Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 67 / Thursday, April 7, 2011 / Notices 19361 

Medicare provider payment rates or 

coverage policy. 

Meeting Date: April 12, 2011, 9 a.m. 

to 5 p.m. e.t. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at 

HHS headquarters at 200 Independence 

Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20201, 

Room 425A. 

Comments: The meeting will allocate 

time on the agenda to hear public 

comments at the end of the meeting. In 

lieu of oral comments, formal written 

comments may be submitted for the 

record to Donald T. Oellerich, OASPE, 

200 Independence Ave., SW., 20201, 

Room 405F. Those submitting written 

comments should identify themselves 

and any relevant organizational 

affiliations. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donald T. Oellerich (202) 690–8410, 

Don.oellerich@hhs.gov. Note: Although 

the meeting is open to the public, 

procedures governing security 

procedures and the entrance to Federal 

buildings may change without notice. 

Those wishing to attend the meeting 

must call or e-mail Dr. Oellerich by 

Thursday April 7, 2011, so that their 

name may be put on a list of expected 

attendees and forwarded to the security 

officers at HHS Headquarters. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Topics of the Meeting: The Panel is 

specifically charged with discussing and 

possibly making recommendations to 

the Medicare Trustees on how the 

Trustees might more accurately estimate 

health spending in the United States. 

The discussion is expected to focus on 

highly technical aspects of estimation 

involving economics and actuarial 

science. Panelists are not restricted, 

however, in the topics that they choose 

to discuss. 

Procedure and Agenda: This meeting 

is open to the public. The Panel will 

likely hear presentations by HHS staff 

presentations regarding short range 

projection methods and assumptions. 

After any presentations, the Panel will 

deliberate openly on the topic. 

Interested persons may observe the 

deliberations, but the Panel will not 

hear public comments during this time. 

The Panel will also allow an open 

public session for any attendee to 

address issues specific to the topic. 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 217a; Section 222 of 

the Public Health Services Act, as amended. 

The panel is governed by provisions of 

Public Law 92–463, as amended (5 U.S.C. 

Appendix 2), which sets forth standards for 

the formation and use of advisory 

committees. 

Dated: March 29, 2011. 

Sherry Glied, 

Assistant Secretary for Planning and 

Evaluation. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8359 Filed 4–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Office of the Secretary 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for 

Planning and Evaluation; Statement of 

Organization, Functions and 

Delegations of Authority 

Part A (Office of the Secretary), 

Statement of Organization, Functions, 

and Delegations of Authority of the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) is being amended at 

Chapter AE, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Planning and Evaluation 

(ASPE) as last amended at 67 FR 61341– 

42 dated September 30, 2002 and most 

recently at 73 FR 19977, dated April 16, 

2010. This reorganization is to realign 

the functions of ASPE to reflect the 

current structure and areas of focus. The 

changes are as follows: 

I. Under Section AE.20 Functions, 

delete Paragraph D, Office of Disability, 

Aging and Long-Term Care Policy 

(AEW), in its entirety and replace with 

the following: 

D. The Office of Disability, Aging and 

Long-Term Care Policy is responsible 

for the development, coordination, 

research and evaluation of HHS policies 

and programs that support the 

independence, productivity, health and 

well being of children, working age 

adults, and older persons with 

disabilities. The office is also 

responsible for policy coordination and 

research to promote the economic and 

social well-being of older Americans. 

The Office coordinates its work with 

aging and disability-related agencies 

and programs throughout the 

government, including the Departments 

of Justice, Labor, Education, 

Transportation, Housing and Urban 

Development, the Social Security 

Administration and the Office of 

National Drug Control Policy. 

1. The Division of Disability and 

Aging Policy is responsible for policy 

development, coordination, research 

and evaluation of policies and programs 

focusing on persons with disabilities 

and older Americans (Older Americans 

Act). Activities related to the Older 

Americans Act are carried out in 

coordination with the Office of the 

Assistant Secretary for Aging. This 

includes measuring and evaluating the 

impact of programs authorized by the 

Older Americans Act. The Division is 

also responsible for supporting the 

development and coordination of 

crosscutting disability and aging data 

and policies within the Department and 

other federal agencies. Areas of focus 

include assessing the interaction 

between the health, disability, and 

economic well-being of persons of all 

ages with disabilities including the 

prevalence of disability and disabling 

conditions; describing the sociodemographic characteristics of relevant 

populations; determining service use, 

income, employment, and program 

participation patterns; and coordinating 

the development of disability and aging 

data and policies that affect the 

characteristics, circumstances and needs 

of older Americans and disabled 

populations. The Division’s 

responsibilities include long-range 

planning, budget and economic 

analysis, program analysis, review of 

regulations and reports on legislation, 

review and conduct of research and 

evaluation activities, and information 

dissemination. 

2. The Division of Long-Term Care 

Policy is responsible for coordination, 

development, research and evaluation of 

HHS policies and programs which 

address the long-term care and personal 

assistance needs of people of all ages 

with functional impairments and 

disabilities. The Division is the focal 

point for policy development and 

analysis related to the long-term care 

services components of the Affordable 

Care Act as well as Medicare, Medicaid, 

and including nursing facility services, 

community residential services, 

personal assistance services, home 

health and rehabilitation services, and 

the integration of acute, post-acute and 

long-term care services. The Division’s 

responsibilities include long-range 

planning, budget and economic 

analysis, program analysis, review of 

regulations and reports on legislation, 

review and conduct of research and 

evaluation activities, and information 

dissemination. 

