40532 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 145 / Tuesday, July 29, 1997 / Notices

the agreement and proposed order or to

modify in any way their terms.

Benjamin I. Berman,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–19897 Filed 7–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6750–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Office of Public Health and Science;

Federal Policies Affecting the Future of

Academic Health Centers

AGENCY: Office of Public Health and

Science.

ACTION: Notice of two public hearings,

and comment.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

the Secretary of Health and Human

Services is formally inviting public

comment on issues relevant to the

Department’s Initiative on the Future of

Academic Health Centers. The Secretary

has established an interagency policy

development group to review

Department policies affecting academic

health centers and other health

professions work force issues. The

policy development group will make

recommendations to the Secretary for

revising or implementing Federal

policies that ensure that the essential

public goods produced by academic

health centers are maintained in the

evolving health care system. These

essential public goods (health

professions education, biomedical and

other health research, and services to

vulnerable or disadvantaged

individuals, as well as special services,

i.e., trauma care, burn units, and

transplantation units), are critical to the

nation’s health care system.

The policy development group of the

Department’s initiative is interested in

gaining local and regional perspectives

from across the country on the issues

that surround the future of academic

health centers. To gain this input, two

national public hearings will be held.

These hearings will focus on issues

related to the future of education and

research missions of academic health

centers, the provision of services

through academic health centers, and

academic health centers’ need for access

to capital to achieve these missions.

Individuals may provide oral comments

regarding the future of academic health

centers, and Federal policies affecting

them. The testimony provided by key

stakeholders/constituents will be

considered in the development of

recommendations to the Secretary.

Written comments will also be accepted.

DATES: Two public hearings will be

held: August 25, 1997 in Houston, TX

and August 27, 1997 in Chicago, IL.

Requests to give oral testimony at the

hearings must be received in writing by

August 7, 1997. Written comments

accompanying oral testimony are due

August 11, 1997 for the August 25, 1997

hearing and on August 13, 1997 for the

August 27, 1997 hearing. Submission

deadline for written comments, without

oral testimony, is August 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written requests to testify

and written comments on Federal

policies that impact the future of

academic health centers should be

submitted to: Ciro V. Sumaya, M.D.,

M.P.H.T.M., Deputy Assistant Secretary

for Health, Department of Health and

Human Services, Hubert H. Humphrey

Building, Room 716–G, 200

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

office of Dr. Sumaya at the address

listed above. Telephone: (202) 690–

7694. Facsimile: (202) 260–4405.

Electronic mail:

AHCInitiative@osophs.dhhs.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Location Information

Sammons Auditorium, Texas Medical

Center Library, 1133 M.D. Anderson

Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77030 on

August 25, 1997, 8:30 AM. Dirksen

Building, 219 S. Dearborne Street,

Courtroom #2541, Chicago, Illinois,

60604, on August 27, 1997, 8:30 AM.

Guidelines for Submitted Testimony

Those wishing to present written

testimony only should accompany their

testimony with an abstract that

summarizes their testimony in 200

words or less.

Those wishing to present oral

testimony should indicate the following

in their requests: (1) which of the two

public forums (Houston, Texas, August

25, 1997, or Chicago, Illinois, August 27,

1997) they would like to attend

depending upon availability; (2) the

type of institution or organization they

represent (academic health center or

school, professional association,

community organization, state/local

government, foundation, health plan,

insurer, other provider, or other), and

their mailing address, telephone

number, facsimile number, and

electronic mail address (if available).

Written comments may be longer than

the oral testimony presented. An

abstract that summarizes the testimony,

in 200 words or less, must accompany

the written testimony.

Both of these hearings will be limited

one day; therefore, it is possible that all

those who wish to present oral

testimony may not be accommodated.

Requests for oral presentations will be

honored on a first come, first serve

basis. Opportunity will be provided for

representation by a variety of

stakeholders/constituencies, as

identified above, as well as to ensure

geographic distribution. Oral comments

must be limited to no more than five

minutes. Presenters will be notified by

telephone if they will have the

opportunity to provide oral testimony,

with a follow-up confirmation in

writing.

Testimony Content Guidelines

Both public hearings will address

issues related to academic health

centers’ education and research

missions and the provision of health

care services (to under served

populations, and specialized services),

and related needs for access to capital

to support these public missions.

Written and oral testimony prepared

for these public hearings should address

one or more of these questions:

Education/Work Force

What role should academic health

centers play in developing the nation’s

health professions work force? What are

the current threats and barriers to

achieving those educational roles and

accompanying goals?

What Federal policies are needed to

improve academic health centers’

capacity to produce an appropriate

health professions work force at the

regional, state, and national level?

Is the use of consortia (e.g., hospital

networks, health professions schools) an

effective means to improve health

professions training and education? Are

there other models? Are specific

demonstrations and projects useful?

Research

What is the current status of the

nation’s health research enterprise (i.e.,

biomedical, clinical, behavioral, health

services, prevention/population based

research)?

What are some strategies for

maintaining a strong and productive

research infrastructure, including

training programs, support services, and

physical plants and operations?

What policies are needed to maintain

and improve the nation’s health

research capacity and productivity?

