Standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, DHHS. Final rule

This rule includes standards to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The rules below, which apply to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and certain health care providers, present standards with respect to the rights of individuals who are the subjects of this information, procedures for the exercise of those rights, and the authorized and required uses and disclosures of this information. The use of these standards will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public and private health programs and health care services by providing enhanced protections for individually identifiable health information. These protections will begin to address growing public concerns that advances in electronic technology and evolution in the health care industry are resulting, or may result in, a substantial erosion of the privacy surrounding individually identifiable health information maintained by health care providers, health plans and their administrative contractors. This rule implements the privacy requirements of the Administrative Simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.     

Health insurance reform: standards for electronic transactions. Office of the Secretary, HHS. Final rule

This rule adopts standards for eight electronic transactions and for code sets to be used in those transactions. It also contains requirements concerning the use of these standards by health plans, health care clearinghouses, and certain health care providers. The use of these standard transactions and code sets will improve the Medicare and Medicaid programs and other Federal health programs and private health programs, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care industry in general, by simplifying the administration of the system and enabling the efficient electronic transmission of certain health information. It implements some of the requirements of the Administrative Simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.     

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.     

Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); amendment on electric-powered, cart-type vehicles--Office of the Secretary of Defense. Final rule

This amends language in the CHAMPUS Regulation to allow benefit consideration for electric-powered, cart-type vehicles. This revised language will allow benefit consideration for these vehicles which may be appropriately used as alternatives to electric wheelchairs, when they are medically necessary and certified by a physician to best meet the patient's medical care needs based on the patient's physical condition and which can be operated safely by the patient.     

Insured maximum mortgage amount for hospitals--Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing. HUD. Proposed rule

The Department proposes to modify its regulations governing the maximum mortgage principal amount that it will insure for a new or rehabilitated hospital. Under its existing regulations, the Department can insure a mortgage in any amount that does not exceed 90 percent of HUD's estimate of the replacement cost of the hospital (including major movable equipment). Under the proposal, however, the loan to replacement cost ratio would vary for insured mortgages on projects where the replacement cost exceeds 100 million dollars. In essence, the mortgagor's equity requirements would be required to increase as the principal obligation sought to be insured increased. This proposal is intended to (a) mitigate the possibility of large-scale defaults in future years; (b) ensure the long-term adequacy of the Department's insurance fund, and (c) avoid undue concentration of insurance commitments in a relatively small number of projects.     

Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner--Revision no. 9, increases of fire safety requirements for HUD minimum property standards (MPS). Final rule

This rule improves and clarifies fire safety requirements for the HUD Minimum Property Standards (MPS) for Multifamily Dwellings Handbook 4910.1 and MPS for Care-Type Housing Handbook 4920.1.     

Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); revisions to the eligibility requirements. Department of Defense (DOD), Office of the Secretary of Defense. Final rule

This final rule revises the comprehensive CHAMPUS regulation pertaining to basic CHAMPUS benefits in accordance with several statutory changes. This final rule: sets forth the requirements for reinstatement of CHAMPUS eligibility for beneficiaries under age 65 who would otherwise have lost eligibility for CHAMPUS due to eligibility for Medicare as a result of disability or end-stage renal disease (ESRD); establishes new classes of CHAMPUS eligibles; establishes the Transitional Assistance Management Program which provides transitional health care for members (and their dependents) who served on active duty in support of a contingency operation and for members (and their dependents) who are involuntarily separated from active duty; allows former spouses who buy a conversion health policy to keep CHAMPUS eligibility for twenty-four (24) months for preexisting conditions that are not covered by the conversion policy; and makes minor technical revisions to the double coverage provisions. In order to expedite compliance with the statutory requirements, all of these provisions have been implemented under interim instructions. This final rule also adds a new category of eligible beneficiary under the Continued Health Care Benefit Program.     

Health maintenance organizations--PHS. Final rule; confirmation of interim rule

This document finalizes, without change, the interim rule published on January 12, 1983, that amends the Public Health Service regulations on Federal qualification of health maintence organizations (HMOs) to provide for greater flexibility for already existing prepaid health care delivery systems to become transitionally qualified HMOs.     

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.     

National Institutes of Health Center Grants. Final rule

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is amending its regulations governing center grants to reflect their applicability to several new grant programs, including research on autism, Alzheimer's disease, fragile X disease, and minority health disparities and other types of health disparities.     

Health insurance reform: security standards. Final rule

This final rule adopts standards for the security of electronic protected health information to be implemented by health plans, health care clearinghouses, and certain health care providers. The use of the security standards will improve the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and other Federal health programs and private health programs, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care industry in general by establishing a level of protection for certain electronic health information. This final rule implements some of the requirements of the Administrative Simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).     

Confidentiality of medical quality assurance (QA) records and delegation of authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense; removal--DoD. Final rule

This document removes the Department of Defense's Confidentiality of Medical Quality Assurance (QA) Records and the organizational charter on the Delegation of Authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense codified in the CFR. The parts have served the purpose for which they were intended in the CFR and are no longer necessary.     

Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); medical documentation--Department of Defense. Final rule

This final rule amends DoD 6010.8-R (32 CFR part 199) which implements the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services. The final rule clarifies and strengthens medical documentation requirements under the CHAMPUS. This will assist in the maintenance of an adequate level of quality care and help ensure that payment is made only for services rendered.     

Traineeships. National Institutes of Health, HHS. Final rule

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is amending the regulations governing traineeships to add conditions under which NIH may terminate traineeship awards and revise the authorities for the awards.     

Office of the Secretary; TRICARE; changes included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005; TRICARE dental program. Final rule

The Department is publishing this final rule to implement sections 711 and 715 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (NDAA for FY05), Public Law 108-375. Specifically, that legislation makes young dependents of deceased Service members eligible for enrollment in the TRICARE Dental program when the child was not previously enrolled because of age, and authorizes post-graduate dental residents in a dental treatment facility of the uniformed services under a graduate dental education program accredited by the American Dental Association to provide dental treatment to dependents who are 12 years of age or younger and who are covered by a dental plan established under 10 U.S.C. 1076a. This adopts the interim rule published on September 21, 2005 (70 FR 55251).     

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 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.