[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40940-40941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-15299]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics: Meeting

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

    Name: National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), 
Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality.
    Time and Date:
     July 14, 2004 9:00 a.m.-5 p.m.
     July 15, 2004 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Place: Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 705A, 200 Independence 
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC.
    Status: Open.
    Background: The National Committee on Vital and Health 
Statistics is the statutory public advisory body to the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services in the area of health data, statistics, 
and health information policy. Established by section 306(k) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242k(k)), its mandate includes 
advising the Secretary on the implementation of the Administrative 
Simplification provisions (Social Security Act, title IX, part C, 42 
U.S.C. 1320d to 1320d-8) of the Health Insurance Portability and 
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Pub. L. 104-191.
    The NCVHS Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality monitors 
developments in health information privacy and confidentiality on 
behalf of the full

[[Page 40941]]

Committee and makes recommendations to the full Committee so that it 
can advise the Secretary on implementation of the health information 
privacy provisions of HIPAA.
    Purpose: This meeting of the Subcommittee on Privacy and 
Confidentiality will receive information on the implementation of 
the regulation ``Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable 
Health Information'' (45 CFR parts 160 and 164), promulgated under 
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
    The regulation and further information about it can be found on 
the Web site of the Office for Civil Rights, at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/. The regulation has been in effect since April 14, 2001. 
Most entities covered by the regulation were required to come into 
compliance by April 14, 2003.
    The first day of the meeting will be conducted as a hearing, in 
which the Subcommittee will gather information about the impact of 
the regulation on the use and disclosure of personal health 
information for marketing, and about the impact of the regulation on 
the use and disclosure of personal health information in the course 
of fund-raising actitivies by health care entities.
    The Subcommittee will invite representatives of affected groups 
to provide information about how the regulation has affected the 
level of privacy and confidentiality for protected health 
information, best practices for implementation of the regulation, 
and information that might help to identify and resolve barriers to 
compliance. The format will include one or more invited panels and 
time for questions and discussion. The Subcommittee will ask the 
invited witnesses for examples of the effect the regulation has had 
on individuals and on entities subject to the regulation. The first 
day will also include a time period during which members of the 
public may deliver brief (3 minutes or less) oral public comment 
about the implementation of the regulation. To be included on the 
agenda, please contact Marietta Squire (301) 458-4524, by e-mail at 
[email protected]. or postal address at 3311 Toledo Road, Room 
2340, Hyattsville, MD 20782 by August 12, 2004.
    The second day of the meeting will be conducted in two parts. 
The first part will be a hearing in which the Subcommittee will 
gather information about the impact of the regulation on disclosure 
of personal health information to the press, and about the 
interaction between the regulation and freedom of information 
statutes. The Subcommittee will invite representatives of affected 
groups to provide information about how the regulation has affected 
the level of privacy and confidentiality for protected health 
information, best practices for implementation of the regulation, 
and information that might help to identify and resolve barriers to 
compliance. The second part will consist of Subcommittee discussion 
of the testimony it has heard and deliberations about possible 
recommendations to the Secretary.
    Persons wishing to submit written testimony only (which should 
not exceed five double-spaced typewritten pages) should endeavor to 
submit it by that date. Unfilled slots for oral testimony will also 
be filled on the days of the meeting as time permits. Please consult 
Ms. Squire for further information about these arrangements.
    Additional information about the hearing will be provided on the 
NCVHS Web site http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov. shortly before the hearing 
date.
    Contact Person For More Information: Information about the 
content of the hearing and matters to be considered may be obtained 
from John P. Fanning, Lead Staff Person for the NCVHS Subcommittee 
on Privacy and Confidentiality, Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Health 
Services, 440D Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20201, telephone (202) 690-5896, e-mail 
[email protected], or from Marjorie S. Greenberg, Executive 
Secretary, NCVHS, NCHS, CDC, Room 2413, Presidential Building IV, 
3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, telephone (301)458-
4245.
    Information about the committee, including summaries of past 
meetings and a roster of committee members, is available on the 
Committee's Web site at http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov.

    Dated: June 24, 2004.
James Scanlon,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Data Policy, OASPE.
[FR Doc. 04-15299 Filed 7-6-04; 8:45 am]
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