Weekly Legislative & Regulatory Round-up
Week of March 13 - 19, 2010
| GAO reports |
Medicare Part D: Spending, Beneficiary Out-of-Pocket Costs, and Efforts to Obtain Price Concessions for Certain High-Cost Drugs GAO-10-529T
Environmental Health: High-level Strategy and Leadership Needed to Continue Progress toward Protecting Children from Environmental Threats GAO-10-205
Environmental Health: Opportunities for Greater Focus, Direction, and Top-Level Commitment to Children's Health at EPA GAO-10-545T
Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request: U.S. Government Accountability Office GAO-10-451T
| OIG reports |
Review of Additional Rebates for Brand-Name Drugs With Multiple Versions (A-06-09-00033)
Exclusions and Reinstatements Occurring in the Month of February 2010
Review of California’s Department of Health Care Services Fiscal Year 2007 Payment Error Rate Measurement Universes (A-06-08-00050)
| Bills introduced |
|
Number/ Title |
Date Introduced | Sponsor | Description |
H.R. 4836 |
3/12/10 |
CAROLD SHEA-PORTER(D-NH) |
A bill to amend part D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to schools for the development of asthma management plans and the purchase of asthma inhalers and spacers for emergency use, as necessary; Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor. |
H. Res. 1179 |
3/12/10 |
DANNY DAVIS (D-IL) |
A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that biotechnology firms meeting small business standards are critical to the United States, its people and its economy because they create new medicines, services, and jobs and meet unmet needs related to populations and patients with infectious and chronic diseases, including those of medically underserved populations; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 4846 |
3/15/10 |
CAROLYN MCCARTHY (D-NY) |
A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct programs to screen adolescents, and educate health professionals, with respect to bleeding disorders; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
S. 3130 |
3/16/10 |
ROBERT BENNET (R-UT) |
A bill to provide that, if comprehensive health care reform legislation provides Americans access to quality, affordable health care is not enacted by June 30, 2010, then Members of Congress may not participate or be enrolled in a Federal employees health benefits plan under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code; Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. |
H.R. 4852 |
3/16/10 |
STEVE COHEN (D-TN) |
A bill to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a grant program to improve the ability of trauma center hospitals and airports to withstand earthquakes, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. |
S. 3135 |
3/17/10 |
RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL) |
A bill to enhance global healthcare cooperation and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary |
H. Res. 1188 |
3/17/10 |
PARKER GRIFFITH (D-AL) |
A resolution ensuring an up or down vote on certain health care legislation; Referred to the Committee on Rules. |
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration on Aging
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Alzheimer's Disease Supportive Services Program
Standardized Data Collection
ACTION: Notice.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
Proposed Project: Ryan White Treatment and Modernization Act Part A
Minority AIDS Initiative Report (the Part A MAI Report). (OMB No. 0915-
0304): Extension
Health Resources and Services Administration
Notice of Availability of Final Policy Document
ACTION: Final agency guidance and response to public comments.
SUMMARY: HRSA is publishing a Final Agency Guidance (``Policy
Information Notice'' (PIN) 2010-01) to describe the documentation that
will be considered by the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) in confirming public agency status for organizations that self-
identify as public agencies (also referred to in previous PINs as
``public entities'' or ``public applicants'') for Health Center Program
grant funding authorized under section 330 of the Public Health Service
Act, as amended, and/or for Federally Qualified Health Center Look-
Alike designation.
Health Resources and Services Administration
National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice; Notice
Dates and Times: April 22, 2010, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
April 23, 2010, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Place: Doubletree Bethesda Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, 8120
Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Status: The meeting will be open to the public.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
Determination That CERNEVIT-12 (Multivitamins for Infusion) Was
Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness
ACTION: Notice
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology
ACTION: Notice of Meetings.
Name of Committees: HIT Policy Committee's Workgroups: Meaningful
Use, Privacy & Security Policy, Strategic Plan, Adoption/Certification,
and Nationwide Health Information Infrastructure (NHIN) workgroups.
Date and Time: The HIT Policy Committee Workgroups will hold the
following public meetings during April 2010: April 6th Strategic Plan
Workgroup, 12 to 3 p.m./ET, a public listening session, details will be
posted on ONC Web site; April 8th Meaningful Use Workgroup, 10 a.m. to
12 p.m./ET; April 14th NHIN Workgroup, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m./ET; April 16th
Strategic Plan Workgroup, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m./ET; April 20th Meaningful
Use Workgroup hearing on Patient Engagement, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m./ET; April
26th Privacy & Security Policy Workgroup, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and April
30th Certification/Adoption Workgroup, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m./ET.
Location: All workgroup meetings will be available via webcast; for
instructions on how to listen via telephone or Web visit http://healthit.hhs.gov.
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology
ACTION: Notice of meetings.
Name of Committees: HIT Standards Committee's Workgroups: Clinical
Operations Vocabulary, Clinical Quality, Implementation, and Privacy &
Security workgroups.
Date and Time: The HIT Standards Committee Workgroups will hold the
following public meetings during April 2010: April 1st Privacy &
Security Workgroup, webcast only, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m./ET; April 23rd
Clinical Quality Workgroup, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m./ET; April 23rd Privacy &
Security Workgroup, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m./ET; and April 30th Implementation
Workgroup, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m./ET.
Location: All workgroup meetings will be available via webcast;
visit http://healthit.hhs.gov for instructions on how to listen via
telephone or Web. Please check the ONC Web site for additional
information as it becomes available.
National Institutes of Health
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Announcement of Workshop on Control/Comparison Groups for Trials of
Non-Pharmacologic Interventions
ACTION: Notice.
The Workshop will take place on April 26-27, 2010 in Rockville,
Maryland. Seating is limited.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
SEP Meeting on: OS ARRA: Expansion of Research Capabilities to
Study CE Complex Patients (R24).
Date: April 5-6, 2010 (Open on April 5 from 8 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
and closed for the remainder of the meeting).
Place: Bethesda North Marriott, 5701 Marinelli Road, Conference
Room TBD, Bethesda, Maryland 20852.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
SEP Meeting on: Medical Liability and Safety Demonstration
Projects (R18).
Date: March 31-April 1, 2010 (Open on March 31 from 8 a.m. to
8:15 a.m. and closed for the remainder of the meeting).
Place: Doubletree Bethesda Hotel & Executive Meeting Center,
8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Conference Room TBD, Bethesda, Maryland
20852.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
SEP Meeting on: Medical Liability and Safety Innovation Projects
(R2l)
Date: April 2, 2010 (Open on April 2 from 8 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
and closed for the remainder of the meeting)
Place: Doubletree Bethesda Hotel & Executive Meeting Center,
8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Conference Room TBD, Bethesda, Maryland
20852.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Meeting of the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research
and Quality
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Friday, April 9, 2010, from 9 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Eisenberg Conference Center,
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road,
Rockville, Maryland 20850.
Food and Drug Administration
Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes
and Smokeless Tobacco To Protect Children and Adolescents
ACTION: Final rule.
Food and Drug Administration
Request for Comment on Implementation of the Family Smoking
Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking.
Health Resources and Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection:
Proposed Project: National Practitioner Data Bank for Adverse
Information on Physicians and Other Health Care Practitioners--45 CFR
Part 60 Regulations and Forms (OMB No. 0915-0126)—Extension.