[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50993-50994]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21360]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine 
Policy; Meeting

    Notice is hereby given that the White House Commission on 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy will convene a Town Hall 
Meeting. Additional Town Hall meetings are anticipated at future dates 
and other locations. The purpose of the meeting is to convene the 
Commission for a public hearing and to begin receiving public testimony 
from individuals and organizations interested in the subject of federal 
policy regarding complementary and alternative medicine. Comments 
received at the meeting will be used by the Commission to identify and 
frame the issues and develop the agenda for subsequent meetings.
    Comments should focus on the four areas that follow. Questions for 
consideration include, but are not limited to those presented below. 
For each question, please consider including in your response concerns, 
possible obstacles, existing programs, and suggested solutions to guide 
the Commission in their deliberations.

I. Coordinated Research and Development To Increase Knowledge of 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practices and Interventions

    (A) What can be done to expand the current research environment so 
that practices and interventions that lie outside conventional science 
are adequately and appropriately addressed?
    (B) What types of incentives are needed to stimulate the research 
of CAM practices and interventions by the public and private sectors?
    (C) How can we more effectively integrate the CAM and conventional 
research communities to stimulate and coordinate research?

II. Guidance for Access to, Delivery of, and Reimbursement for 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practices and Interventions

    (A) Do you have ready access to CAM practices and interventions?
    (B) How can access to safe and effective CAM practices and 
interventions be improved?
    (C) What types of CAM practices and interventions should be 
reimbursable through federal programs or other health care coverage 
systems?

III. Training, Education, Certification, Licensure, and 
Accountability of Health Care Practitioners in Complementary and 
Alternative Medicine

    (A) How can uniform standards of education, training, licensure and 
certification be applied to all CAM practitioners?
    (B) What training and education should be required of all health 
care providers to assure access to safe and effective CAM practices and 
interventions?
    (C) What sources of funds exist for the education and training of 
CAM practitioners?
    (D) Are performance standards or practice guidelines needed to 
ensure the public will have access to the full range of safe and 
effective CAM practices and interventions?

IV. Delivery of Reliable and Useful Information on Complementary 
and Alternative Medicine to Health Care Professionals and the 
Public

    (A) How can useful, reliable, and updated information about CAM 
practices and interventions be made more accessible? How would you like 
to receive such information?
    (B) As a consumer, what kinds of information about CAM practices 
and interventions are most needed and important to you?
    (C) As a health care provider, what kinds of information about CAM 
practices and interventions are most needed and important to you?
    The Town Hall Meeting is open to the public and opportunities for 
oral comments and written statements by the public will be provided.
    Name of Committee: The White House Commission on Complementary and 
Alternative Medicine Policy.
    Date and Time: September 8, 2000; 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
    Place: Holiday Inn Golden Gateway Hotel; 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San 
Francisco, CA 94109.
    Contact Person: Stephen C. Groft, Executive Director, or Michele 
Chang, MPH, Executive Secretary; 6701 Rockledge Drive; Room 1010, MSC-
7707, Bethesda, MD 20817-7707; Phone: (301) 435-7592; Fax (301) 480-
1691; E-mail: [email protected].
    The President established the White House Commission on 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy on March 7, 2000 by 
Executive Order 13147. The mission of the White House Commission on 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy is to provide a report, 
through the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, 
on legislative and administrative recommendations for assuring that 
public policy maximizes the benefits of complementary and alternative 
medicine to Americans.
    Because of the need to obtain the views of the public on these 
issues as soon as possible and because of the early deadline for the 
report required of the Commission, this notice is being provided at the 
earliest possible time.
    Public Participation: The Town Hall meeting is open to the public 
with attendance limited by the availability of space on a first come, 
first serve basis. Members of the public who wish to present oral 
comment may register by calling 1-800-953-3298 or by accessing https://safe2.sba.com/whccamp/index.cfm no later than September 1, 2000.
    Oral comments will be limited to five minutes. Individuals who 
register to speak will be assigned in the order in which they 
registered. Due to time constraints, only one representative from each 
organization will be allotted time for oral testimony. The number of 
speakers and the time allotted may also be limited by the number of 
registrants. All requests to register should include the name, address, 
telephone number, and business or professional affiliation of the 
interested party, and should indicate the area of interest or question 
(as described above) to be addressed. Individuals interested in 
attending the meeting to observe the proceedings but not to provide 
oral testimony should also register.
    Any person attending the meeting who has not registered to speak in 
advance of the meeting will be allowed to make a brief oral statement 
at the conclusion of the morning and

[[Page 50994]]

afternoon sessions, if time permits, and at the chairperson's 
discretion.
    Individuals unable to attend the meeting, or any interested 
parties, may send written comments by mail, fax, or electronically to 
the staff office of the Commission for inclusion in the public record. 
When mailing or faxing written comments provide, if possible, an 
electronic version on diskette.
    Persons needing special assistance, such as sign language 
interpretation or other special accommodations, should contact the 
Commission staff at the address or telephone number listed no later 
than September 1, 2000.

    Dated: August 15, 2000.
LaVerne Y. Stringfield,
Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 00-21360 Filed 8-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M