Weekly Legislative & Regulatory Round-up
Week of January 30 - February 5, 2010
| GAO reports |
No relevant reports.
| OIG reports |
Fiscal Year 2011 President's Budget Request for HHS OIG: Online Performance Appendix (PDF)
| Bills introduced |
|
Number/ Title |
Date Introduced | Sponsor | Description | H.R. 4568 |
2/4/10 |
PETE SESSIONS (R-TX) |
A bill to direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program under which the Secretaries make payments for certain treatments of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder; Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
H. Res. 1056 |
2/4/10 |
JOHN DUNCAN (R-TN) |
A resolution expressing support for designation of April as National Limb Loss Awareness Month; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
S. 2984 |
2/4/10 |
MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA) |
A bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise regulations implementing the statutory reporting and auditing requirements for the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (``DSH'') payment program to be consistent with the scope of the statutory provisions and avoid substantive changes to preexisting DSH policy; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 2987 |
2/4/10 |
JOHN ENSIGN (R-NV) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend the exceptions process for one year with respect to the caps on payments for therapy services under the Medicare program; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 2988 |
2/4/10 |
JOHN ENSIGN (R-NV) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend the exceptions process for two years with respect to caps on payments for therapy services under the Medicare program; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 2997 |
2/4/10 |
ROGER WICKER (R-MS) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the update under the Medicare physician fee schedule for years beginning with 2010 and to sunset the application of the sustainable growth rate formula, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 3000 |
2/4/10 |
JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV) |
A bill to extend the increase in the FMAP provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for an additional 6 months; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
H.R. 4601 |
2/4/10 |
EARL BLUMENAUER (D-OR) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Nurse; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 4615 |
2/4/10 |
DIANE WATSON (D-CA) |
A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require dentists to provide patients with a fact sheet before performing any dental restoration work, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
| Federal Register notices |
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: 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: ``Evaluation of the GuideLines Into Decision Support
(GLIDES).''
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by March 3, 2010.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: 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: ``Studying the Implementation of a Chronic Care Toolkit and
Practice Coaching In Practices Serving Vulnerable Populations.''
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by April 2, 2010.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
In accordance with section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), announcement is made of a Health Care
Policy and Research Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) meeting.
SEP Meeting on: ARRA: Limited Competition ``NRSA CE Development
Award'' (T32)
Date: March 3, 2010 (Open on March 3 from 1 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.
and closed for the remainder of the meeting).
Place: Hilton Rockville Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville
Pike, Madison Conference Room, Rockville, Maryland 20850.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
In accordance with section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), announcement is made of a Health Care
Policy and Research Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) meeting.
SEP Meeting on: Transforming Primary Care (Ri 8).
Date: March 9-10, 2010 (Open on March 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45
a.m. and closed for the remainder of the meeting).
Place: Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, 8120
Wisconsin Avenue, Conference Room TBD, Bethesda, Maryland 20852.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
SEP Meeting on: ARRA: Limited Competition ``AHRQ Institutional
Training Grants for CE'' (K12).
Date: March 3, 2010 (Open on March 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
and closed for the remainder of the meeting).
Place: Hilton Rockville Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville
Pike, Madison Conference Room, Rockville, Maryland 20850.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
In accordance with section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), announcement is made of a Health Care
Policy and Research Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) meeting.
SEP Meeting on: ARRA: Limited Competition ``Electronic Data
Methods'' (U13).
Date: February 26, 2010 (Open on February 26 from 8 a.m. to 8:15
a.m. and closed for the remainder of the meeting).
Place: Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center, 5701
Marinelli Road, Forest Glen Conference Room, Bethesda, Maryland
20852.
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employee Benefits Security Administration
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Interim Final Rules Under the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008
ACTION: Interim final rules with request for comments.
SUMMARY: This document contains interim final rules implementing the
Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction
Equity Act of 2008, which requires parity between mental health or
substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits with
respect to financial requirements and treatment limitations under group
health plans and health insurance coverage offered in connection with a
group health plan.
DATES: Effective date. These interim final regulations are effective on
April 5, 2010.
Comment date. Comments are due on or before May 3, 2010.
