[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 47 (Friday, March 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12367-12368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3323]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


National Practitioner Data Bank: Change in User Fees

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

[[Page 12368]]


ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is announcing a fifty 
cent increase in the fee charged to entities authorized to request 
information from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) for all 
queries. The new fee will be $4.75. There will be no change to the 
$8.00 self-query fee.

DATES: This change will be effective May 9, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Pincus, Branch Chief, 
Practitioner Data Banks Branch, Office of Workforce Evaluation and 
Quality Assurance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and 
Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Rm 8C-103, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Tel: 301-443-2300, E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The current fee structure ($4.25 per name) 
was announced in the Federal Register on April 22, 2003 (68 FR 19837) 
and became effective on July 1, 2003. All entity queries are submitted 
and query responses received through the NPDB's Integrated Query and 
Reporting Service (IQRS) and paid via an electronic funds transfer or 
credit card.
    The NPDB 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 NPDB. 
Section 60.3 of these regulations defines the terms used in this 
announcement.
    In determining any changes in the amount of the user fee, the 
Department uses the criteria set forth in section 60.12(b) of the 
regulations, as well as allowable costs pursuant to Public Law 109-77, 
as amended, and Title II, Division F, Departments of Labor, Health and 
Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriation Act 
for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Public Law 108-447. 
These laws require that the Department recover the full costs of 
operating the Data Bank through user fees. Paragraph (b) of the 
regulations states:
    ``The amount of each fee will be determined based on the following 
criteria:
    (1) Use of electronic data processing equipment to obtain 
information--the actual cost for the service, including computer search 
time, runs, printouts, and time of computer programmers and operators, 
or other employees, (2) Photocopying or other forms of reproduction, 
such as magnetic tapes--actual cost of the operator's time, plus the 
cost of the machine time and the materials used, (3) Postage--actual 
cost, and (4) Sending information by special methods requested by the 
applicant, such as express mail or electronic transfer--the actual cost 
of the special service.''
    Based on analysis of the comparative costs of the various methods 
for filing and paying for queries, the Department is increasing all the 
entity query fees by $0.50 per name. The practitioner self-query fee 
remains at $8.00. This price increase is justified after an evaluation 
of the Data Bank's operational costs. At the current fee of $4.25, the 
Data Bank is unable to recover full costs of operation. In keeping with 
the Act, and pursuant to the requirements of section 60.12 of the 
regulations, there are not sufficient funds to recover the full costs 
of operating the Data Bank without a fee increase.
    When a query is for information on one or more physicians, dentists 
or other health care practitioners, the appropriate fee will be $4.75 
multiplied by the number of individuals about whom information is being 
requested. For examples, see the table below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Fee per
           Query method              name in            Examples
                                      query
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Entity query (via internet with         $4.75  10 names in query. 10 x
 electronic payment).                           $4.75 = $47.50.
Practitioner self-query...........       8.00  One self-query = $8.00.
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    The Department will continue to review the user fee periodically, 
and will revise it as necessary. Any changes in the fee and their 
effective date will be announced in the Federal Register.

    Dated: March 3, 2006.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-3323 Filed 3-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P