Public Health Service--Grants for graduate programs in health administration. Final rule

This rule sets forth requirements for Programs for Grants for Graduate Programs in Health Administration under section 791 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295h), as amended by the Health Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-484).     

Public Health Service--Grants for allied health projects. Final rule

These regulations set forth requirements for grants to: (a) Establish regional or State systems to assure that allied health and nursing personnel needs in the area are met by coordinating and managing allied health professions and nursing education and training within and among educational institutions and their clinical affiliates; (b) Establish or improve recruitment, training, and retraining programs for allied health personnel; and (c) Establish career ladders and advancement programs for practicing allied health personnel. These regulations implement section 796 of the Public Health Service Act.     

Public Health Service--financial distress grants to health profession schools. Final regulations

The Public Health Service is issuing regulations to implement the program of financial distress grants to health professions schools to assist them in meeting their costs of operation, if they are in serious financial distress, or in meeting accreditation requirements, if they have a special need for assistance in meeting these requirements, and to carry out appropriate operational, managerial, and financial reforms. These grants are authorized under the Public Health Service Act.     

Program grants for black lung clinics--PHS. Final rule

The Public Health Service hereby revises the regulations governing the grants program for black lung clinics established under section 427(a) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. The revision is in keeping with the Department of Health and Human Services' desire to remove as many programmatic burdens and restrictions from grantees as possible, while maintaining program integrity.     

Public Health Service policies on research misconduct. Final rule

This final rule removes 42 CFR part 50, subpart A, "Responsibilities of Awardee and Applicant Institutions for Dealing With and Reporting Possible Misconduct in Science," and replaces it with a new, more comprehensive part 93, "Public Health Service Policies on Research Misconduct." The proposed part 93 was published for public comment on April 16, 2004. The final rule reflects both substantive and non-substantive amendments in response to public comments and to correct errors and improve clarity, but the general approach of the NPRM is retained. The purpose of the final rule is to implement legislative and policy changes applicable to research misconduct that occurred over the last several years, including the common Federal policies and procedures on research misconduct issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy on December 6, 2000.     

Indian Health Service; contract health services--PHS. Final rule

This is a final rule clarifying the regulations governing receipt of contract health services from the Indian Health Service (IHS). Under this rule, IHS is specifically designated as payor of last resort for persons defined as eligible for IHS contract health services notwithstanding any State or local law to the contrary.     

Public Health Service--Grants for traineeships in health administration, hospital administration, or health policy analysis and planning at public or nonprofit private educational institutions other than schools of public health. Final rule

This rule sets forth requirements for programs for Grants for Traineeships in Health Administration, Hospital Administration, or Health Policy Analysis and Planning at Public or Nonprofit Private Educational Institutions Other Than Schools of Public Health under Section 749 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C 294s).     

Health maintenance organizations--PHS. Final rule

This rule amends the Public Health Service regulations on health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to elaborate on the 1981 amendments to the HMO statute regarding member protection in the event of insolvency, community rating by class, and primary care within the service area of a non-metropolitan HMO. In addition, the rule removes regulatory provisions that are considered unnecessary or burdensome, such as the specification of contractual provisions, and increases one of the regulatory limits on copayments to permit HMOs to become more competitive. These amendments are made after consideration of public comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on March 22, 1983.     

Health care for homeless veterans. Final rule

This final rule establishes regulations for contracting with community-based treatment facilities in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The HCHV program assists certain homeless veterans in obtaining treatment from non-VA community-based providers. The final rule formalizes VA's policies and procedures in connection with this program and clarifies that veterans with substance use disorders may qualify for the program.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs; surety bond requirements for home health agencies--HCFA. Final rule

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA'97) requires each home health agency (HHA), in order to participate in either the Medicare or the Medicaid program, to secure a surety bond. On January 5, 1998, we published a final rule with comment period that requires that each Medicare-participating HHA obtain from an acceptable authorized Surety a surety bond that is the greater of $50,000 or 15 percent of the annual amount paid to the HHA by the Medicare program, as reflected in the HHA's most recently accepted cost report. The rule also requires that an HHA participating in Medicaid must furnish a surety bond in an amount that is the greater of $50,000 or 15 percent of its Medicaid revenues to the Medicaid State agency in each State in which it operates. The rule also requires submittal of the initial bond to HCFA or the State Medicaid agency, or both--as applicable--by February 27, 1998. Because some HHAs have not been able to obtain a surety bond in time to meet the February 27 date, we are removing the date by which HHAs are required to submit the bonds to HCFA and/or the State Medicaid Agency.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs; surety bond requirements for home health agencies--HCFA. Final rule

