[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 134 (Thursday, July 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41188-41189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17024]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC)

    In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) announces the following meeting of the aforementioned 
committee:
    Times and Dates: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., August 29, 2012. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 
p.m., August 30, 2012.
    Place: CDC, 1600 Clifton Road NE., Tom Harkin Global Communications 
Center, Building 19, Room 232, Auditorium B, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
    Online Registration Required: All CLIAC attendees are required to 
register for the meeting online at least 5 business days in advance for 
U.S. citizens and at least 10 business days in advance for 
international registrants. Register at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/cliac/default.aspx by scrolling down and clicking the appropriate link under 
``Meeting Registration'' (either U.S. Citizen Registration or Non-U.S. 
Citizen Registration) and completing all forms according to the 
instructions given. Please complete all the required fields before 
submitting your registration and submit no later than August 22, 2012, 
for U.S. registrants and August 15, 2012, for international 
registrants.
    Status: Open to the public, limited only by the space available. 
The meeting room accommodates approximately 100 people.
    Purpose: This Committee is charged with providing scientific and 
technical advice and guidance to the Secretary,

[[Page 41189]]

Department of Health and Human Services; the Assistant Secretary for 
Health; the Director, CDC; the Commissioner, Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA); and the Administrator, Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services (CMS). The advice and guidance pertain to general 
issues related to improvement in clinical laboratory quality and 
laboratory medicine practice and specific questions related to possible 
revision of the CLIAC standards. Examples include providing guidance on 
studies designed to improve safety, effectiveness, efficiency, 
timeliness, equity, and patient-centeredness of laboratory services; 
revisions to the standards under which clinical laboratories are 
regulated; the impact of proposed revisions to the standards on medical 
and laboratory practice; and the modification of the standards and 
provision of non-regulatory guidelines to accommodate technological 
advances, such as new test methods and the electronic transmission of 
laboratory information.
    Matters To Be Discussed: The agenda will include agency updates 
from the CDC, the CMS, and the FDA; and presentations and discussions 
addressing activities of the Clinical Laboratory Integration into 
Health Care Collaborative (CLIHC); the Laboratory Medicine Best 
Practices (LMBP) Initiative; the Communication in Informatics 
Workgroup; and the topic of usability of electronic health records. 
Also discussed will be the potential need for educational materials and 
resources for sites that test under a Provider-performed Microscopy 
Certificate; and the increased use of culture-independent microbiology 
diagnostics and the impact on public health.
    Agenda items are subject to change as priorities dictate.
    Providing Oral or Written Comments: It is the policy of CLIAC to 
accept written public comments and provide a brief period for oral 
public comments whenever possible.
    Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group requesting to 
make an oral presentation will be limited to a total time of five 
minutes (unless otherwise indicated). Speakers must also submit their 
comments in writing for inclusion in the meeting's Summary Report. To 
assure adequate time is scheduled for public comments, individuals or 
groups planning to make an oral presentation should, when possible, 
notify the contact person below at least one week prior to the meeting 
date. Written Comments: For individuals or groups unable to attend the 
meeting, CLIAC accepts written comments until the date of the meeting 
(unless otherwise stated). However, it is requested that comments be 
submitted at least one week prior to the meeting date so that the 
comments may be made available to the Committee for their consideration 
and public distribution. Written comments, one hard copy with original 
signature, should be provided to the contact person below. Written 
comments will be included in the meeting's Summary Report.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: To support the green initiatives 
of the federal government, the CLIAC meeting materials will be made 
available to the Committee and the public in electronic format (PDF) on 
the internet instead of by printed copy. Refer to the CLIAC Web site on 
the day of the meeting for materials. http://wwwn.cdc.gov/cliac/cliac_meeting_all_documents.aspx.

    Note:  If using a mobile device to access the materials, please 
verify the device's browser is able to download the files from the 
CDC's Web site before the meeting. Alternatively, the files can be 
downloaded to a computer and then emailed to the portable device. An 
internet connection, power source and limited hard copies may be 
available at the meeting location, but cannot be guaranteed.

    Contact Person for Additional Information: Nancy Anderson, Chief, 
Laboratory Practice Standards Branch, Division of Laboratory Science 
and Standards, Laboratory Science, Policy and Practice Program Office, 
Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., Mailstop F-
11, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; telephone (404) 498-2741; fax (404) 498-
2219; or via email at [email protected].
    The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been 
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register Notices pertaining to 
announcements of meetings and other committee management activities, 
for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: July 2, 2012.
Elaine L. Baker,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-17024 Filed 7-11-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P