[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20153-20154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09460]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics: Visioning 
Session

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the following advisory 
committee program.
    Name: National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), 
Subcommittee on Standards.
    Date and Times: Wednesday, July 10, 2019: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 
(EDT), Thursday, July 11, 2019: 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (EDT).
    Place: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. 
Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Rm. 505-A, Washington, 
DC 20201.
    Status: Open. There will be a public comment period during the 
final 15 minutes of the first day of the meeting.
    Purpose: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 
(HIPAA) legislation from 1996, as amended,\1\ established a regulatory 
framework to support the exchange of electronic information between 
covered entities, and directed the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) to publish regulations adopting standards, code sets, 
and unique identifiers. The administrative simplification provisions of 
HIPAA pertain to retail pharmacy and medical transactions, such as 
eligibility, claims, payment, enrollment, and authorizations.
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    \1\ Along with Section 1104 (c) of the Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.
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    NCVHS advises the HHS Secretary on health data, statistics, 
privacy, national health information policy, and is mandated to report 
to Congress on the implementation status of HIPAA. Since mid-2017, the 
Subcommittee on Standards has been focused on developing a 
``predictability roadmap'' through collaboration with industry to 
identify and evaluate barriers to the efficient and timely update and

[[Page 20154]]

adoption of standards and operating rules. NCVHS sought to identify and 
understand the challenges under the current standards development and 
regulatory processes. Based on feedback the Committee obtained from 
stakeholders over an eighteen-month period, in February 2019 the 
Committee delivered five recommendations to the HHS Secretary 
supporting the industry's need for trusted cadence to improve the 
updates, adoption and implementation of transaction standards and 
operating rules to keep pace with innovative business needs and 
technology changes. The five recommendations represented actionable 
steps for adopting, implementing, and enforcing the administrative 
simplification provisions of HIPAA.
    One recommendation was specific to certain entities and processes 
related to the maintenance, modification, and recommendations to the 
Secretary for updated and new standards or transactions. Regarding this 
process, NCVHS urged HHS ``to re-evaluate the function and purpose of 
the Designated Standards Maintenance Organizations (DSMO).''
    In the HIPAA Transaction and Code Sets final rule of August 2000 
(65 FR 50312), the Secretary named the six DSMOs. After the publication 
of the final rule, the six organizations and the Secretary of HHS 
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a steering 
committee and formalizing the processes for reviewing updated or new 
standards in advance of a recommendation to NCVHS and the Secretary.
    Between 2001 and 2004, the DSMO steering committee received more 
than 150 change requests. Today, the DSMO receives fewer than 10 change 
requests per year. The DSMO appears to have accomplished the purposes 
for which it was established.
    To support future work the HHS Secretary may undertake regarding 
the NCVHS recommendation to re-evaluate the DSMO, the Subcommittee will 
conduct a facilitated visioning session with a group of industry 
stakeholders. The goal of this session is to develop a set of viable 
options for a next-generation DSMO.
    Following the meeting, the Subcommittee plans to draft additional 
recommendations for the full Committee to consider for submission to 
the HHS Secretary. These recommendations will take into account the 
input received during the facilitated visioning session.
    The times and topic for this meeting are subject to change. 
Participation in the visioning session will be by invitation in order 
to maximize effectiveness. Members of the public are welcome to submit 
comments and suggestions through August 20, 2019, to [email protected]. 
Please refer to the posted agenda at www.ncvhs.hhs.gov for updates.
    Contact Persons for More Information: Substantive program 
information may be obtained from Rebecca Hines, MHS, Executive 
Secretary, NCVHS, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 
20782, telephone (301) 458-4715. To obtain information pertaining to 
meeting content, contact Geanelle G. Herring, MSW, (410) 786-4466; 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Information 
Technology, Division of National Standards, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland, 21244 and/or Lorraine Doo, MSWA, MPH, (410) 786-
6597. Summaries of past meetings and a roster of Committee members are 
available on the NCVHS website: www.ncvhs.hhs.gov where further 
information, including an agenda and instructions to access the live 
audio broadcast of the meeting, will also be posted.
    Should you require reasonable accommodation, please contact the CDC 
Office of Equal Employment Opportunity on (770) 488-3210 as soon as 
possible.

    Dated: May 2, 2019.
Sharon Arnold,
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 
Science and Data Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning 
and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 2019-09460 Filed 5-7-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4151-05-P