17210 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 20, 2013 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Meeting Notice for the President’s 

Advisory Council on Faith-Based and 

Neighborhood Partnerships 

In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463), the President’s 

Advisory Council on Faith-Based and 

Neighborhood Partnerships announces 

the following three conference calls: 

Name: President’s Advisory Council on 

Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships 

Council Conference Calls. 

Time and Date: Monday, April 2nd, 2013 

4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (EDT). 

Place: All meetings announced herein will 

be held by conference call. The call-in line 

is: 1–866–823–5144, Passcode: 1375705. 

Space is limited so please RSVP to 

partnerships@hhs.gov to participate. 

Status: Open to the public, limited only by 

lines available. 

Purpose: The Council brings together 

leaders and experts in fields related to the 

work of faith-based and neighborhood 

organizations in order to: Identify best 

practices and successful modes of delivering 

social services; evaluate the need for 

improvements in the implementation and 

coordination of public policies relating to 

faith-based and other neighborhood 

organizations; and make recommendations 

for changes in policies, programs, and 

practices. 

Contact Person for Additional Information: 

Please contact Ben O’Dell for any additional 

information about the President’s Advisory 

Council meeting at partnerships@hhs.gov. 

Agenda: Please visit http:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/partnerships for further 

updates on the Agenda for the meeting. 

Public Comment: There will be an 

opportunity for public comment at the 

conclusion of the meeting. Comments and 

questions can be asked over the conference 

call line, or sent in advance to 

partnerships@hhs.gov. 

Dated: March 14, 2013. 

Ben O’Dell, 

Associate Director for Center for Faith-based 

and Neighborhood Partnerships at U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06405 Filed 3–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4154–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Meetings of the National Biodefense 

Science Board 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services is hereby giving notice that the 

National Biodefense Science Board 

(NBSB) will be holding public meetings 

on April 2 and April 3, 2013. 

DATES: The April 2, 2013, NBSB public 

meeting is tentatively scheduled from 

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The April 3, 2013, 

public meeting will be held jointly with 

the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention Board of Scientific 

Counselors (BSC), Office of Public 

Health Preparedness and Response 

(OPHPR), is tentatively scheduled from 

8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The agendas for 

both April 2 and 3, 2013, meetings are 

subject to change as priorities dictate, 

and it is possible that they may be held 

by teleconference rather than in person. 

Please check the NBSB Web site at 

WWW.PHE.GOV/NBSB for the most upto-date information. 

ADDRESSES: April 2, 2013: Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 

1600 Clifton Road NE., Roybal Campus, 

Atlanta, Georgia 30329, Building 19, 

Room 117. 

April 3, 2013: CDC, 1600 Clifton Road 

NE., Roybal Campus, Atlanta, Georgia 

30329, Building 19, Room 256. 

To attend by teleconference, please 

refer to the NBSB Web site for further 

instructions at www.phe.gov/nbsb. 

Please call in 15 minutes prior to the 

beginning of the meeting to facilitate 

attendance. 

Additional Information for Public 

Participants: These meetings are open to 

the public and are limited only by the 

space available. Meeting rooms will 

accommodate up to 30 people. Preregistration is required for in-person 

attendance. Individuals who wish to 

attend the meeting in-person should 

send an email to NBSB@HHS.GOV with 

‘‘NBSB Registration’’ in the subject line 

by no later than Monday, March 25, 

2013. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

National Biodefense Science Board 

mailbox: NBSB@HHS.GOV. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to section 319M of the Public Health 

Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d-7f) and 

section 222 of the Public Health Service 

Act (42 U.S.C. 217a), the Department of 

Health and Human Services established 

the National Biodefense Science Board. 

The Board shall provide expert advice 

and guidance to the Secretary on 

scientific, technical, and other matters 

of special interest to the Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) 

regarding current and future chemical, 

biological, nuclear, and radiological 

agents, whether naturally occurring, 

accidental, or deliberate. The Board may 

also provide advice and guidance to the 

Secretary and/or the Assistant Secretary 

for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) 

on other matters related to public health 

emergency preparedness and response. 

Background: The April 2, 2013, 

public meeting will be dedicated to a 

discussion and vote of the report and 

recommendations from the NBSB’s 

Public Health and Healthcare 

Situational Awareness Strategy and 

Implementation Plan Working Group. 

