[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 19 (Thursday, January 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4922-4923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01680]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


 Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and 
Availability

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services is hereby giving notice that 
the Advisory Committee on Blood and

[[Page 4923]]

Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA) will hold a meeting. The 
meeting will be open to the public.

DATES: The meeting will take place Tuesday April 7, 2105, from 8:00 
a.m.-4:00 p.m. and Wednesday April 8, 2015, from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: NIH Conference Room, 5635 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20892.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Berger, Designated Federal 
Officer for the ACBTSA, Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Policy, 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and 
Human Services, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 250, Rockville, MD 20852. 
Phone: (240) 453-8803; Fax (240) 453-8456; Email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ACBTSA provides advice to the Secretary 
through the Assistant Secretary for Health. The Committee advises on a 
range of policy issues to include: (1) Identification of public health 
issues through surveillance of blood and tissue safety issues with 
national biovigilance data tools; (2) identification of public health 
issues that affect availability of blood, blood products, and tissues; 
(3) broad public health, ethical and legal issues related to the safety 
of blood, blood products, and tissues; (4) the impact of various 
economic factors (e.g., product cost and supply) on safety and 
availability of blood, blood products, and tissues; (5) risk 
communications related to blood transfusion and tissue transplantation; 
and (6) identification of infectious disease transmission issues for 
blood, organs, blood stem cells and tissues. The Committee has met 
regularly since its establishment in 1997.
    The ACBTSA has made previous recommendations on the need to improve 
tissue tracking and traceability. These recommendations focused on 
tracking adverse events, creating a unique identifier for each donor, 
and improving patient outcomes. Past recommendations made by the ACBTSA 
may be viewed at www.hhs.gov/bloodsafety.
    The focus of the meeting will be to address current issues in 
tracking and traceability of tissue recovered from deceased donors. The 
discussion will focus on pertinent federal and state regulations, other 
mechanisms that impact tissue tracking and traceability, and current 
gaps in this area. Presenters will represent a wide range of government 
and non-government stakeholders, including federal agencies, 
accreditation organizations, tissue and eye banks, healthcare 
facilities, and medical practitioners.
    The public will have an opportunity to present their views to the 
Committee during a public comment session scheduled for April 8, 2015. 
Comments will be limited to five minutes per speaker and must be 
pertinent to the discussion. Pre-registration is required for 
participation in the public comment session. Any member of the public 
who would like to participate in this session is encouraged to contact 
the Designated Federal Officer at his/her earliest convenience to 
register for time (limited to 5 minutes) ; registration must be 
completed prior to close of business on April 1, 2015. If it is not 
possible to provide 30 copies of the material to be distributed at the 
meeting, then individuals are requested to provide a minimum of one (1) 
copy of the document(s) to be distributed prior to the close of 
business on April 1, 2015. It is also requested that any member of the 
public who wishes to provide comments to the Committee utilizing 
electronic data projection submit the necessary material to the 
Designated Federal Officer prior to the close of business on April 1, 
2015.

    Dated: January 22, 2015.
James J. Berger,
Senior Advisor for Blood and Tissue Safety Policy.
[FR Doc. 2015-01680 Filed 1-28-15; 8:45 am]
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