Applicability date. These interim final regulations generally apply
to group health plans and group health insurance issuers for plan years
beginning on or after July 1, 2010.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
Workshop on Pediatric Neurological and Neurocognitive Assessments
for Cardiovascular Devices; Public Workshop
ACTION: Notice of public workshop.
Date and Time: The public workshop will be held on March 25, 2010,
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants are encouraged to arrive early to
ensure time for parking and security screening before the meeting.
Security screening will begin at 7:30 a.m. and check-in will begin at 8
a.m.
Location: The public workshop will be held at the Food and Drug
Administration, White Oak Campus, Bldg. 2, Central Shared Use Building,
rm. 2047, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20903.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Implementation of Section 5001 of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Adjustments to the First Quarter of Fiscal
Year 2010 Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Rates for Federal
Matching Shares for Medicaid and Title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption
Assistance and Guardianship Assistance Programs
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice provides the adjusted Federal Medical Assistance
Percentage (FMAP) rates for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2010
(FY10) as required under Section 5001 of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Section 5001 of the ARRA provides for
temporary increases in the FMAP rates to provide fiscal relief to
states and to protect and maintain state Medicaid and certain other
assistance programs in a period of economic downturn. The increased
FMAP rates apply during a recession adjustment period that is defined
in ARRA as the period beginning October 1, 2008 and ending December 31,
2010.
DATES Effective Date: These percentages are effective for the quarter
beginning October 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment
Proposed Project: State Health Information Exchange Cooperative
Agreement Program--OMB No. 0990-0339--Extension--Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection Request. 60-Day Public Comment
Proposed Project: HAvBED Assessment for 2009-H1N1 Influenza Serious
Illness, OMB No. 0990-0344 Extension HHS Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Office of Preparedness
and Emergency Operations (OPEO).
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection Request. 60-Day Public Comment
Proposed Project: Patient Perceptions of the Delivery of Health
Care Through the Use of an Electronic Health Record (New)--OMB No.
0990-NEW--Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology.
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment
Proposed Project: ARRA Section 3012 Health Information Technology
Extension Program: Regional Centers Cooperative Agreement Program OMB
0990-0340--Extension-Office of the National Coordinator for
Health Information Technology.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Proposed Project: Environmental Health Impacts on Women and Children in Low-income
Multifamily Housing--NEW--National Center for Environmental Health
(NCEH) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Announcement of Applications From
Hospitals Requesting Waiver for Organ Procurement Service Area
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
SUMMARY: Two hospitals have requested waivers of statutory requirements
that would otherwise require the hospitals to enter into an agreement
with their designated Organ Procurement Organization (OPO). Both
requests were made in accordance with section 1138(a)(2) of the Social
Security Act (the Act). This notice requests comments from OPOs and the
general public for our consideration in determining whether we should
grant the requested waivers.
DATES: Comment Date: To be assured consideration, comments must be
received at one of the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m.
on April 5, 2010.
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology
HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
Date and Time: The meeting will be held on February 17, 2010, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m./Eastern Time.
Location: The Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW.,
Washington, DC. The hotel telephone number is 202-234-0700.
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology
HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
Date and Time: The meeting will be held on February 24, 2010, from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m./Eastern Time.
Location: The Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW.,
Washington, DC. The hotel telephone number is 202-234-0700.
Health Resources and Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
Proposed Project: Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education
Payment Program (CHGME Payment Program) (OMB No. 0915-0247)—Extension
Health Resources and Services Administration
Part C Early Intervention Services Grant Under the Ryan White
HIV/AIDS Program
ACTION: Notice of noncompetitive award of Part C funds for Saint
SUMMARY: HRSA will be providing Part C Funds for Saint Michael's
Medical Center as a noncompetitive extension in order to ensure
continuity of critical HIV medical and clinical care and treatment
services to clients in Metropolitan Newark, Essex, and Union Counties
in New Jersey.
No relevant notices.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment
Proposed Project: The Effect of Reducing Falls on Acute and Long-
Term Care Expenses OMB No. 0990-0308--Extension--Assistant Secretary
Planning Evaluation (ASPE).