Subsequent agenda topics will be added 

as priorities dictate. The April 3, 2013, 

meeting will include a joint Federal 

Advisory Committee briefing, 

deliberation and vote on the 

recommendations and report written by 

the joint BSC OPHPR–NBSB Strategic 

National Stockpile ad hoc working 

group. Any additional agenda topics 

will be available on the NBSB’s April 

2013 meeting Web page prior to the 

public meeting, available at 

WWW.PHE.GOV/NBSB. 

Availability of Materials: The meeting 

agenda and materials will be posted on 

the NBSB Web site at WWW.PHE.GOV/ 

NBSB prior to the meeting. 

Procedures for Providing Public Input: 

Any member of the public providing 

oral comments at the meeting must signin at the registration desk and provide 

his/her name, address, and affiliation. 

All written comments must be received 

prior to March 29, 2013, and should be 

sent by email to NBSB@HHS.GOV with 

‘‘NBSB Public Comment’’ as the subject 

line. Individuals who plan to attend and 

need special assistance, such as sign 

language interpretation or other 

reasonable accommodations, should 

email NBSB@HHS.GOV. 

Dated: March 14, 2013. 

Nicole Lurie, 

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 

Response. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06308 Filed 3–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4150–37–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

intention of the Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request 

that the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) approve the proposed 

changes to the currently approved 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 20, 2013 / Notices 17211 

information collection project: ‘‘Medical 

Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance 

Component.’’ In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 

3501–3521, AHRQ invites the public to 

comment on this proposed information 

collection. 

This proposed information collection 

was previously published in the Federal 

Register on December 26th, 2012 and 

allowed 60 days for public comment. 

Two comments were received. The 

purpose of this notice is to allow an 

additional 30 days for public comment. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by April 19, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be submitted to: AHRQ’s OMB Desk 

Officer by fax at (202) 395–6974 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer) or by 

email at 

OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov 

(attention: AHRQ’s desk officer.) 

Copies of the proposed collection 

plans, data collection instruments, and 

specific details on the estimated burden 

can be obtained from the AHRQ Reports 

Clearance Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Doris Lefkowitz, AHRQ Reports 

Clearance Officer, (301) 427–1477, or by 

email at doris.lefkowitz@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Proposed Project 

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey— 

Insurance Component 

Employer-sponsored health insurance 

is the source of coverage for 85 million 

current and former workers, plus many 

of their family members, and is a 

cornerstone of the U.S. health care 

system. The Medical Expenditure Panel 

Survey—Insurance Component (MEPS– 

IC) measures the extent, cost, and 

coverage of employer-sponsored health 

insurance on an annual basis. Private 

industry statistics are produced at the 

National, State, and sub-State 

(metropolitan area) level and State and 

local government statistics at the 

National and Census Region level. 

The MEPS–IC was last approved by 

OMB on December 12th, 2012 and will 

expire on December 31st, 2014. The 

OMB control number for the MEPS–IC 

is 0935–0110. All of the supporting 

documents for the current MEPS–IC can 

be downloaded from OMB’s Web site at 

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAViewDocument?ref_nbr=201110- 

0935-001. 

The current MEPS–IC clearance noted 

the possibility of making changes to the 

2013 MEPS–IC survey in order to 

address data needs for the Patient 

Protection and Affordable Care Act 

(PPACA) and other issues. AHRQ 

solicited input on possible new 

questions from a working group of over 

50 individuals that included multiple 

representatives from the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services’ Assistant Secretary for 

Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), the 

Center for Medicare & Medicaid 

Services’ (CMS) Center for Consumer 

Information and Insurance Oversight, 

the CMS Office of the Actuary, the 

National Center for Health Statistics, the 

President’s Council of Economic 

Advisors, the Office of Management and 

Budget, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 

the Employee Benefits Security 

Administration, and the Bureau of the 

Census. 

After the working group agreed on a 

reasonable number of specific questions, 

the Bureau of the Census, at AHRQ’s 

direction, conducted a pretest of these 

questions on a sampled set of 2012 

MEPS–IC survey respondents. A 

telephone pretest was conducted in the 

spring and summer of 2012. The results 

of this pretest, conducted under the 

Census Bureau’s generic pretest 

clearance process, led to AHRQ 

recommending that a subset of the 

tested questions be added to the survey 

in 2013. To avoid increasing the overall 

burden on survey respondents, a 

proportional number of questions have 

been proposed for deletion. Questions 

identified for deletion were those with 

limited analytic value and/or belowaverage response rates. The AHRQ 

recommendations were accepted by the 

HHS Data Council in November 2012. 

