Federal Register Notice
May 12, 1997
(62 FR 25954)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics: Meetings
Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Department of Health and Human Services announces the following advisory committee meeting.
Name: National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), Executive Committee.
Times and Dates: 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., June 3, 1997; 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., June 4, 1997.
Place: Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA.
Status: Open.
Purpose: Under the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to adopt standards for specified administrative health care transactions to enable information to be exchanged electronically. The law requires that, within 24 months of adoption, all health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers who choose to conduct these transactions electronically must comply with these standards. Further, the law requires DHHS to submit a report to Congress containing detailed recommendations on standards with respect to the privacy of individually identifiable health information. In preparing these reports and recommendations, the Secretary is required to consult with the NCVHS, the statutory public advisory body to HHS on health data, privacy and health information policy. The Committee is planning to submit recommendations to the Secretary during 1997.
To assist in formulating its recommendations, the NCVHS has convened a number of public meetings relating to health data standards and health information privacy and confidentiality. These meetings were held in the Washington, D.C. area and involved a broad range of representatives from the health sector, including providers, plans, insurers, electronic clearinghouses, third party administrators, health researches, representatives from public health agencies, social welfare agencies, law enforcement agencies, public and private organizations with health system oversight responsibilities, and privacy and patient interest groups. [p25955]
To provide an additional opportunity for public input and to solicit additional views and advice on implementation of the administrative simplification provisions of Public Law 104-191, the Executive Subcommittee of the NCVHS, with support from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, is sponsoring a public meeting on June 3-4, 1997 in San Francisco. The meeting is open to the public and will take place from 9:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue.
For the meeting, the Committee is inviting specific organizations representing consumer groups, plans, providers, insurers, researchers and the public health community, as well as other interested parties to describe their perspectives and offer advice on the implementation of the law. Presenters are being asked to respond to the questions outlined below in writing, to make a brief oral presentation, and to respond to additional questions from the Committee.
Questions To Be Addressed
Contact Person for More Information: Substantive program information as well as summaries of the meeting and a roster of committee members may be obtained from James Scanlon, NCVHS Executive Staff Director, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, DHHS, Room 440-D, Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, telephone (202) 690-7100, or Marjorie S. Greenberg, Acting Executive Secretary, NCVHS, NCHS, CDC, Room 1100, Presidential Building, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, telephone (301) 436-7050. Information also is available on the NCVHS home page of the HHS website: http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/ncvhs.
Dated: May 5, 1997.
James Scanlon, Director, Division of Data Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 97-12270 Filed 5-9-97; 8:45 am]
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