[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30090-30091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13884]



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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 charged to entities authorized to 
request information from the National Practitioner Data Bank (Data 
Bank).
    The user fee of $6.00 for queries submitted by diskette or 
telecommunications network, with a $4.00 surcharge added for queries 
submitted on paper, was announced in the Federal Register on June 1, 
1993 (58 FR 31215).
    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 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 further reduce fees for users when they both query and receive 
responses 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 reducing the basic user fee to $3.00 
per name per query submitted and paid via the method described above, 
with receipt by electronic method. A $3.00 surcharge will be charged 
for queries submitted electronically on diskette to pay for the extra 
handling and mailing costs for these queries. A $4.00 surcharge will be 
charged for all queries which are paid for by check or money order to 
cover the cost of debt management. Paper queries will no longer be 
accepted except practitioner self-queries. These changes are effective 
June 26, 1995.
    The criteria set forth in Sec. 60.12(b) of the regulations and 
allowable costs as required in 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 $3.00 (plus a $3.00 and/or a $4.00 surcharge for submission and 
payment as described above) 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.

                                                                        
[[Page 30091]]
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                                              Fee per name in query, by method of                               
              Query method                                  payment                            Examples         
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Electronic (Telecom network)............  $3.00 (if paid electronically via credit    10 names in query.        
                                           card or other electronic means and         10 x $3=$30.00            
                                           response received electronically).                                   
Electronic (Diskette)...................  $6.00 (if paid electronically via credit    10 names in query.        
                                           card or other electronic means and         10 x $6=$60.00            
                                           response received on paper).                                         
Electronic (Telecom network)............  $7.00 (if not paid via credit card or       10 names in query.        
                                           other electronic means).                   10 x $7=$70.00            
Electronic (Diskette)...................  $10.00 (if not paid via credit card or      10 names in query.        
                                           other electronic means).                   10 x $10=$100.00          
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*Paper queries will no longer be accepted except practitioner self-queries                                      

  Dated: June 1, 1995.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-13884 Filed 6-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P