Quality standards and certification requirements for mammography facilities--FDA. Interim rule with request for comments

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing regulations to implement the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 (the MQSA), which requires the establishment of a Federal certification and inspection program for mammography facilities; regulations and standards for accrediting bodies for mammography facilities; and standards for mammography equipment, personnel, and practices, including quality assurance. This rule establishes requirements for certification of mammography facilities, including quality standards for mammography. This action is being taken to assure safe, accurate, and reliable mammography on a nationwide basis. The agency requests comments on the contents of this document.     

Allotments from federal employees. Interim rule with request for comments

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing interim regulations dealing with the use of OPM's allotment authority to allow for pretax salary reductions as part of OPM's flexible benefits plan. Using an allotment from an employee's pay to the employing agency allows certain payments (e.g., employee health insurance premiums, contributions to a flexible spending arrangement, and contributions to a health savings account) to be paid with pretax dollars, as provided under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, these regulations include certain policy clarifications and changes to make the regulations more readable.     

Medical loss ratio rebate requirements for non-federal governmental plans. Interim final rule with request for comments

This interim final rule with comment period revises the regulations implementing medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements for health insurance issuers under the Public Health Service Act in order to establish rules governing the distribution of rebates by issuers in group markets for non-Federal governmental plans.     

Health maintenance organizations--Public Health Service. Interim rule with request for comments

This notice amends the Public Health Service regulations on Federal qualification of health maintenance organizations [HMOs]. The purpose is to provide greater flexibility for already existing prepaid health care delivery systems to become transitionally qualified HMOs. Adoption of this amendment wil allow entities operating these systems to satisfy the requirement that basic health services be provided to members by demonstrating that members enrolled at the time of transitional qualification receive hospital services or are insured for hospital services through an arrangement not made by the HMO.     

Audit requirements for institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations--Department of Commerce. Interim final rule with request for comments

The Department of Commerce is implementing Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance provided in Circular A-133, "Audits of Institutions of Higher Education and Other Nonprofit Organizations." As a result of this interim final rule, institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations that receive Federal assistance are required to periodically perform audits and submit the audit reports to the Federal government. This interim final rule establishes uniform audit requirements applicable to these organizations and defines the Department's responsibilities for implementing and monitoring these requirements.     

Federal employees health benefits program; coverage of temporary employees--OPM. Interim rule with request for comments

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing interim regulations to clarify the eligibility of temporary employees to continue their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage when they become compensationers. These regulations are necessary to distinguish between retirement as an employee annuitant and "retirement" as a compensationer. OPM is also issuing regulations to allow temporary employees an opportunity to change health plans if their salary is insufficient to pay the premium withholdings, to show the effective date of such an enrollment change, and to provide for the termination of these employees' enrollment if they do not change health plans.     

Interim procedures for certain health care workers--INS. Interim rule with request for comments

This interim rule, which has been drafted in consultation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), amends regulations of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Service or INS) in order to implement, on a temporary basis, certain portions of section 343 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility act of 1996 (IIRIRA) as they relate to prospective immigrants. Section 343, which was codified at section 212(a)(5)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act or INA), provides that aliens coming to the United States to perform labor in covered health care occupations (other than as a physician) are inadmissible unless they present a certificate relating to their education, qualifications, and English language proficiency. This requirement is intended to ensure that aliens possess proficiency in the skills that affect the provision of health care services in the United States. This rule establishes a temporary mechanism to allow applicants for immigrant visas or adjustment of status in the fields of nursing and occupational therapy of satisfy the requirements of section 343 on a provisional basis. The Service expects to publish a proposed rule in the near future which will implement in full the provisions of section 343.     

Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP): administrative implementation, interim final rule. Interim final rule with request for comments

The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP or Program). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing this interim final rule with request for comments in order to establish administrative policies, procedures, and requirements for the CICP. This Program is designed to provide benefits to certain persons who sustain serious physical injuries or death as a direct result of administration or use of covered countermeasures identified by the Secretary in declarations issued under the PREP Act. In addition, the Secretary may provide death benefits to certain survivors of individuals who died as the direct result of such covered injuries or their health complications. The Secretary is seeking public comments on this interim final rule.     

Cost allocation plans for public assistance programs--Health and Human Services Department. Interim final rule with comment period

This rule revises existing regulations concerning the preparation, submission and approval of State agency cost allocation plans used in computing claims for Federal Financial Participation under public assistance programs. It also reflects the transfer of responsibility for review and approval of the plans to the Division of Cost Allocation (DCA) in the Department's regional offices. This responsibility was previously assigned to the Social and Rehabilitation Service which was abolished by Secretarial Order published on March 9, 1977 (42 FR 13262). The current rule has been rewritten so that it is clearer, easier to understand and more specific. The Department's Informal Grant Appeals regulation relative to cost allocation plans and indirect cost rates (45 CFR Part 75) is also being updated and revised to make it consistent with Supart E, Cost allocation plans, of 45 CFR Part 95, General administration--grant programs (public assistance and medical assistance). Although these regulations are final, the Department has decided to invite public comments for the reasons described in the Supplementary Information below. Comments may be submitted in the manner described below. If changes are needed as a result of the comments received, those changes will be published in the Federal Register along with the comments received and the Department's responses to those comments.     

Health insurance issuers implementing medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Interim final rule with request for comments

This document contains the interim final regulation implementing medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements for health insurance issuers under the Public Health Service Act, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act).     

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).     

Establishment, maintenance, and availability of records: amendment to record availability requirements. Interim final rule; request for comments

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its regulations on establishment, maintenance, and availability of records. FDA is issuing this interim final rule (IFR) to amend FDA's regulation on the record availability requirements to implement the amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) made by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FSMA amendment expands FDA's former records access authority beyond records relating to the specific suspect article of food to records relating to any other article of food that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) reasonably believes is likely to be affected in a similar manner. In addition, the FSMA amendment permits FDA to access records relating to articles of food for which the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to the article of food, and any other article of food that the Secretary reasonably believes is likely to be affected in a similar manner, will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. This expanded records access authority will further help improve FDA's ability to respond to, and further contain threats of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.     

Block grant programs: implementation of OMB Circular A-133--HHS. Interim final rule with request for comments

This interim final rule implements Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-133 for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) block programs.     

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.     

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993--Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor. Interim final rule; request for comments

This document contains interim regulations implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 called ("FMLA" or "the Act"). The Act is effective on August 5, 1993, six months from the date of its enactment. Where a collective bargaining agreement is in effect on August 5, 1993, the Act is effective when the collective bargaining agreement terminates or February 5, 1994, whichever is earlier. The purpose of these regulations is to set forth the requirements of Title I and Title IV of the Act. Title I applies to covered private employers and public agencies (except for most of the Federal Government, which is governed by Title II). Title IV of the Act primarily concerns the relationship between FMLA and other laws, as well as collective bargaining agreements and other employer plans and programs.     

Interim status standards for owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities--Environmental Protection Agency. Interim final rule and interim final amendments to rules and request for comments

The Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] has issued standards applicable to owners and operators of hazardous waste management facilities as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act [RCRA]. One of these standards bans the disposal of most containerized liquid hazardous waste in landfills, effective November 19, 1981. As a result of reconsideration of this restriction, EPA is today promulgating an interim final rule to allow the disposal of small containers of liquid and solid hazardous waste in landfills provided that the wastes are placed in overpacked drums [lab packs] in the manner specified in today's rule. The purpose of today's rule is to provide an environmental sound disposal option for generators of small containers of hazardous wastes, such as laboratories.