Department of Health and Human Services July 21, 2021 – 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 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.

HRSA, a sub-agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is announcing a change in user fees charged to individuals and entities authorized to request information from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). The new fee will be $2.50 for both continuous and one-time queries and $3.00 for self-queries. In addition, as self-query results are now digitally certified, the NPDB will no longer automatically provide a mailed paper copy of self-query results. If self-queriers would like paper copies mailed to them, there will be an additional $3.00 charge per copy. The change in NPDB user fees is intended to encourage electronic processing while both ensuring sufficient funding to the full cost of NPDB operations and retaining appropriate cash reserves. The cash reserves are used to mitigate risks, cover operational costs should revenue decrease, and cover the cost of reasonable enhancement and maintenance of the NPDB management system. HRSA operational standards require review of NPDB user fees every 2 years. The biennial review of NPDB user fees offers HRSA the opportunity to evaluate its reserves as well as revenue relative to costs. Further, the review provides essential information on whether the fee rates and authorized activities are aligned with actual program costs and activities, and can help promote greater understanding of the fee by NPDB users.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), plans to request from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an extension to complete data collection for a two-wave COVID-19 Follow-up data collection currently underway as part of the National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). The objective of the NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up is to document the nation's current supply of early care and education services (that is, home-based providers, center-based providers, and the center-based provider workforce). There are no changes proposed.