Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA)--VA. Final rule

This document amends the medical regulations concerning medical care for survivors and dependents of certain veterans. These regulations establish basic policies and procedures governing the administration of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), including CHAMPVA claims processing procedures, benefits and services.     

The analysis of the unfavourable outcomes of dental care based on the materials of forensic medical examinations carried out by the Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise, Moscow Department of Health

The analysis of the unfavourable outcomes of dental care based on the materials of forensic medical examinations carried out by the Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise, Moscow Department of Health.     

Department of Defense--Implementation of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services; Amendment No. 4. Final rule

This amendment extends benefits under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) for abortion services, and adds an exclusion in the provisions for cosmetic, reconstructive, and/or plastic surgery procedures. This amendment also implements language contained in Public Law 96-154, Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 1980, and Public Law 96-173, effective October 1, 1979, which deletes the CHAMPUS exclusion of benefits for Military Service-connected disabilities.     

The Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act. Department of Veterans Affairs. Final rule

This document amends Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adjudication regulations to reflect changes made by the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act. These changes concern payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving spouses of certain former prisoners of war; the provision of health care, education and home loan benefits to surviving spouses upon termination of their remarriages; and the addition of bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma to the list of diseases that VA presumes are the result of exposure to radiation during active military service.     

Indian Health Service; statement of organization, functions, and delegations of authority--PHS

Part H, chapter HG (Indian Health Service) of the Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service (PHS), chapter HG, Indian Health Service (IHS), 52 FR 47053-67, December 11, 1987, as most recently amended at 56 FR 22015-16, May 13, 1991, is amended to reflect the establishment of an organizational substructure for the Bemidji Area Office to more accurately reflect current activities in the Area Office.     

Supplemental standards of ethical conduct and financial disclosure requirements for employees of the Department of Health and Human Services. Interim final rule with request for comments

The Department of Health and Human Services, with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is amending the HHS regulation that supplements the OGE Standards of Ethical Conduct. This interim final rule specifies additional procedural and substantive requirements that are necessary to address ethical issues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and updates nomenclature, definitions, and procedures applicable to other components of the Department. The rule: Revises the definition of a significantly regulated organization for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Updates the organization titles of designated separate agencies; Amends the gift exception for native artwork and craft items received from Indian tribes or Alaska Native organizations; Aligns the FDA prohibited holdings limit with the de minimis holdings exemption in OGE regulations; Revises prior approval procedures for outside activities; and, subject to certain exceptions: Prohibits NIH employees from engaging in certain outside activities with supported research institutions, health care providers or insurers, health-related trade or professional associations, and biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and other companies substantially affected by the programs, policies, or operations of the NIH; Bars NIH employees who file a public or confidential financial disclosure report from holding financial interests in substantially affected organizations; Subjects NIH non-filer employees to a monetary cap on holdings in such organizations; Specifies for NIH employees prior approval procedures for and limitations on the receipt of certain awards from outside sources; and Imposes a one-year disqualification period during which NIH employees are precluded from official actions involving an award donor. In addition, the Department is adding a new supplemental part to expand financial disclosure reporting requirements for certain outside activities and to ensure that prohibited financial interests are identified.     

Protection of human research subjects. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Final rule

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is amending its human subjects protection regulations. These regulations provide additional protections for pregnant women and human fetuses involved in research and pertains to human in vitro fertilization. The rule continues the special protections for pregnant women and human fetuses that have existed since 1975. The rule enhances the opportunity for participation of pregnant women in research by promoting a policy of presumed inclusion, by permitting the pregnant woman to be the sole decision maker with regard to her participation in research, and by exempting from the regulations six categories of research. The rule also provides a mechanism for the Secretary of HHS to conduct or fund research not otherwise approvable after consultation with an expert panel and public review and comment.     

Availability of information to the public--Department of Health and Human Services. Proposed rule

The Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to amend its regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This proposal would increase fees for FOIA searches and copying, to reflect increased costs to the Department. It also proposes guidelines for the waiver or reduction of fees.     

Grants to State Health Planning and Development Agencies--HRSA. Notice regarding grants to State Health Planning and Development Agencies--determination of population of the States

This notice provides the population figures the Department will use when it determines the amount of grants to State Health Planning and Development Agencies (States Agencies).     

Interim final rules for nondiscrimination in health coverage in the group market. Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury; Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Department of Labor; Health Care Financing Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. Interim final rules with request for comments

This document contains interim final rules governing the provisions prohibiting discrimination based on a health factor for group health plans and issuers of health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan. The rules contained in this document implement changes made to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Code), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) enacted as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).     

Notice regarding the Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act of 1992--HRSA. Notice

On May 8, 1995, the Secretary of Health and Human Services published a final rule implementing certain provisions of the Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act of 1992 (the Act). The Act provides for liability protection for certain grantees of the Public Health Service and for certain individuals associated with these grantees. The Health Resources and Services Administration is the agency within the Department responsible for administering certain aspects of the Act. This notice provides further guidance regarding the final rule.     

Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Services. Notification of a new system of records: Three Mile Island mental health survey, respondent records

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act, the Public Health Service (PHS) is publishing notice of a proposal to establish a new system of records entitled "Three Mile Island Mental Health Survey, Respondent Records, HHS/ADAMHA/NIMH." The Disaster Assistance and Emergency Mental Health Section, Division of Special Mental Health Programs, National Institute of Mental Health, is responsible for the system. The purpose of the system is to enable the Government to arrange followup study to the currently-funded research project entitled "The Mental Health of Residents Near the Three Mile Island Reactor: A Comparative Study of Selected Groups." PHS invites interested persons to submit comments on the proposed routine uses on or before November 3, 1980.     

Regulations implementing the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, as amended. Employment Standards Administration, Labor. Final rule

On January 22, 1997, the Department issued a proposed rule to amend the regulations implementing the Black Lung Benefits Act. 62 FR 3338-3435 (Jan. 22, 1997). When the comment period closed on August 21, 1997, the Department had received written submissions from almost 200 interested persons, including coal miners, coal mine operators, insurers, physicians, and attorneys. The Department also held hearings in Charleston, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. at which over 50 people testified. The Department carefully reviewed the testimony and the comments and, on October 8, 1999, issued a second notice of proposed rulemaking. 64 FR 54966-55072 (Oct. 8, 1999). In its second notice, the Department proposed changing several of the most important provisions in its initial proposal. The Department also explained its decision not to alter the original proposal with respect to other key regulations based on the comments received to date. Finally, the Department prepared an initial regulatory flexibility analysis. In order to ensure that small businesses that could be affected by the Department's proposal received appropriate notice of the Department's proposed changes, the Department mailed a copy of the second notice of proposed rulemaking to all coal mine operators contained in the databases maintained by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The Department initially allowed interested parties until December 7, 1999 to file comments to its second proposal, but extended that period until January 6, 2000. The Department received 37 written submissions before the close of the comment period, from groups representing both coal miners and coal mine operators. The Department also received comments from individual miners, various coal mining and insurance companies, as well as from claims processing organizations, attorneys, and various professional organizations. The Department has carefully reviewed all of the comments, and is issuing its final rule. The rule contains a final regulatory flexibility analysis as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act.     

澳大利亚基本公共卫生服务的法律保障（三）——立法动向和借鉴意义

通过不断加强公共卫生立法,澳大利亚联邦政府在卫生与老年部下设了国家预防保健局,日益关注公民权利的法律保护,推动示范法律的研究和运用,将风险管理引入立法程序,促进联邦与州/特区的立法协作。中澳两国存在特有的公共卫生关系,澳大利亚在公共卫生法律方面的实践和经验,为我国提供了借鉴意义,特别是法律示范和统一机制、立法过程的风险评估以及基本公共卫生服务的公平性等方面。     

Interim rules for group health plans and health insurance issuers under the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act--IRS; DoL; HCFA. Interim rules with request for comments

This document contains interim rules governing the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996 (NMHPA). The interim rules provide guidance to employers, group health plans, health insurance issuers, and participants and beneficiaries relating to new requirements for hospital lengths of stay in connection with childbirth. The rules contained in this document implement changes to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) made by NMHPA, and changes to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Code) enacted as part of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA '97). Interested persons are invited to submit comments on the interim rules for consideration by the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services (Departments) in developing final rules.     

Health information technology: revisions to initial set of standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for electronic health record technology. Interim final rule with request for comments

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing this interim final rule with a request for comment to remove the implementation specifications related to public health surveillance.     

HIPAA Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act--IRS. Notice of proposed rulemaking by cross-reference to temporary regulations

Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations relating to minimum hospital length-of-stay requirements imposed on group health plans with respect to mothers and newborns. The hospital length-of-stay requirements were added to the Internal Revenue Code by section 1531 of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. The IRS is issuing the temporary regulations at the same time that the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Health Care Financing Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are issuing substantially similar interim final regulations relating to hospital length-of-stay requirements added by the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996 to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act. The temporary regulations provide guidance to employers and group health plans relating to the new hospital length-of-stay requirements. The text of those temporary regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations.     

Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); certified clinical social workers--Office of the Secretary, DoD. Amendment of final rule

This final rule amends DoD Regulation 6010.8-R (32 CFR 199) which implements the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). This amendment implements language contained in the Department of Defense Appropriation Act, 1983, Pub. L. 97-377, which authorizes CHAMPUS payments to certified clinical social workers who practice independent of physician referral and supervision.     

Semi-annual agenda of regulations: Health and Human Services Department. Publication of semi-annual agenda of regulations

The President's February 17. 1981, Executive Order (12291) and the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 require the Department to publish an agenda of significant regulations being developed and an indication of those regulatory actions that are being analyzed for their effect on small businesses. The Department published its last agenda on November 10, 1981.     

HIPAA Mental Health Parity Act--IRS. Notice of proposed rulemaking by cross-reference to temporary regulations

Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the IRS is issuing temporary regulations relating to mental health parity requirements imposed on group health plans. These requirements were added to the Internal Revenue Code by section 1532 of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. The IRS is issuing the temporary regulations at the same time that the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Health Care Financing Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are issuing substantially similar interim final regulations relating to mental health parity requirements added by the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act. The temporary regulations provide guidance to employers and group health plans relating to the new mental health parity requirements. The text of those temporary regulations also serves as the text of these proposed regulations.