Health Resources and Services Administration 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be issuing a non-competitive supplement and a 7-month extension of the period of support to the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) Cooperative Agreement recipient of record, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (Grant Number U17RH23237). The FESC Cooperative Agreement helps to examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of a new type of provider, FESC, in providing health care services in remote areas. The 7-month extension with funds will align with the related three-year Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) demonstration, which will run until March 2013.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces updates and clarifications for the implementation of the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program under authority of Section 737 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act). This notice supersedes all previous notices regarding the SDS program. A notice which proposed updates and clarified implementation of the SDS program was published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2012 (77 FR 16244). A period of 30 days was established to allow public comment concerning the proposed updates and implementation. Twenty-two letters were received, each with multiple comments. This notice discusses the comments and sets forth the final updates and implementation to the SDS program.

This Federal Register Notice solicits comments on Parts A through F of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Comments are solicited to inform the 2013 reauthorization of the Program, which was most recently reauthorized under Title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act (PHS), as amended by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program). Stakeholders will be invited to share written comments regarding reauthorization of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program through the Web portal at www.regulations.gov. HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau will also host listening sessions in the form of teleconferences or webinars to engage stakeholders across the U.S. At least four listening sessions will be conducted, each targeting different geographic areas. The listening sessions will offer stakeholders the opportunity to discuss reauthorization of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Listening sessions will be announced as dates are determined. Dates will be announced at https://hab.hrsa.gov/reauthorization/.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is updating income levels used to identify a ``low income family'' for the purpose of determining eligibility for programs that provide health professions and nursing training for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. These various programs are included in Titles III, VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act. The Department periodically publishes in the Federal Register low- income levels used to determine eligibility for grants and cooperative agreements to institutions providing training for (1) disadvantaged individuals, (2) individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, or (3) individuals from ``low-income'' families.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces that the listing of entities, and their Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores, that will receive priority for the assignment of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship recipients (Corps Personnel, Corps members) during the period July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013, is posted on the NHSC Web site at https:// datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/HGDWReports/ OneClickRptFilter.aspx?rptName=NHSCAppSiteList&rptFormat=HTML 3.2. This searchable database specifies all currently approved NHSC service sites, by State, and can be utilized to determine which entities are eligible to receive assignment of Corps members who are participating in the NHSC Scholarship Program based on the threshold HPSA score set forth below. Please note that entities on this list may or may not have current job opportunities for NHSC scholars. Furthermore, not all vacancies associated with sites on the list described below will be for Corps members, but could be for NHSC Scholarship Program participants serving their obligation through the Private Practice Option.

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is publishing a notice to alter the system of records for the National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners, HHS/HRSA/BHPR. The System of Records Notice (SORN) 09-15-0054 was last published on October 1, 2010 (75 FR 60763). The Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986, as amended, title IV of Public Law 99-660 (42 U.S.C. 11101 et seq.) authorized the Secretary to establish a National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) to collect and release certain information relating to the professional competence and conduct of physicians, dentists, and other health care practitioners. By law, the information is releasable only to the specific entities described in the SORN. The law requires the maintenance of records such as medical malpractice payments, adverse licensure and clinical privilege actions, disciplinary actions taken by Boards of Medical Examiners, and professional review actions taken by entities against physicians, dentists, and other healthcare practitioners. Section 1921 of the Social Security Act, as amended, expands reporting to the NPDB to authorize maintenance of records of adverse licensure actions and negative actions or findings taken by a State licensing authority, peer review organization, or private accreditation entity against all health care practitioners or healthcare entities. The primary purpose of this alteration is to publish the Privacy Act exemptions that became necessary after implementation of Section 1921, which entitles law enforcement agencies to access NPDB information and which therefore requires a similar exemption from certain provisions of the Privacy Act that the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) has for investigative materials. Because some of the records may be queried by law enforcement agencies for investigative purposes (i.e., as opposed to employment or other purposes), the system will be exempt from certain Privacy Act requirements to the extent necessary to avoid revealing law enforcement investigative interest and compromising law enforcement investigations. Another purpose of this alteration is to add a new routine use pertaining to system security, which is being added to other SORNs published by HHS.

The Centers of Excellence (COE) program in health professions education for under-represented minority (URM) individuals is authorized by section 736 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), 42 U.S.C. 293 (2011). The purpose of this final notice is to inform interested individuals of the criteria that will be used to determine the eligibility of designated health professions schools to apply for COE funding in fiscal year (FY) 2012 and subsequent fiscal years. The Supplementary Information in this Notice provides a brief synopsis of the public comments that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) received on the updates to the proposed eligibility criteria in response to the November 7, 2011 Federal Register Notice, specifically addressing: 1) the proposed graduation threshold eligibility criteria, 2) the COE eligibility criteria in general, and 3) the purpose of the COE program as authorized by the PHS Act.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is issuing a non-competitive replacement award under the Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program (TRCGP) to the California Telehealth Network in order to continue advancement of the effective use of telehealth technology that will facilitate the provision of health care services to rural, medically-underserved California residents.