Environmental Health Network, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Breast Cancer Fund, Center for Environmental Health, Environmental Working Group, and Improving Kids' Environment, requesting that we revoke the Threshold of Regulation (TOR) exemption No. 2005-006 to no longer exempt from our food additive regulations the use of sodium perchlorate monohydrate as a conductivity enhancer in antistatic agents for use in finished articles in contact with dry foods; issue a new FDA regulation to prohibit the use of perchlorates in antistatic agents for use in food-contact articles; and amend our food additive regulations to no longer provide for the use of potassium perchlorate as an additive in closure-sealing gaskets for food containers.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR is for a new collection. Comments submitted during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB will accept further comments from the public on this ICR during the review and approval period.

This proposed rule would update the payment rates used under the prospective payment system (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for fiscal year (FY) 2018. It also proposes to revise and rebase the market basket index by updating the base year from 2010 to 2014, and by adding a new cost category for Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Services. The rule also includes proposed revisions to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP), including measure and standardized patient assessment data proposals and proposals related to public display. In addition, it includes proposals for the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program that will affect Medicare payment to SNFs beginning in FY 2019 and clarification on the requirements regarding the composition of professionals for the survey team. The proposed rule also seeks to clarify the regulatory requirements for team composition for surveys conducted for investigating a complaint and to align regulatory provisions for investigation of complaints with the statutory requirements. The proposed rule also includes one proposal related to the performance period for the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Influenza Vaccination Reporting Measure included in the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP).