§ 70.16 Medical review of a Federal order for quarantine, isolation, or conditional release. ( a ) The Director shall, as soon as practicable, arrange for a medical review upon a request by an individual under Federal quarantine, isolation, or conditional release.
( b ) A request for a medical review may only occur after the Director's mandatory reassessment under section 70.15 and following the service of a Federal order continuing or modifying the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release.
( c ) The medical review shall be for the purpose of ascertaining whether the Director has a reasonable belief that the individual is infected with a quarantinable communicable disease in a qualifying stage.
( d ) The Director shall notify the individual in writing of the time and place of the medical review.
( e ) The Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) shall designate a medical reviewer to review the medical or other evidence presented at the review, make medical or other findings of fact, and issue a recommendation concerning whether the Federal order for quarantine, isolation, or conditional release should be rescinded, continued, or modified.
( f ) The individual under Federal quarantine, isolation, or conditional release may authorize an advocate (*e.g.,* an attorney, family member, or physician) at his or her own expense to submit medical or other evidence and, in the medical reviewer's discretion, be allowed to present a reasonable number of medical experts. The Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) shall appoint representatives at government expense to assist the individual for purposes of the medical review upon a request and certification, under penalty of perjury, by that individual that he or she is indigent.
( g ) Prior to the convening of the review, the individual or his/her authorized advocate or representatives shall be provided a reasonable opportunity to examine the available medical and other records involved in the medical review that pertain to that individual.
( h ) The Director shall take such measures that he/she determines to be reasonably necessary to allow an individual under Federal quarantine or isolation to communicate with any authorized advocate or representatives in such a manner as to prevent the possible spread of the quarantinable communicable disease.
( i ) The medical reviewer may order a medical examination of an individual when, in the medical reviewer's professional judgment, such an examination would assist in assessing the individual's medical condition.
( j ) As part of the review, and where applicable, the medical reviewer shall consider and accept into the record evidence concerning whether less restrictive alternatives would adequately serve to protect public health.
( k ) The medical review shall be conducted by telephone, audio or video conference, or through other means that the medical reviewer determines in his/her discretion are practicable for allowing the individual under quarantine, isolation, or conditional release to participate in the medical review.
( l ) At the conclusion of the review, the medical reviewer shall, based upon his or her review of the facts and other evidence made available during the medical review, issue a written report to the Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) concerning whether, in the medical reviewer's professional judgment, the Federal quarantine, isolation, or conditional release should be rescinded, continued, or modified. The written report shall include a determination regarding whether less restrictive alternatives would adequately serve to protect public health. The written report shall be served on the individual and the individual's authorized advocate or representatives.
( m ) The Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) shall, as soon as practicable, review the written report and any objections that may be submitted by the individual or the individual's authorized advocate or representatives that contest the findings and recommendation contained in the medical reviewer's written report. Upon conclusion of the review, the Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) shall promptly issue a written Federal order directing that the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release be continued, modified, or rescinded. In the event that the Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) continues or modifies the Federal quarantine, isolation, or conditional release, the Director's written order shall include a statement that the individual may request that the Director rescind the Federal quarantine, isolation, or conditional release, but based only on a showing of significant, new or changed facts or medical evidence that raise a genuine issue as to whether the individual should continue to be subject to Federal quarantine, isolation, or conditional release. The written Federal order shall be promptly served on the individual and the individual's authorized advocate or representatives, except that the Federal order may be served by publication or by posting in a conspicuous location if applicable to a group of individuals and individual service would be impracticable.
( n ) The Director's written order shall not constitute final agency action until it has been served on the individual and the individual's authorized advocate or representatives, or alternatively, if applicable to a group of individuals and individual service would be impracticable, it is published or posted.
( o ) The Director (excluding the CDC official who issued the quarantine, isolation, or conditional release order) may order the consolidation of one or more medical reviews if the number of individuals or other factors makes the holding of individual medical reviews impracticable.
( p ) The Director may issue additional instructions as may be necessary or desirable governing the conduct of medical reviews.
( q ) The Director shall arrange for translation or interpretation services as needed for purposes of this section.
[82 FR 6971, Jan. 19, 2017]