[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 252 (Tuesday, December 31, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 69101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-33256]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics: Meetings

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Department of 
Health and Human Services announces the following advisory committee 
meetings.

    Name: National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), 
Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality.
    Times and Dates: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.--January 13-14, 1997.
    Place: Third Floor Meeting Room, Best Western-Key Bridge, 1850 
North Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209.

(The hotel is located one half block from the Rosslyn Metrorail 
station.)

    Times and Dates: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.--February 3-4, 1997; 9 a.m.-5 
p.m.--February 18-19, 1997.
    Place: Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, 
Room 503A, Washington, D.C. 20201.

(The Humphrey Building is located one block from Federal Center SW 
Metrorail station.)
    Status: Open.

Purpose

    Under the administrative simplification subtitle of the Health 
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-191, 
section 264) the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to 
submit a report to the Congress containing detailed recommendations on 
standards with respect to the privacy of individually identifiable 
health information. The report is due in August 1997.
    The Secretary is required to consult the National Committee on 
Vital and Health Statistics in preparing these recommendations. As part 
of the consultation process the Committee will submit recommendations 
to the Secretary in the Spring of 1997. The Committee is holding 
hearings in the course of developing its recommendations.
    The purpose of the hearings is to explore in detail the options, 
choices, and trade-offs that must be a part of any health privacy 
legislation. To the greatest extent possible, the discussion will focus 
on specific alternatives that have been identified in legislative 
proposals, on the consequences for patients and institutions of new 
rules for use and disclosure of health data, and on how legislation 
will operate in the real world. Issues will cover the full range of 
fair information practices, patient rights, limitations on use and 
disclosure of identifiable information, health identification number, 
preemption of state laws, and privacy-enhancing technology.
    Specifically, comment will be sought on policies for the use and 
disclosure of individually-identifiable health information from the 
following types of entities and with respect to the following subject 
areas:
    A. Public Health Agencies and Health Researchers.
    B. Health System Oversight Activities (Public and Private) and Law 
Enforcement.
    C. Health Care Providers; Claims Processors and other 
Intermediaries.
    D. Insurers and Employers; Pharmaceutical Industry.
    E. Federal Agencies; Social Welfare Agencies; Technology.
    F. Privacy and Patient Interest Groups.
    The Committee is inviting specific witnesses to address these 
issues.
    Members of the public who wish to provide comments may do so in the 
form of written statements, to be received by the completion of the 
last meeting, addressed as follows: NCVHS Subcommittee on Privacy and 
Confidentiality, c/o Division of Data Policy, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services, 440D Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., 
Washington, DC 20201, (for delivery services, address is 200 
Independence Ave., SW)
    The meetings are open to the public, with attendance limited to 
space available. There will be a period of time at the end of each day 
of hearings for members of the public to make oral statements, not 
exceeding 3 minutes in length, on the subjects being considered by the 
committee. Members of the pubic who wish to speak are asked to place 
their names on a list in the hearing room on the day of the meeting. 
The number of speakers will be limited by the time available, and 
speakers will be heard in the order in which they place their names on 
the list. Written comments are encourage; please provide 20 copies.

Notice: For meetings in the Humphrey Building please observe the 
following: In the interest of security, the Department has instituted 
stringent procedures for entrance to the Hubert H. Humphrey building by 
non-government employees. Thus, persons without a government 
identification card should plan to arrive at the building each day 
either between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. or 12:20 and 1:00 p.m. so they can be 
escorted to the meeting. Entrance to the meeting at other times during 
the day cannot be assured.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: Substantive program information as 
well as roster of committee members may be obtained from John P. 
Fanning, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 
DHHS, Room 440D Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20201, telephone (202) 690-7100, e-mail 
[email protected]; or Marjorie S. Greenberg, Acting Executive 
Secretary, NCVHS, NCHS, CDC, Room 1100, Presidential Building, 6525 
Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, telephone (301) 436-7050.

    Dated: December 23, 1996.
James Scanlon,
Director, Division of Data Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 96-33256 Filed 12-30-96; 8:45 am]
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