3. The Division of Behavioral Health 

and Intellectual Disabilities Policy is 

responsible for analysis, coordination, 

research and evaluation of policies 

related to individuals with severe 

intellectual disabilities, severe 

addictions and/or severe and persistent 

mental illness. The Division’s 

responsibilities include long-range 

planning, budget and economic 

analysis, data development and 

analysis, program analysis, review of 

regulations and reports on legislation, 

review and conduct of research and 

evaluation activities, and information 

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19362 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 67 / Thursday, April 7, 2011 / Notices 

dissemination. The Division is the focal 

point for policy development and 

analysis related to financing, access/ 

delivery, organization and quality of 

Intellectual Disabilities and Serious and 

Persistent Mental Illnesses services, 

including those financed by Medicaid, 

Medicare, SAMHSA, Administration on 

Developmental Disabilities and HRSA. 

The Division works closely with other 

offices in ASPE because the two 

vulnerable populations that are its focus 

are users of both human services and 

health services. 

II. Delegations of Authority: All 

delegations and redelegations of 

authority made to officials and 

employees of affected organizational 

components will continue in them or 

their successors pending further 

redelegation, provided they are 

consistent with this reorganization. 

Dated: March 30, 2011. 

E.J. Holland, Jr., 

Assistant Secretary for Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8357 Filed 4–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4150–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[60Day–11–11EC] 

Proposed Data Collections Submitted 

for Public Comment and 

Recommendations 

In compliance with the requirement 

of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for 

opportunity for public comment on 

proposed data collection projects, the 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic 

summaries of proposed projects. To 

request more information on the 

proposed projects or to obtain a copy of 

the data collection plans and 

instruments, call 404–639–5960 and 

send comments to Daniel Holcomb, CDC 

Acting Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 

Clifton Road, MS–D74, Atlanta, GA 

30333 or send an e-mail to 

omb@cdc.gov. 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection 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 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. Written comments should 

be received within 60 days of this 

notice. 

Proposed Project 

Epidemiologic Study of Health Effects 

Associated With Low Pressure Events in 

Drinking Water Distribution Systems 

—New—National Center for Emerging 

and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases— 

Office of Infectious Diseases—CDC. 

Background and Brief Description 

In the United States, drinking water 

distribution systems are designed to 

deliver safe, pressurized drinking water 

to our homes, hospitals, schools and 

businesses. However, the water 

distribution infrastructure is 50–100 

years old in much of the U.S. and an 

estimated 240,000 water main breaks 

occur each year. Failures in the 

distribution system such as water main 

breaks, cross-connections, back-flow, 

and pressure fluctuations can result in 

potential intrusion of microbes and 

other contaminants that can cause 

health effects, including acute 

gastrointestinal and respiratory illness. 

Approximately 200 million cases of 

acute gastrointestinal illness occur in 

the U.S. each year, but we don’t have 

reliable data to assess how many of 

these cases are associated with drinking 

water. Further, data are even more 

limited on the human health risks 

associated with exposure to drinking 

water during and after the occurrence of 

low pressure events (such as water main 

breaks) in drinking water distribution 

systems. A study conducted in Norway 

from 2003–2004 found that people 

exposed to low pressure events in the 

water distribution system had a higher 

risk for gastrointestinal illness. A 

similar study is needed in the United 

States. 

The purpose of this data collection is 

to conduct an epidemiologic study in 

the U.S. to assess whether individuals 

exposed to low pressure events in the 

water distribution system are at an 

increased risk for acute gastrointestinal 

or respiratory illness. This study would 

be, to our knowledge, the first U.S. 

study to systematically examine the 

association between low pressure events 

and acute gastrointestinal and 

respiratory illnesses. Study findings will 

inform the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA), CDC, and other drinking 

water stakeholders of the potential 

health risks associated with low 

pressure events in drinking water 

distribution systems and whether 

additional measures (e.g., new 

standards, additional research, or policy 

development) are needed to reduce the 

risk for health effects associated with 

low pressure events in the drinking 

water distribution system. 

We will conduct a cohort study 

among households that receive water 

from five water utilities across the U.S. 

The water systems will be 

geographically diverse and will include 

both chlorinated and chloraminated 

systems. These water utilities will 

provide information about low pressure 

events that occur during the study 

period. Households in areas exposed to 

the low pressure event and an equal 

number of households in an unexposed 

area will be randomly selected and sent 

a survey questionnaire. After consenting 

to participate, households will be asked 

about symptoms and duration of any 

recent gastrointestinal or respiratory 

illness, tap water consumption, and 

other factors including international 

travel, daycare attendance or 

employment, and exposure to undercooked or unpasteurized food, pets and 

other animal contact, and recreational 

water. Study participants will be able to 

choose their method of survey response 

from a variety of options including a 

paper survey, telephone-administered 

survey, or Web-based survey. A Spanish 

language version of the survey for all 

response options will also be available. 

Participation in this study will be 

voluntary. No financial compensation 

will be provided to study participants. 

The study duration is anticipated to last 

12 months. An estimated 5,200 

individuals will be contacted and we 

anticipate 2,080 adults (18 years of age 

or older) will consent to participate in 

this study. We will conduct a pilot 

study (duration 3 months) prior to 

launching the full epidemiologic study. 

An estimated 1,000 individuals will be 

contacted and we anticipate 400 adults 

(18 years of age or older) will consent 

to participate in the pilot study. The 

total estimated annualized hours 

associated with this study, including the 

pilot, is expected to be 601. 

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