[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7671-7673]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02837]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 9034]


Privacy Act; System of Records: Medical Records, State-24.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Department of State proposes 
to amend an existing system of records, Medical Records, State-24, 
pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a), and Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-130, 
Appendix I.

DATES: This system of records will be effective March 23, 2015, unless 
we receive comments that will result in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Any persons interested in commenting on the amended system 
of records may do so by writing to the Director; Office of Information 
Programs and Services, A/GIS/IPS; Department of State, SA-2; 515 22nd 
Street NW.; Washington, DC 20522-8100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Hackett, Acting Director; Office 
of Information Programs and Services, A/GIS/IPS; Department of State, 
SA-2; 515 22nd Street NW.; Washington, DC 20522-8100, or at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of State proposes that the 
current system will retain the name ``Medical Records'' (previously 
published at 74 FR 24891). The information contained in these records 
is used to administer the Department of State's medical program. These 
records are utilized and reviewed by medical and administrative 
personnel of the Office of Medical Services (MED) in providing health 
care to the individuals eligible to participate in the medical program. 
The system also serves to record and monitor the current status of the 
professional credentials of Department of State Foreign Service, Civil 
Service and Locally Employed Staff healthcare providers. The proposed 
system will include modifications to the following sections: Categories 
of individuals, Categories of records, Safeguards, Retrievability, and 
administrative updates.
    The Department's report was filed with the Office of Management and 
Budget. The amended system description, ``Medical Records, State-24,'' 
will read as set forth below.

Joyce A. Barr,
Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of State.
STATE-24

SYSTEM NAME:
    Medical Records

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Department of State, Office of Medical Services, 2401 E Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20522 and all health units and other facilities of the 
Office of Medical Services, domestic and overseas; U.S. Coast Guard 
Operations Systems Center.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    U.S. Government employees and their family members, Locally 
Employed Staff, and any other individuals eligible to participate in 
the medical program of the U.S. Department of State as authorized by 
either section 904 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4084) 
or other applicable legal authority.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    Categories of records include full name; Social Security number; 
date of birth; address; email address; phone number; State Global 
Identifier (SGID); reports of medical examinations and related 
documents; reports of treatments and other health services rendered to 
individuals; narrative summaries of hospital treatments; personal 
medical histories; reports of on-the-job injuries or illnesses; reports 
on medical evacuation; and/or any other types of individually 
identifiable health information generated or used in the course of 
conducting health care operations. This system includes records that 
contain protected health information, and does not include records 
maintained by the Department of State and/or other employers in their 
capacity as employers. This system also includes certain records 
maintained as part of the Department's Employee Assistance Program 
pursuant to 5 CFR part 792.
    The system also includes providers' professional credentials. This 
may include professional degrees, addresses, emails, and phone numbers 
for direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service medical personnel, and 
Locally Employed Staff. The system includes copies of professional 
credentials, including licenses, and certifications (Professional, 
Clinical, Drug

[[Page 7672]]

Enforcement Administration (DEA), clinical privileges information, and 
National Provider Identifier (NPI)).

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    22 U.S.C. 4084; Public Law 99-570 Sec. Sec.  7361-7362; and 5 CFR 
part 792.

