[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11104-11105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4963]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Practitioner Data Bank: Change in User Fee

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Public 
Health Service (PHS), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 
is announcing a change in the fee that is charged entities authorized 
to request information from the National Practitioner Data Bank (Data 
Bank).
    The current user fee of $6.00 for queries submitted by diskette or 
telecommunications network, with a $4.00 surcharge added for queries 
submitted on paper, has been in effect since July 1, 1993. Those fees 
were announced in the Federal Register on June 1, 1993 (58 FR 31215). A 
subsequent change in the fee structure was announced in the Federal 
Register on July 14, 1994 (59 FR 35936), at which time a $1.00 discount 
from the $6.00 fee was offered for queries who would submit their 
queries over the telecommunications network and who would pay by credit 
card. That announcement also indicated that the fee charged for 
authorized queries for information concerning an individual physician, 
dentist, or other health care practitioner would be reviewed 
periodically and revised as necessary, based upon experience. Any 
further changes in the fee, and the effective date of the change, would 
be announced in the Federal Register.
    The Data Bank is authorized by the Health Care Quality Improvement 
Act of 1986 (the Act), title IV of Public Law 99-660, as amended (42 
U.S.C. 11101 et seq.). Section 427(b)(4) of the Act authorizes the 
establishment of fees for [[Page 11105]] the costs of processing 
requests for disclosure and of providing such information.
    Final regulations at 45 CFR part 60 set forth the criteria and 
procedures for information to be reported to and disclosed by the Data 
Bank. Section 60.3 of these regulations should be consulted for the 
definition of terms used in this announcement.
    A reassessment of the full operating costs related to processing 
requests for disclosure of Data Bank information, as required by the 
DHHS Appropriations Act of 1994 (title II of Pub. L. 103-112, dated 
October 21, 1993), as well as the comparative costs of the various 
methods for filing and paying for queries, has resulted in a decision 
to offer a further discount to users when they both query pay via the 
telecommunications network as well as pay query fees by credit card, 
electronic funds transfer or such other electronic transfer options as 
may be offered in the future. The options to query and pay user fees by 
these means facilitate the querying process and make it less costly to 
both users and the Data Bank than all other available options.
    Accordingly, the Department is adjusting the user fee to provide a 
$2.00 discount from the basic $6.00 fee per name per query submitted 
and paid via the method described above, with receipt by electronic 
method. This change is effective immediately.
    The criteria set forth in Sec. 60.12(b) of the regulations and 
allowable costs are required by the Appropriations Act of 1994 were 
used in determining the amount of this new fee. The criteria include 
such cost factors as: (1) Electronic data processing time, equipment, 
materials, computer programmers and operators or other employees; and 
(2) preparation of reports--materials, photocopying, postage, and 
administrative personnel.
    When a request is for information on one or more physician, 
dentist, or other health care practitioner, the appropriate total fee 
will be $6.00 (minus a $2.00 discount for submission and payment as 
described above; or, plus a $4.00 surcharge for queries filed on paper 
forms) times the number of individuals about whom information is being 
requested. For examples, see the table below.
    The fee charged will be reviewed periodically, and revised as 
necessary, based upon experience. Any changes in the fee, and the 
effective date of the change, will be announced in the Federal 
Register.

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            Query method                Fee per name in query, by method of payment            Examples         
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Paper...............................  $10.00 (irrespective of payment method).......  10 names in query. 10 x   
                                                                                       10=$100.00.              
Electronic (Diskette)...............  $6.00 (irrespective of payment method)........  10 names in query. 10 x   
                                                                                       $6=$60.00.               
Electronic (Telecom network)........  $6.00 (if not paid via credit card or other     10 names in query. 10 x   
                                       electronic means or if paper response           $6.00=$60.00.            
                                       received).                                                               
Electronic (Telecom network)........  $4.00 (if paid electronically via credit card   10 names in query. 10 x   
                                       or other electronic means and response          $4=$40.00.               
                                       received electronically).                                                
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    Dated: February 23, 1995.
Ciro V. Symaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-4963 Filed 2-28-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-M