For all establishment-level MEPS–IC 

forms, AHRQ proposes to make the 

following changes to questions asked of 

employers who offer health insurance: 

Additions 

• Did your organization offer health 

insurance to unmarried domestic 

partners of the same sex? Yes/No/ 

Don’t Know 

• Did your organization offer health 

insurance to unmarried domestic 

partners of the opposite sex? Yes/No/ 

Don’t Know 

Deletions 

• For 2013, what was the TYPICAL 

waiting period before new employees 

could be covered by health insurance? 

Less than 2 weeks/2 weeks to less 

than 1 month/Until the first day of the 

next month/1–3 months/More than 3 

months 

• Did your organization place any limits 

or restrictions on health insurance 

coverage for the spouse of an 

employee if the spouse had access to 

coverage through another employer? 

Yes/No/Don’t Know 

For all plan-level MEPS–IC forms, 

AHRQ proposes to make the following 

changes: 

Additions 

• (For self-insured health plans that 

purchase stop-loss coverage) What is 

the specific stop-loss coverage amount 

per employee? $ll.00 

• Did the premiums for this insurance 

plan vary by any of these 

characteristics? Smoker/nonsmoker 

will be added to current list of Age, 

Gender, Wage or Salary levels, and 

Other. The ‘‘Premiums did not vary’’ 

response checkbox will be deleted 

and replaced with Yes/No/Don’t 

Know responses for each 

characteristic. 

• Did the amount an employee 

contributed toward his/her own 

coverage vary by any of these 

employee characteristics? 

Participation in a fitness/weight loss 

program and participation in a 

smoking cessation program will be 

added to the current list of Hours 

worked, Union status, Wage or salary 

level, Occupation, Length of 

employment, and Other. The 

‘‘Employee contribution did not vary’’ 

response checkbox will be deleted 

and replaced with Yes/No/Don’t 

Know responses for each 

characteristic. 

• Which of the services listed were 

covered by the plan? Routine vision 

care for children, Routine dental care 

for children, Mental health care, and 

Substance abuse treatment will be 

added Routine vision care for adults 

and Routine dental care for adults 

will replace Routine vision care and 

Routine dental care respectively 

Chiropractic care remains unchanged 

• Is this a Grandfathered health plan as 

defined by the Affordable Care Act? 

Yes/No/Don’t know 

Deletions 

• How many different pricing categories 

or tiers of prescription drug coverage 

were there for this plan? Number of 

tiers ll or Don’t know 

• What was the MAXIMUM amount 

this plan would have paid for an 

enrollee in ONE YEAR? $ll or No 

annual maximum 

• An employer can offer a Health 

Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) 

by setting up an account to reimburse 

employees for medical expenses not 

covered by health insurance. Did your 

organization offer an HRA associated 

with this plan in 2013? HRAs are 

NOT Flexible Spending Accounts 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17212 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 20, 2013 / Notices 

(FSAs) or Health Savings Accounts 

(HSAs). Yes/No/Don’t Know 

The MEPS Definitions form—MEPS– 

20(D)—will also be updated with new 

definitions for terms used in these new 

questions (and the deletion of terms 

used only in the deleted questions). 

There are no changes to the 2013 

MEPS–IC survey estimates of cost and 

hour burdens due to these proposed 

question changes. The response rate for 

the MEPS–IC survey also is not 

expected to change due to these 

proposed changes. 

The MEPS–IC is conducted pursuant 

to AHRQ’s statutory authority to 

conduct surveys to collect data on the 

cost, use and quality of health care, 

including the types and costs of private 

health insurance. 42 U.S.C. 299b–2(a). 

Method of Collection 

There are no changes to the current 

data collection methods. 

Estimated Annual Respondent Burden 

There are no changes to the current 

burden estimates. 

