12712 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2022 / Notices 

for laboratories out of compliance, and 

accreditation organization resources. 

Therefore, we have determined that the 

requirements of the accreditation 

program submitted for approval are 

equal to or more stringent than the 

requirements of the CLIA regulations. 

B. Subpart H—Participation in 

Proficiency Testing for Laboratories 

Performing Nonwaived Testing 

We have determined that COLA’s 

requirements are equal to or more 

stringent than the CLIA requirements at 

§§ 493.801 through 493.865. 

C. Subpart J—Facility Administration 

for Nonwaived Testing 

We have determined that COLA’s 

requirements for the specialty of 

Pathology to include Histopathology, 

Cytology and Oral Pathology are equal 

to or more stringent than the CLIA 

requirements at §§ 493.1100 through 

493.1105. 

D. Subpart K—Quality System for 

Nonwaived Testing 

We have determined that COLA’s 

requirements for the specialty of 

Pathology to include Histopathology, 

Cytology and Oral Pathology are equal 

to or more stringent than the CLIA 

requirements at §§ 493.1200 through 

493.1299. 

E. Subpart M—Personnel for Nonwaived 

Testing 

We have determined that COLA’s 

requirements for the specialty of 

Pathology to include Histopathology, 

Cytology and Oral Pathology are equal 

to or more stringent than the CLIA 

requirements at §§ 493.1403 through 

493.1495 for laboratories that perform 

moderate and high complexity testing. 

F. Subpart Q—Inspection 

We have determined that COLA’s 

requirements for the specialty of 

Pathology to include Histopathology, 

Cytology and Oral Pathology are equal 

to or more stringent than the CLIA 

requirements at §§ 493.1771 through 

493.1780. 

G. Subpart R—Enforcement Procedures 

We have determined that COLA’s 

requirements for the specialty of 

Pathology to include Histopathology, 

Cytology and Oral Pathology meet the 

requirements of subpart R to the extent 

that it applies to accreditation 

organizations. COLA policy sets forth 

the actions the organization takes when 

laboratories it accredits do not comply 

with its requirements and standards for 

accreditation. When appropriate, COLA 

will deny, suspend, or revoke 

accreditation in a laboratory accredited 

by COLA and report that action to us 

within 30 days. COLA also provides an 

appeal process for laboratories that have 

had accreditation denied, suspended, or 

revoked. 

We have determined that COLA’s 

laboratory enforcement and appeal 

policies are equal to or more stringent 

than the requirements of part 493 

subpart R as they apply to accreditation 

organizations. 

IV. Federal Validation Inspections and 

Continuing Oversight 

The Federal validation inspections of 

laboratories accredited by COLA may be 

conducted on a representative sample 

basis or in response to substantial 

allegations of noncompliance (that is, 

complaint inspections). The outcome of 

those validation inspections, performed 

by CMS or our agents, or the State 

survey agencies, will be our principal 

means for verifying that the laboratories 

accredited by COLA remain in 

compliance with CLIA requirements. 

This Federal monitoring is an ongoing 

process. 

V. Removal of Approval as an 

Accrediting Organization 

CLIA regulations at § 493.575 provide 

that we may rescind the approval of an 

accreditation organization, such as that 

of COLA, before the end of the effective 

date of approval in certain 

circumstances. For example, If we 

determine that COLA has failed to 

adopt, maintain and enforce 

requirements that are equal to, or more 

stringent than, the CLIA requirements, 

or that systemic problems exist in its 

monitoring, inspection or enforcement 

processes, we may impose a 

probationary period, not to exceed 1 

year, in which COLA would be allowed 

to address any identified issues. Should 

COLA be unable to address the 

identified issues within that timeframe, 

CMS may, in accordance with the 

applicable regulations, revoke COLA’s 

deeming authority under CLIA. 

Should circumstances result in our 

withdrawal of COLA’s approval, we will 

publish a notice in the Federal Register 

explaining the basis for removing its 

approval. 

VI. Collection of Information 

Requirements 

This document does not impose 

information collection requirements, 

that is, reporting, record keeping or 

third-party disclosure requirements. 

Consequently, there is no need for 

review by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) under the authority of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35). The requirements 

associated with the accreditation 

process for clinical laboratories under 

the CLIA program, codified in 42 CFR 

part 493 subpart E, are currently 

approved by OMB under OMB control 

number 0938–0686. 