PURPOSE:
    The information contained in these records is used to administer 
the Department of State's medical program. These records are utilized 
and reviewed by medical and administrative personnel of the Office of 
Medical Services (MED) in providing health care to the individuals 
eligible to participate in the medical program. The system also serves 
to record and monitor the current status of the professional 
credentials of Department of State Foreign Service, Civil Service and 
Locally Employed Staff healthcare providers.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    The Department of State periodically publishes in the Federal 
Register its standard routine uses, which apply to all of its Privacy 
Act systems of records. These notices appear in the form of a Prefatory 
Statement. These standard routine uses apply to Medical Records, State-
24.
    The following are additional routine uses of information from these 
files, for which no authorization or opportunity to agree or object to 
disclosure is required by the subject of the information:
    A. To another health care provider, a group health plan, a health 
insurance issuer, or a health maintenance organization for purposes of 
carrying out treatment, payment, or health care operations;
    B. To a parent, guardian or other person acting in loco parentis 
with respect to the subject of the information;
    C. To a health oversight agency or public health authority 
authorized by law to investigate or otherwise oversee the relevant 
conduct or conditions of the Department of State's medical program, or 
for such oversight activities as audits; civil, administrative, or 
criminal proceedings or actions; inspections; and licensure or 
disciplinary action;
    D. To a public health authority (domestic or foreign) that is 
authorized by law to collect or receive protected health information 
for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or 
disability, including, but not limited to, the reporting of disease, 
injury, vital events such as birth or death, and the conduct of public 
health surveillance, public health investigations, and public health 
interventions;
    E. To the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), when 
required by the Secretary of HHS;
    F. To the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Health, Safety & Work-
Life (HSW), as necessary for maintenance of the Department of State's 
Electronic Health Record system;
    G. To a public health authority or other appropriate government 
authority (domestic or foreign) authorized by law to receive reports of 
child abuse or neglect;
    H. To a person subject to the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) with respect to an FDA-regulated product or 
activity for which that person has responsibility, for the purpose of 
activities related to the quality, safety, or effectiveness of such 
FDA-regulated product or activity;
    I. To a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease 
or may otherwise be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease or 
condition, to the extent MED is authorized by law to notify such person 
and as necessary in the conduct of a public health intervention or 
investigation;
    J. To a government authority (domestic or foreign), including a 
social service or protective services agency, authorized by law to 
receive reports of abuse, neglect or domestic violence (1) to the 
extent such a disclosure is required by law; (2) where in the exercise 
of professional judgment, the disclosure is necessary to prevent 
serious harm to the individual or other potential victims; or (3) 
where, if the subject of the information is incapacitated, a law 
enforcement, or other public official authorized to receive the report, 
represents that the information sought is not intended to be used 
against the individual and that an immediate enforcement activity that 
depends upon the disclosure would be adversely affected by waiting 
until the individual is able to agree to the disclosure;
    K. To the Department of Justice, as required by law, for the 
purpose of submitting information to the National Instant Criminal 
Background Check System;
    L. In the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in 
response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal;
    M. To a law enforcement official (1) as required by law or in 
compliance with a court order or court-ordered warrant, a subpoena or 
summons issued by a judicial officer, a grand jury subpoena, or an 
administrative request, including an administrative subpoena or 
summons; (2) in response to a request for the purposes of identifying 
or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person; 
in response to a request for such information about an individual who 
is or is suspected to be a victim of a crime; (3) to provide notice of 
the death of an individual if there is a belief that the death may have 
resulted from criminal conduct; (4) where it is believed in good faith 
that such information constitutes evidence of criminal conduct; or (5) 
in response to an emergency, where it is believed such disclosure is 
necessary to alert law enforcement to the commission and nature of a 
crime, the location of such crime or of the victim(s) of such crime, 
and the identity, description, and location of the perpetrator of such 
crime;
    N. As necessary in order to prevent or lessen a serious and 
imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public or to 
a person or persons reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat, 
including the target of the threat;
    O. To authorized federal officials for the conduct of lawful 
intelligence, counter-intelligence, and other national security 
activities authorized by the National Security Act (50 U.S.C. 401, et 
seq.) and other applicable authorities (e.g., Executive Order 12333);
    P. To authorized federal officials for the provision of protective 
services to the President or other persons authorized by 18 U.S.C. 3056 
or to foreign heads of state or other persons authorized by 22 U.S.C. 
2709(a)(3), or for the conduct of investigations authorized by 18 
U.S.C. 871 and 879;
    Q. To Department of State officials for the purposes of clearance 
and suitability determinations, including (1) for a national security 
clearance conducted pursuant to Executive Orders 10450 and 12698; (2) 
for medical clearance determinations, consistent with the Foreign 
Service Act, including sections 101(a)(4), 101(b)(5), 504, and 904;
    R. To a medical transcription or translation service for MED's 
purposes of carrying out treatment or health care operations;
    S. To a correctional institution or a law enforcement official 
having lawful custody of an individual, if the correctional institution 
or law enforcement official represents that such information is 
necessary for the provision of health care to such individual, the 
health and safety of other individuals (including others at the 
correctional institution), or the administration and maintenance of the 
safety, security, and good order of the correctional institution;

