Federal Register
December 31, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 252)
Notices
(Page 69101)

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 meetings.

Name: National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality.

Times and Dates: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.--January 13-14, 1997.

Place: Third Floor Meeting Room, Best Western-Key Bridge, 1850 North Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209.
(The hotel is located one half block from the Rosslyn Metrorail station.)

Times and Dates: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.--February 3-4, 1997; 9 a.m.-5 p.m.--February 18-19, 1997.

Place: Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 503A, Washington, D.C. 20201.
(The Humphrey Building is located one block from Federal Center SW Metrorail station.)

Status: Open.

Purpose

Under the administrative simplification subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-191, section 264) the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to submit a report to the Congress containing detailed recommendations on standards with respect to the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The report is due in August 1997.

The Secretary is required to consult the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics in preparing these recommendations. As part of the consultation process the Committee will submit recommendations to the Secretary in the Spring of 1997. The Committee is holding hearings in the course of developing its recommendations.

The purpose of the hearings is to explore in detail the options, choices, and trade-offs that must be a part of any health privacy legislation. To the greatest extent possible, the discussion will focus on specific alternatives that have been identified in legislative proposals, on the consequences for patients and institutions of new rules for use and disclosure of health data, and on how legislation will operate in the real world. Issues will cover the full range of fair information practices, patient rights, limitations on use and disclosure of identifiable information, health identification number, preemption of state laws, and privacy-enhancing technology.

Specifically, comment will be sought on policies for the use and disclosure of individually-identifiable health information from the following types of entities and with respect to the following subject areas:
A. Public Health Agencies and Health Researchers.
B. Health System Oversight Activities (Public and Private) and Law Enforcement.
C. Health Care Providers; Claims Processors and other Intermediaries.
D. Insurers and Employers; Pharmaceutical Industry.
E. Federal Agencies; Social Welfare Agencies; Technology.
F. Privacy and Patient Interest Groups.

The Committee is inviting specific witnesses to address these issues.

Members of the public who wish to provide comments may do so in the form of written statements, to be received by the completion of the last meeting, addressed as follows: NCVHS Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality, c/o Division of Data Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 440D Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201, (for delivery services, address is 200 Independence Ave., SW)

The meetings are open to the public, with attendance limited to space available. There will be a period of time at the end of each day of hearings for members of the public to make oral statements, not exceeding 3 minutes in length, on the subjects being considered by the committee. Members of the pubic who wish to speak are asked to place their names on a list in the hearing room on the day of the meeting. The number of speakers will be limited by the time available, and speakers will be heard in the order in which they place their names on the list. Written comments are encourage; please provide 20 copies.

Notice: For meetings in the Humphrey Building please observe the following: In the interest of security, the Department has instituted stringent procedures for entrance to the Hubert H. Humphrey building by non-government employees. Thus, persons without a government identification card should plan to arrive at the building each day either between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. or 12:20 and 1:00 p.m. so they can be escorted to the meeting. Entrance to the meeting at other times during the day cannot be assured.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: Substantive program information as well as roster of committee members may be obtained from John P. Fanning, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, DHHS, Room 440D Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, telephone (202) 690-7100, e-mail jfanning@osaspe.dhhs.gov; or Marjorie S. Greenberg, Acting Executive Secretary, NCVHS, NCHS, CDC, Room 1100, Presidential Building, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, telephone (301) 436-7050.

Dated: December 23, 1996.

James Scanlon, Director, Division of Data Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

[FR Doc. 96-33256 Filed 12-30-96; 8:45 am]

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