Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center
Sun Apr 24 04:42:32 EDT 2011
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Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting - This notice from the Department of Health and Human Services announces a forthcoming public advisory meeting of the HIT Standards Committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), to be held May 18, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting - This notice from the Department of Health and Human Services announces a forthcoming public advisory meeting of the HIT Policy Committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), to be held May 11, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Health Resources and Services Administration; National Advisory Council on Migrant Health; Notice of Meeting - The National Advisory Council on Migrant Health will hold a public meeting on May 13-14, 2011 at the Delray Beach Residence Inn, Delray Beach, Florida to discuss services and issues related to the health of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families and to formulate recommendations for the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 - This notice from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services invites applications for four separate competitions for financial assistance designed to provide academic training in areas of personnel shortages in rehabilitation.

Applications for New Awards; Rehabilitation Long-Term Training: Rehabilitation Counseling - Funding from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services supports projects that will increase the knowledge of students of the role and responsibilities of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselor and of the benefits of counseling in State VR agencies.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority - Notice states that Part F of the Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority for the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) is amended to reflect the abolishment of the Office of External Affairs and Beneficiary Services and the establishment of the Office of Public Engagement and the Office of Communications.

Medicaid Program; Federal Funding for Medicaid Eligibility Determination and Enrollment Activities; Final Rule - This final rule will revise Medicaid regulations for Mechanized Claims Processing and Information Retrieval Systems.

Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division; Proposed Statement of Antitrust Enforcement Policy Regarding Accountable Care Organizations Participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program - The FTC and DOJ are proposing an enforcement policy regarding the application of the antitrust laws to health care collaborations among otherwise independent providers and provider groups, formed after March 23, 2010 that seek to participate, or have otherwise been approved to participate, as accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

Renewal of Agency Information Collection for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Housing Improvement Program; Request for Comments - BIA is seeking renewal of the approval for the information collection conducted under 25 CFR 256, Housing Improvement Program, to determine applicant eligibility for housing improvement program services and to determine priority order in which eligible applicants may receive the program services.

Estimated State Median Income for a Four-Person Family, by State, for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2012, for Use in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); Notice - This notice announces to LIHEAP grantees the estimated median income of four-person families in each State and the District of Columbia for FFY 2012 (October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012).

Notice of Federal Property Suitable as Facilities to Assist the Homeless - This notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.

Rule Medicare Program; Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs for Contract Year 2012 and Other Changes; Final Rule - This final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services makes revisions to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) and Prescription Drug Benefit Program (Part D) to implement provisions specified in the Affordable Care Act and make other changes to the regulations based their experience in the administration of the Part C and Part D programs.

Medicaid Program; Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers; Proposed Rule; Comment Request - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule with comment request revising state waiver provisions for Medicaid home and community-based services demonstrations.

Medicare Program; Solicitation for Proposals for the Medicare Community-Based Care Transitions Program - This notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services solicits applications to participate in the Medicare Community-based Care Transitions Program, with the goal of improving the quality of care transitions, reduce readmissions for high risk Medicare beneficiaries, and document measurable savings to the Medicare program by reducing unnecessary readmissions.

Rural Energy for America Program; Comment Request - Comments are being requested by the Rural Business-Cooperative Service on the establishing of an interim rule for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), that modifies the existing grant and guaranteed loan program for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. In addition, it adds a grant program for feasibility studies for renewable energy systems and a grant program for energy audits and renewable energy development assistance.

Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas; Notice of Meeting - The Department of Health and Human Services announces that a public meeting of the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas will be held May 18-20, 2011, in Rockville, Maryland.

Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) Inviting Applications for the Rural Energy for America Program - This notice from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service announces the acceptance of applications for funds available under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for Fiscal Year 2011 for financial assistance, as well as announcing the availability of $70 million of Fiscal Year 2011 budget authority to fund these REAP activities, which will support at least $42 million in grant program level and up to $61 million in guaranteed loan program level.

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request - Comments are being requested by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), on approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a revision of the 2012 and 2013 Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHSBG) and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPTBG) Guidance and Instructions into one unified block grant application.

Applications for New Awards; Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American Indians With Disabilities for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 - The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is inviting applications for this program that provides vocational rehabilitation services to American Indians with disabilities who reside on or near Federal or State reservations.

Small, Rural School Achievement Program; Notice Announcing Application Deadline - Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, the U.S. Department of Education awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies to address the unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, they establish the deadline for submission of fiscal year (FY) 2011 SRSA grant applications.

Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and Fiscal Year 2011 Final Wage Indices Implementing the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act - This notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contains the final fiscal year (FY) 2011 wage indices and hospital reclassifications and other related tables which reflect changes required by or resulting from the implementation of section 102 of the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010.

Medicare Program; Medicare Shared Savings Program: Accountable Care Organizations; Comment Request - Comments are being requested on this proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that would implement section 3022 of the Affordable Care Act which contains provisions relating to Medicare payments to providers of services and suppliers participating in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)

Medicare Program; Waiver Designs in Connection With the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Innovation Center; Comment Request - This notice with comment period from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services describes and solicits public input regarding possible waivers of the application of the Physician Self-Referral Law, the Federal anti-kickback statute, and certain civil monetary penalties (CMP) law provisions to specified financial arrangements involving accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

SAMHSA: Survey of Evidence-Based Practices for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in State Medicaid Plans: Coverage Structures, Access and Challenges; New Notice - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is conducting a survey to gather information about current and planned State Medicaid activities and policies related to eight mental health/substance abuse evidence-based practices (EBPs).

Housing and Urban Development Department: Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Multifamily Project Applications and Construction Prior to Initial Endorsement - This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affecting agencies concerning the proposed collection of information. The information from sponsors and general contractors, and submitted by a HUD-approved mortgagee, is needed to determine project feasibility, mortgagor/contractor acceptability, and construction cost.

Food and Nutrition Service: Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations: Amendments Related to the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; Rule - This rule amends Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) regulations to conform FDPIR policy to the requirements included in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the Farm Bill) for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Medicare Programs: Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System Transition Budget-Neutrality Adjustment; Interim Final Rule - This interim final rule with comment will revise the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) transition budget-neutrality adjustment finalized in the CY 2011 ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule for renal dialysis services provided on April 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

CMS Early Retiree Reinsurance Program; Notice - This notice announces that CMS will stop accepting applications for the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program, due to the availability of funds, as of May 5, 2011.

National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality: Request for Nominations for Public Members - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is seeking nominations to fill seven current members' terms set to expire in November 2011 on the National Advisory Council for Research and Quality.

USDA; Evaluation of SNAP-Nutrition Education Practices, Wave II; Comment Request - SNAP has a significant stake in ensuring that nutrition education works to meet Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) goals. This proposed study entails the evaluation of three additional model projects and represents an expansion of the ongoing FNS Wave I study.