VII. Executive Order 12866 Statement 

In accordance with the provisions of 

Executive Order 12866, this notice was 

not reviewed by the Office of 

Management and Budget. 

The Administrator of the Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, having 

reviewed and approved this document, 

authorizes Lynette Wilson, who is the 

Federal Register Liaison, to 

electronically sign this document for 

purposes of publication in the Federal 

Register. 

Lynette Wilson, 

Federal Register Liaison, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

[FR Doc. 2022–04770 Filed 3–4–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Impact of Health Misinformation in the 

Digital Information Environment in the 

United States Throughout the COVID– 

19 Pandemic Request for Information 

(RFI) 

AGENCY: Office of the Surgeon General, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services. 

ACTION: Request for information (RFI). 

SUMMARY: The Office of the Surgeon 

General requests input from interested 

parties on the impact and prevalence of 

health misinformation in the digital 

information environment during the 

COVID–19 pandemic. The purpose of 

this RFI is to understand the impact of 

COVID–19 misinformation on 

healthcare infrastructure and public 

health more broadly during the 

pandemic including (but not limited to) 

quality of care, health decisions and 

outcomes, direct and indirect costs, 

trust in the healthcare system and 

providers, and healthcare worker morale 

and safety, understand the unique role 

the information environment played in 

the societal response to the COVID–19 

pandemic and implications for future 

public health emergencies, understand 

the impact of exposure to health 

misinformation and how access to 

trusted and credible health information, 

particularly during a public health 

emergency, impacts lifesaving health 

decisions such as an individual’s 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2022 / Notices 12713 

likelihood to vaccinate; and use the 

information requested to prepare for and 

respond to future public health crises. 

HHS will consider the usability, 

applicability, and rigor of submissions 

in response to this RFI and share 

learnings from these responses with the 

public. Public comments and 

submissions will also be made available 

to the public and can be used for 

research purposes. 

DATES: To be assured consideration, 

comments must be received via the 

methods provided below, no later than 

midnight Eastern Time (ET) on May 2, 

2022. Submissions received after the 

deadline will not be reviewed. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

identified by [Impact of Health 

Misinformation in the Digital 

Information Environment in the United 

States Throughout the COVID–19 

Pandemic Request for Information 

(RFI)], by any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for sending comments. 

• Form: [https://forms.office.com/g/ 

kPPYHM15Uc]. 

• Email: [COVIDMisinfoRFI@

hhs.gov]. Include [Impact of Health 

Misinformation in the Digital 

Information Environment in the United 

States Throughout the COVID–19 

Pandemic Request for Information (RFI)] 

in the subject line of the message. 

You may respond to some or all of the 

topic areas covered in the RFI. You may 

also include links to online material or 

interactive presentations. 

For information on public comments, 

see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Max 

Lesko at COVIDMisinfoRFI@hhs.gov or 

at (202) 893–5020. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please feel 

free to respond to as many topics as you 

choose. Responses should include the 

name of the person (s) or organization 

(s) filing the comment, as well as the 

respondent type (e.g., academic 

institution, advocacy group, 

professional society, community-based 

organization, industry, member of the 

public, government, and governmental 

entities such as libraries and public 

health departments. Respondent’s role 

in the organization, as applicable, may 

also be provided (e.g., researcher, 

administrator, student, product 

manager, journalist) on a voluntary 

basis. Comments containing references, 

studies, research, and other empirical 

data that are not widely published 

should include electronic links to the 

referenced materials or be attached to 

the email. No proprietary business 

information, copyrighted information, 

or personally identifiable information 

should be submitted in response to this 

RFI. Listening sessions will be hosted to 

allow oral comments and submissions. 

Please be aware that all submissions 

will be reviewed and relevant comments 

submitted in direct response to the 

information requested in this RFI may 

be posted or otherwise released 

publicly. 

I. Background 

1. Health misinformation—health 

information that is false, inaccurate, or 

misleading according to the best 

available evidence at the time—has been 

a challenge during public health 

emergencies before, including persistent 

rumors about HIV/AIDS that have 

undermined efforts to reduce infection 

rates in the U.S. and during the Ebola 

epidemic. But the speed, scale, and 

sophistication with which 

misinformation has been spread during 

the COVID–19 pandemic has been 

unprecedented. Recent research shows 

that most Americans believe or are 

unsure of at least one COVID–19 

vaccine falsehood. The digital 

information environment is a 

phenomenon that requires further 

research and study to better prepare for 

future public health emergencies. This 

RFI seeks to understand both the impact 

of health misinformation during the 

COVID–19 pandemic and the unique 

role that technology and social media 

platforms play in the dissemination of 

critical health information during a 

public health emergency. The inputs 

from stakeholders will help inform 

future pandemic response in the context 

of an evolving digital information 

environment. 