This final rule revises several provisions of an earlier final rule concerning surety bond requirements published in the Federal Register on January 5, 1998 (63 FR 292). This rule also establishes the surety bond submission compliance data, as described in a notice of intent and in a final rule concerning surety bond requirements published in the Federal Register on March 4, 1998 (63 FR 10730 and 10732). The March 4 documents advised the public that we intended to make technical revisions to the January 5, 1998 final rule and extend the February 27, 1998 compliance date for all home health agencies (HHAs) to furnish a surety bond to HCFA and/or the State Medicaid agency, or both, until 60 days after the date of publication of this final rule. In this rule, for Medicare-participating HHAs, we are establishing a new compliance date to submit a surety bond that is 60 days after the date of publication of this final rule. For Medicaid-participating HHAs, we are establishing a new compliance date to furnish a surety bond that is a date established by the State Medicaid agency up to 120 days after the date of publication of this final rule. We are also responding to comments we received in response to the January 5, 1998 final rule that pertain to the technical revisions we discussed in our March 4, 1998 notice. It is our intention to respond to all comments not addressed herein in a future Federal Register document. This final rule revision does not change the beginning date of the term the initial surety bond is to cover, that is, January 1, 1998.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs; surety bond requirements for home health agencies--HCFA. Final rule

This final rule revised Medicare and Medicaid regulations concerning surety bond requirements published in the Federal Register (63 FR 29648) on June 1, 1998. Those regulations specified submission compliance dates for all home health agencies (HHAs) to furnish a surety bond to HCFA and/or to the State Medicaid agency. This rule removes those submission compliance dates.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs; fire safety requirements for certain health care facilities. Final rule

This final rule amends the fire safety standards for hospitals, long-term care facilities, intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded, ambulatory surgery centers, hospices that provide inpatient services, religious nonmedical health care institutions, critical access hospitals, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly facilities. Further, this final rule adopts the 2000 edition of the Life Safety Code and eliminates references in our regulations to all earlier editions.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs; electronic health record incentive program--stage 2. Final rule

This final rule specifies the Stage 2 criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to qualify for Medicare and/or Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments. In addition, it specifies payment adjustments under Medicare for covered professional services and hospital services provided by EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs failing to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) and other program participation requirements. This final rule revises certain Stage 1 criteria, as finalized in the July 28, 2010 final rule, as well as criteria that apply regardless of Stage.     

Inmate fees for health care services. Final rule

The Bureau of Prisons (Bureau) finalizes rules describing procedures we will follow for charging inmates fees for certain kinds of health services, as required under the Federal Prisoner Health Care Copayment Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-294, October 12, 2000, 114 Stat 1038, codified at 18 U.S.C. 4048).     

Student health insurance coverage. Final rule

This final rule establishes requirements for student health insurance coverage under the Public Health Service (PHS) Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act). The final rule defines "student health insurance coverage" as a type of individual health insurance coverage, and specifies that certain PHS Act requirements are inapplicable to this type of individual health insurance coverage. This final rule also amends the medical loss ratio and annual limits requirements for student health insurance coverage under the PHS Act.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs; requirements for physician incentive plans in prepaid health care organizations--HCFA. Final rule

This final rule amends the regulations established by a March 27, 1996, final rule with comment period. The regulations govern physician incentive plans operated by Federally-qualified health maintenance organizations and competitive medical plans contracting with the Medicare program, and certain health maintenance organizations and health insuring organizations contracting with the Medicaid program. As explained in the March 27 rule, the provisions of this final rule will also have an effect on certain entities subject to the physician referral rules in section 1877 of the Social Security Act.     

Public Health Service-Criteria for designation of health manpower shortage areas. Final regulations

These regulations set forth the criteria for designation of health manpower shortage areas under section 332 of the Public Health Services Act. Entities in these areas are eligible to apply for assignment of National Health Service Corps Personnel. These areas are also eligible areas for certain loan repayment, scholarship, and other Public Health Service programs.     

Procedures for transportation workplace drug and alcohol testing programs. Final rule

The Department of Transportation is amending certain provisions of its drug and alcohol testing procedures to change instructions to collectors, laboratories, medical review officers, and employers regarding adulterated, substituted, diluted, and invalid urine specimen results. These changes are intended to create consistency with specimen validity requirements established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to clarify and integrate some measures taken in two of our own Interim Final Rules. This Final Rule makes specimen validity testing mandatory within the regulated transportation industries.     

Equipment acquired under public assistance programs--HHS. Final rule

This rule revises and consolidates current HHS regulations concerning Federal financial participation in the cost of equipment under HHS supported public assistance programs. The rule also revises and consolidates current regulations on the management and disposition of equipment under these programs. The rule would permit State public assistance agencies to claim the cost of most of their equipment acquired at the time of purchase rather than depreciating the equipment over its useful life as required by the current regulations. This change would allow these agencies to claim Federal financial participation in the cost of the equipment at an earlier date than under the current regulations and would simplify the accounting requirements associated with the equipment.