[[Page 7673]]

    T. To a coroner or medical examiner for the purpose of identifying 
a deceased person, determining a cause of death, or other duties as 
authorized by law;
    U. To appropriate domestic or foreign government officials 
(including but not limited to the U.S. Department of Labor), as 
authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating 
to workers' compensation or other similar programs, established by law, 
that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses without 
regard to fault.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, 
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
    Records are stored in hard copy and electronic form.

RETRIEVABILITY:
    By individual name and/or date of birth; by patient identification 
number and family unit number.

SAFEGUARDS:
    All users are given cyber security awareness training which covers 
the procedures for handling Sensitive but Unclassified information, 
including personally identifiable information (PII). Annual refresher 
training is mandatory. In addition, all Foreign Service and Civil 
Service employees and those Locally Employed Staff who handle PII are 
required to take the Foreign Service Institute distance learning 
course, PA 459, instructing employees on privacy and security 
requirements, including the rules of behavior for handling PII and the 
potential consequences if it is handled improperly. Before being 
granted access to medical records, a user must first be granted access 
to the Department of State computer system.
    Remote access to the Department of State network from non-
Department owned systems is authorized only to unclassified systems and 
only through a Department approved access program. Remote access to the 
network is configured with the Office of Management and Budget 
Memorandum M-07-16 security requirements, which include but are not 
limited to two-factor authentication and time out function.
    All Department of State employees and contractors with authorized 
access have undergone a thorough background security investigation. 
Access to the Department of State, its annexes, and posts abroad is 
controlled by security guards and admission is limited to those 
individuals possessing a valid identification card or individuals under 
proper escort. All paper records containing personal information are 
maintained in secured file cabinets in restricted areas, access to 
which is limited to authorized personnel only. Access to computerized 
files is password-protected and under the direct supervision of the 
system manager. The system manager has the capability of printing audit 
trails of access from the computer media, thereby permitting regular 
and ad hoc monitoring of computer usage. When it is determined that a 
user no longer needs access, the user account is disabled.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
    Records are retired and destroyed in accordance with published 
Department of State Records Disposition Schedules as approved by the 
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). More specific 
information may be obtained by writing to the Director, Office of 
Information Programs and Services, A/GIS/IPS, SA-2, Department of 
State, 515 22nd Street NW., Washington, DC 20522-8100.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:
    Executive Director, Office of Medical Services, Room L209, 
Department of State, 2401 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20522.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    Individuals who have cause to believe that the Office of Medical 
Services might have medical records pertaining to them and want to 
request a copy of those medical records should write to Medical 
Records, Office of Medical Services, U.S. Department of State, 2401 E 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20522. Individuals who have cause to believe 
that the Office of Medical Services might have credential records 
pertaining to them and want to request a copy of those credential 
records should write to Quality Improvement, Office of Medical 
Services, U.S. Department of State, 2401 E Street NW., Washington, DC 
20522. At a minimum, the individual requesting a copy of his or her 
medical records or credential records must include the following: name, 
date and place of birth, current mailing address and zip code, 
signature, a brief description of the circumstances that may have 
caused the creation of the records that are the subject of the request, 
and the approximate date(s) of those records.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Individuals who wish to gain access to or amend medical records 
pertaining to them should write to the Director, Office of Information 
Programs and Services (address above). Individuals who wish to gain 
access to or amend credential records pertaining to them should write 
to the Director, Office of Information Programs and Services (address 
above).

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    Individuals who wish to contest medical records pertaining to them 
should write to Medical Records, Office of Medical Services (address 
above). Individuals who wish to contest credential records pertaining 
to them should write to Quality Improvement, Office of Medical Services 
(address above).

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Information contained in these records comes from the individual, 
hospitals, clinics, private medical providers, employers, and medical 
professionals employed by the Department of State.

SYSTEM EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT:
    None.

[FR Doc. 2015-02837 Filed 2-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-36-P