II. Scope and Assumptions 

• The definition of health 

misinformation for the purposes of this 

RFI is health information that is false, 

inaccurate, or misleading according to 

the best available evidence at the time. 

• Exposure is defined as seeing 

content in newsfeeds, in search results, 

or algorithmically nominated content. 

• Potential exposure is the exposure 

users would have had if they could see 

all the content that is eligible to appear 

in their newsfeeds. 

• Engagement includes the clicking or 

viewing of content, as well as reacting. 

• Sharing is the act of sharing a piece 

of pre-existing content within social 

media. 

• Technology platforms include the 

following: General search engines, 

content sharing platforms, social media 

platforms, e-commerce platforms, crowd 

sourced platforms, and instant 

messaging systems. 

• Relevant dates for responses 

include January 2020–Present. 

• Research, case studies, data sets, 

images, data visualizations, interviews, 

and personal testimonies may be 

submitted. 

• All information should be provided 

at a level of granularity that preserves 

the privacy of users. 

• If including data sets, please make 

the data available in a downloadable, 

machine-readable format with 

accompanying metadata. 

III. Information Requested/Key 

Questions 

Please respond to specific topics 

where you have both expertise and 

sufficient evidence to support your 

comments. Respondents are requested 

to share objective results of an 

evaluation for each topic when possible. 

A response to every item is not required. 

Information About Impact on 

Healthcare 

1. Information about how COVID–19 

misinformation has affected quality of 

patient care during the pandemic. 

a. Information about how important a 

role COVID–19 misinformation played 

in patient decisions not to vaccinate, 

including the types of misinformation 

that influenced decisions. 

b. Information about the media 

sources from which patients are 

receiving misinformation and if such 

information has negatively influenced 

their healthcare decisions or resulted in 

patient harm. 

2. Information about how COVID–19 

misinformation has impacted healthcare 

systems and infrastructure. 

a. Information about time and 

resources spent addressing COVID–19 

misinformation. 

b. Information about how COVID–19 

misinformation has impacted healthcare 

worker morale and safety in the 

workplace, including instances of 

online harassment or harm. 

2. Information About Technology 

Platforms 

3. Information about how widespread 

COVID–19 misinformation is on 

individual technology platforms 

including: General search engines, 

content sharing platforms, social media 

platforms, e-commerce platforms, crowd 

sourced platforms, and instant 

messaging systems. 

a. Starting with, but not limited to, 

these common examples of COVID–19 

vaccine misinformation documented by 

the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC), any aggregate data 


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12714 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2022 / Notices 

and analysis on the prevalence of 

COVID–19 misinformation on 

individual platforms including exactly 

how many users saw or may have been 

exposed to instances of COVID–19 

misinformation. 

b. Any aggregate data and analysis on 

how many users were exposed, were 

potentially exposed, or otherwise 

engaged with COVID–19 

misinformation. 

i. Exposure is defined as seeing 

content in newsfeeds, in search results, 

or algorithmically nominated content. 

ii. Potential exposure is the exposure 

users would have had if they could see 

all the content that is eligible to appear 

within their newsfeeds. 

iii. Engagement includes the clicking 

or viewing of content, as well as 

reacting. Sharing is the act of sharing a 

piece of pre-existing content within 

social media. 

c. Any aggregate data broken down by 

demographics on groups or populations 

who may have been differentially 

exposed to or impacted by COVID–19 

misinformation. 

4. Information about COVID–19 

misinformation policies on individual 

technology platforms. 

a. Any aggregate data and analysis of 

technology platform COVID–19 

misinformation policies including 

implementation of those policies and 

evaluations of their effectiveness. 

5. Information about sources of 

COVID–19 misinformation. 

a. Information about the major sources 

of COVID–19 misinformation associated 

with exposure. 

i. By source we mean both specific, 

public actors that are providing 

misinformation, as well as components 

of specific platforms that are driving 

exposure to information. 

