[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 168 (Thursday, August 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45495-45496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-18659]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2019-0069]


Proposed Update of the CDC's 2006 Revised Recommendations for HIV 
Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care 
Settings

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking public comment 
for updating the following guideline: Revised Recommendations for HIV 
Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care 
Settings (2006). The purpose of this notice is to solicit feedback on 
best approaches on HIV screening in clinical settings and prompt 
linkage to treatment and care. CDC will update this guideline to ensure 
that HIV testing providers, public health agencies, and other 
stakeholders have access to up-to-date and consistent information about 
new evidence, current approaches, and resources for HIV testing in 
clinical settings.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 28, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-
0069 by any of the following methods:

[[Page 45496]]

     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: DHAP Guideline Team, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D21, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted without 
change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Priya Jakhmola, Health Scientist, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-
D21, Atlanta, Georgia 30329. Telephone: 404-639-2495, Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation

    Interested persons or organizations are invited to participate by 
submitting written views, recommendations, and data. In addition, CDC 
invites comments specifically on opt-out routine HIV testing, 
including, but not limited to:

 Suggestions for revisions, edits, and new additions
 Contemporary issues and new evidence
 Implementation barriers, challenges, and lessons learned
 Examples of innovative models, partnerships, and 
collaborations

    Please note that comments received, including attachments and other 
supporting materials, are part of the public record and are subject to 
public disclosure. Comments will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, do not include any information in your 
comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or 
inappropriate for public disclosure. If you include your name, contact 
information, or other information that identifies you in the body of 
your comments, that information will be on public display. CDC will 
review all submissions and may choose to redact, or withhold, 
submissions containing private or proprietary information, 
inappropriate language, or examples of a mass-mail campaign. CDC will 
carefully consider all comments submitted in preparation of the final 
document and may revise the final document as appropriate.

Background

    The CDC guideline ``Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of 
Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings'' was 
published on September 22, 2006 in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly 
Report (MMWR). Since then, there have been changes in evidence related 
to HIV testing technologies and interventions, disease epidemiology, 
outcomes, implementation resources, and related guidelines. This 
evidence will be identified, assessed, and analyzed to inform the 
update.
    CDC will update the 2006 Guidelines based on input from subject 
matter experts, public health agencies, the public, and other 
stakeholders. The guideline development process will draw on up-to-date 
nationally and internationally accepted guideline development criteria, 
tools, and resources, including CDC guideline development standards. 
The process will include a rigorous systematic review of key questions 
formulated through the PICO (Patient-Intervention-Comparator-Outcome) 
method. PICO is the foundation of an evidence-based process and 
facilitates the search for relevant evidence by identifying key 
concepts and formulating a search strategy. Graded recommendations will 
be developed using quality and strength of underlying evidence.
    Throughout the process of updating the guideline, there will be 
multiple opportunities for the public to comment on the drafts. We 
welcome input from a diverse range of perspectives, which will inform 
the development of the guideline, improve its credibility, and increase 
the transparency of the process.

    Dated: August 26, 2019.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2019-18659 Filed 8-28-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P