Services

Are services to vulnerable and under

served populations traditionally

provided by academic health centers at
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 145 / Tuesday, July 29, 1997 / Notices 40533

risk due to recent changes in health care

delivery and financing? If so, how are

academic health centers addressing

these?

What Federal policy changes, if any,

are needed to assist academic health

centers in providing quality health

services to vulnerable and under served

populations?

How are the special services (e.g.,

burn units, trauma Centers, organ

transplantation programs, etc.) that are

frequently, if not primarily, performed

at academic health centers being

affected by the changing health care

environment? If these special services

are being adversely affected, how are

academic health centers addressing

this? Can/should Federal policy assist

these institutions?

Access to Capital

What are the capital needs of

academic health centers? Do academic

health centers have access to adequate

capital resources to support the

education, research and service mission

of academic health centers?

Are the Federal policies that influence

access to capital resources appropriate?

If not, what Federal policy changes are

needed to facilitate academic health

centers’ access to capital?

DHHS Initiative on Academic Health

Centers

Description of Academic Health Centers

Academic health centers are major

complexes comprised of a school of

medicine, at least one other health

professions school (nursing, dentistry,

allied health, public health, pharmacy,

etc.) and one or more teaching hospitals.

There are over 100 academic health

centers in the United States, more than

75 percent having three or more health

professions schools. These centers may

be components of private or public

universities or State university systems,

or they can be freestanding institutions.

Mission of Academic Health Centers

Academic health centers are an

integral part of the American health care

system. These centers produce valuable

public goods for the country, including

40 percent of the health research and

development and thirty three percent of

the highly specialized, complex care for

patients with major trauma as injuries or

burns, AIDS, and other intensive care.

They are a principal resource for the

training and education of the future

health care professional workforce.

Academic health centers—especially

publicly owned ones—provide over one

third of the nation’s uncompensated

(charity and bad debt) health care.

Challenges Facing Academic Health

Centers

Many changes in the evolving health

care environment, including the rapid

expansion of managed care, are posing

a number of serious challenges for these

centers and the health professions

workforce. These challenges include

fiscal survival and stability in a

competitive health care marketplace,

diminished subsides for the academic

mission in research and education,

urgent demand to develop a strong

capacity in primary (general) care and

training of future health professionals in

ambulatory (non-hospital) settings,

information technology needs that are

quite expensive, and external pressures

for increased accountability as a public

goods resource.

Stakeholder of Academic Health

Centers

Academic health centers are linked to

a variety of entities such as universities,

local-State-Federal government

agencies, managed care organizations,

health insurance industry,

pharmaceutical companies,

telecommunications companies and the

general business community, among

many others. Moreover, these centers

are closely tied to the health and

economy of the communities they serve.

Federal Government Partnership

DHHS oversees numerous programs

that directly or indirectly provide

financial, physical, human, and

technical resources to the academic

health center enterprise. These

resources support graduate medical

education and other health professions

training and education, biomedical and

other health research, institutional and

student loan programs, and services to

Medicare and Medicaid participants.

The Veteran’s Administration and the

Department of Defense are additional

components of the Federal government

than help support academic health

centers.

DHHS Initiative

This initiative was established to

update and develop relevant policy at

the Federal level that can ensure the

academic health centers’ capacity to

achieve their public good mission in a

new, evolving health care system. DHHS

Secretary Shalala has appointed Dr. Ciro

Sumaya, Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Health, to lead an interagency policy

development task force focusing on the

future of the centers. The task force will

also work with the Departments of

Veterans Affairs and Defense, State

governments, the academic community,

and other public and private sectors

partners in this process.

Recommendations on policy options

and actions are to be submitted to the

Secretary by the end of September 1997.

The recommendations will address the

current development of the health

professions work force as well as

financial, research, and service

infrastructure issues facing academic

health centers.

Dated: July 23, 1997.

John M. Eisenberg,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Health.

[FR Doc. 97–19982 Filed 7–25–97; 12:24 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–17–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Office of Disease Prevention

and Health Promotion, HHS.

ACTION: Commission of dietary

supplement labels: notice of meeting #9.

SUMMARY: The Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS) is providing

notice of the ninth meeting of the

Commission on dietary supplement

labels.

DATES: The Commission intends to hold

its meeting on August 14, 1997, from

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on August 15,

1997, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately

3:00 p.m., E.S.T., at the Hyatt Regency

Reston, Reston Town Center, 1800

Presidents Street, Reston, Virginia

20190. The meeting is open to the

public; seating is limited.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenneth D. Fisher, Ph. D., Executive

Director, Commission on Dietary

Supplement Labels, Office of Disease

Prevention and Health Promotion, Room

738G, Hubert H. Humphrey Building,

200 Independence Ave. S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20201, (202) 690–

7102.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pub. L.

103–417, Section 12, authorized the

establishment of a Commission on

Dietary Supplement Labels whose seven

members have been appointed by the

President. The appointments to the

Commission by the President and the

establishment of the Commission by the

Secretary of Health and Human Services

reflect the commitment of the President

and the Secretary to the development of

a sound and consistent regulatory policy

on labeling of dietary supplements.

The Commission is charged with

conducting a study and providing

recommendations for regulation of label

claims and statements for dietary

supplements, including the use of