6. Information about COVID–19 

misinformation from sources engaged in 

the sale of unproven COVID–19 

products or services (e.g., prescriptions 

for unapproved or unauthorized drugs, 

sales of alternative cures, or sales of 

other unapproved or unauthorized 

COVID–19 medical products), or other 

money-making models. 

Information About Impacted 

Communities 

7. Information about how COVID–19 

misinformation has impacted 

individuals and communities. 

a. Information about how COVID–19 

misinformation has impacted 

organizations that serve communities 

directly through service (e.g., libraries 

and food banks), and community-based 

organizations that are faith-based or 

provide affinity to communities (e.g., 

clubs and sororities or fraternities). 

b. Information about how COVID–19 

misinformation has impacted 

community members: Individuals and 

families. 

IV. How To Submit Your Response 

To facilitate review of your responses, 

please reference the subject of the RFI 

in your response. You may respond to 

some or all of the topic areas covered in 

the RFI, and you can suggest other 

factors or relevant questions. You may 

also include links to online material or 

interactive presentations. If including 

data sets, please make the data available 

in a downloadable, machine-readable 

format with accompanying metadata. 

Please note that this is a request for 

information (RFI) only. In accordance 

with the implementing regulations of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), specifically 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(4), 

this general solicitation is exempt from 

the PRA. Facts or opinions submitted in 

response to general solicitations of 

comments from the public, published in 

the Federal Register or other 

publications, regardless of the form or 

format thereof, provided that no person 

is required to supply specific 

information pertaining to the 

commenter, other than that necessary 

for self-identification, as a condition of 

the agency’s full consideration, are not 

generally considered information 

collections and therefore not subject to 

the PRA. 

This RFI is issued solely for 

information and planning purposes; it 

does not constitute a Request for 

Proposal (RFP), applications, proposal 

abstracts, or quotations. This RFI does 

not commit the U.S. Government to 

contract for any supplies or services or 

make a grant award. Further, we are not 

seeking proposals through this RFI and 

will not accept unsolicited proposals. 

We note that not responding to this RFI 

does not preclude participation in any 

future procurement, if conducted. It is 

the responsibility of the potential 

responders to monitor this RFI 

announcement for additional 

information pertaining to this request. 

HHS may or may not choose to 

contact individual responders. Such 

communications would be for the sole 

purpose of clarifying statements in 

written responses. Contractor support 

personnel may be used to review 

responses to this RFI. Responses to this 

notice are not offers and cannot be 

accepted by the Government to form a 

binding contract or issue a grant. 

Information obtained as a result of this 

RFI may be used by the Government for 

program planning on a non-attribution 

basis. This RFI should not be construed 

as a commitment or authorization to 

incur cost for which reimbursement 

would be required or sought. All 

submissions become U.S. Government 

property; they will not be returned, and 

we may publish some of their content. 

Dated: March 2, 2022. 

Max Lesko, 

Chief of Staff, Office of the Surgeon General. 

[FR Doc. 2022–04777 Filed 3–4–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4150–28–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Center for Scientific Review; Notice of 

Closed Meetings 

Pursuant to section 10(d) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended, notice is hereby given of the 

following meetings. 

The meetings will be closed to the 

public in accordance with the 

provisions set forth in sections 

552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., 

as amended. The grant applications and 

the discussions could disclose 

confidential trade secrets or commercial 

property such as patentable material, 

and personal information concerning 

individuals associated with the grant 

applications, the disclosure of which 

would constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; PAR Panel: 

Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease-2. 

Date: March 29, 2022. 

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 

Rockledge II, 6701 Rockledge Drive, 

Bethesda, MD 20892 (Virtual Meeting). 

Contact Person: Samuel C. Edwards, Ph.D., 

Chief, BDCN IRG, Center for Scientific 

Review, National Institutes of Health, 6701 

Rockledge Drive, Room 5210, MSC 7846, 

Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 435–1246, 

edwardss@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel; Topics in 

Child and Adolescent Biobehavioral 

Development, Psychopathology, Sleep, and 

Cognitive Function. 

Date: March 30, 2022. 

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 

Rockledge II, 6701 Rockledge Drive, 

Bethesda, MD 20892 (Virtual Meeting). 

Contact Person: Benjamin G. Shapero, 

Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3182, 

Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 402–4786, 

shaperobg@mail.nih.gov. 


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