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

This guidance relates to section 1332 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its implementing regulations. Section 1332 provides the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of the Treasury (collectively, the Secretaries) with the discretion to approve a state's proposal to waive specific provisions of the PPACA (a State Innovation Waiver, now also referred to as a State Relief and Empowerment Waiver), provided the section 1332 state plan meets certain requirements. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) finalized implementing regulations on February 27, 2012. This updated guidance provides supplementary information about the requirements that must be met for the approval of a State Innovation Waiver, the Secretaries' application review procedures, the calculation of pass-through funding, certain analytical requirements, and operational considerations. This guidance supersedes the guidance related to section 1332 of the PPACA that was previously published on December 16, 2015. Changes include increasing flexibility with respect to the manner in which a section 1332 state plan may meet section 1332 standards in order to be eligible to be approved by the Secretaries, clarifying the adjustments the Secretaries may make to maintain federal deficit neutrality, and allowing for states to use existing legislative authority to authorize section 1332 waivers in certain scenarios. The Departments are committed to empowering states to innovate in ways that will strengthen their health insurance markets, expand choices of coverage, target public resources to those most in need, and meet the unique circumstances of each state. This guidance aims to lower barriers to innovation for states seeking to reform their health insurance markets.

The invention listed below is owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and is available for licensing 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.

The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Office of Device Evaluation recognizes that an efficient, risk-based approach to regulating ophthalmic Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technology will foster innovation designed to improve ophthalmic healthcare. To make premarket review of OCT devices more efficient, we are announcing a new voluntary OCT Premarket Notification (510(k)) Pilot Program, designed to develop and refine individual premarket testing recommendations for OCT devices through the pre-submission process to yield more consistent premarket submissions and improve predictability of the 510(k) review process. We are planning to achieve these goals through increased interactive engagement with manufacturers of OCT devices. FDA intends to use the voluntary OCT 510(k) Pilot Program to assess whether the individual testing recommendations provided through the pre-submission process and increased interactive engagement improve the premarket review process and reduce the overall total time to decision (TTD), a shared FDA- industry commitment goal, in support of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments of 2017.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) has determined the regulatory review period for NUPLAZID and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of applications to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that human drug product.

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 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.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Produce.'' The draft guidance, when finalized, will supersede a previous guidance, entitled ``Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables,'' that we issued in 2008. The draft guidance is intended to explain our current thinking on how to comply with recently modernized requirements for current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and with new requirements for hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls under our regulation entitled ``Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food'' during the production of fresh-cut produce.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the CDC announces the following meeting for the Mine Safety and Health Research Advisory Committee (MSHRAC). This meeting is open to the public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room accommodates approximately 38 people. If you wish to attend in person or by phone, please contact Marie Chovanec by email at MChovanec@cdc.gov or by phone at 412-386-5302 at least 5 business days in advance of the meeting.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing a publication containing modifications the Agency is making to the list of standards FDA recognizes for use in premarket reviews (FDA Recognized Consensus Standards). This publication, entitled ``Modifications to the List of Recognized Standards, Recognition List Number: 050'' (Recognition List Number: 050), will assist manufacturers who elect to declare conformity with consensus standards to meet certain requirements for medical devices.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, or Agency) 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.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) has determined the regulatory review period for TECENTRIQ and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of an application to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that human biological product.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Agency, or we) 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.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled CDC Worksite Health Scorecard, an updated organizational assessment and planning tool designed to help employers identify gaps in their health promotion programs and prioritize high-impact strategies for health promotion at their worksites.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the thermal vestibular stimulator for headache into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the thermal vestibular stimulator for headache's classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices, in part by reducing regulatory burdens.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the wound autofluorescence imaging device into class I. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class I will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices, in part by reducing regulatory burdens.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) has determined the regulatory review period for IMFINZI and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. FDA has made the determination because of the submission of applications to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent which claims that human biological product.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the light based energy source device for topical application into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the light based energy source device for topical application's classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices, in part by reducing regulatory burdens.