Estimated Annual Costs to the Federal 

Government 

There are no changes to the current 

cost estimates. 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, comments on AHRQ’s 

information collection are requested 

with regard to any of the following: (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of AHRQ healthcare 

research and healthcare information 

dissemination functions, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

AHRQ’s estimate of burden (including 

hours and costs) of the proposed 

collection(s) of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information upon the 

respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and 

included in the Agency’s subsequent 

request for OMB approval of the 

proposed information collection. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. 

Dated: March 4, 2013. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06217 Filed 3–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Patient Safety Organizations: 

Voluntary Relinquishment From 

QAISys, Inc. 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of delisting. 

SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and 

Quality Improvement Act of 2005 

(Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109–41, 

42 U.S.C. 299b–21— b–26, provides for 

the formation of Patient Safety 

Organizations (PSOs), which collect, 

aggregate, and analyze confidential 

information regarding the quality and 

safety of health care delivery. The 

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement 

Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR 

part 3, authorizes AHRQ, on behalf of 

the Secretary of HHS, to list as a PSO 

an entity that attests that it meets the 

statutory and regulatory requirements 

for listing. A PSO can be ‘‘delisted’’ by 

the Secretary if it is found no longer to 

meet the requirements of the Patient 

Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, or 

when a PSO chooses to voluntarily 

relinquish its status as a PSO for any 

reason. AHRQ has accepted a 

notification of voluntary relinquishment 

from QAISys, Inc. of its status as a PSO, 

and has delisted the PSO accordingly. 

DATES: The directories for both listed 

and delisted PSOs are ongoing and 

reviewed weekly by AHRQ. The 

delisting was effective at 12:00 Midnight 

ET (2400) on January 31, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Both directories can be 

accessed electronically at the following 

HHS Web site: http:// 

www.pso.AHRQ.gov/index.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Eileen Hogan, Center for Quality 

Improvement and Patient Safety, AHRQ, 

540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850; 

Telephone (toll free): (866) 403–3697; 

Telephone (local): (301) 427–1111; TTY 

(toll free): (866) 438–7231; TTY (local): 

(301) 427–1130; Email: 

pso@AHRQ.hhs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Patient Safety Act authorizes the 

listing of PSOs, which are entities or 

component organizations whose 

mission and primary activity is to 

conduct activities to improve patient 

safety and the quality of health care 

delivery. 

HHS issued the Patient Safety Rule to 

implement the Patient Safety Act. 

AHRQ administers the provisions of the 

Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety 

Rule (PDF file, 450 KB. PDF Help) 

relating to the listing and operation of 

PSOs. The Patient Safety Rule 

authorizes AHRQ to list as a PSO an 

entity that attests that it meets the 

statutory and regulatory requirements 

for listing. A PSO can be ‘‘delisted’’ if 

it is found no longer to meet the 

requirements of the Patient Safety Act 

and Patient Safety Rule, or when a PSO 

chooses to voluntarily relinquish its 

status as a PSO for any reason. Section 

3.108(d) of the Patient Safety Rule 

requires AHRQ to provide public notice 

when it removes an organization from 

the list of federally approved PSOs. 

AHRQ has accepted a notification 

from QAISys, Inc., PSO number P0046, 

to voluntarily relinquish its status as a 

PSO. Accordingly, QAISys, Inc. was 

delisted effective at 12:00 Midnight ET 

(2400) on January 31, 2013. 

More information on PSOs can be 

obtained through AHRQ’s PSO Web site 

at http://www.pso.AHRQ.gov/ 

index.html. 

Dated: March 4, 2013. 

Carolyn M. Clancy, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06215 Filed 3–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Agency for Healthcare Research and 

Quality 

Patient Safety Organizations: 

Voluntary Relinquishment From 

Universal Safety Solution PSO 

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research 

and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. 

ACTION: Notice of delisting. 

SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and 

Quality Improvement Act of 2005 

(Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109–41, 

42 U.S.C. 299b–21—b–26, provides for 

the formation of Patient Safety 

Organizations (PSOs), which collect, 

aggregate, and analyze confidential 

information regarding the quality and 

safety of health care delivery. The 

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement 

Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR 

part 3, authorizes AHRQ, on behalf of 

the Secretary of HHS, to list as a PSO 

an entity that attests that it meets the 

statutory and regulatory requirements 

for listing. A PSO can be ‘‘delisted’’ by 

the Secretary if it is found no longer to 

meet the requirements of the Patient 

Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, or 

when a PSO chooses to voluntarily 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES