Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 104 / Monday, June 1, 1998 / Notices 29743

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

[HCFA–3782–NC]

RIN 0938–AG45

Medicare Program; Withdrawal of

Proposed Notice and Request for

Assessment on the Salitron System for

the Treatment of Xerostomia (Dry

Mouth) Secondary to Sjogren’s

Syndrome

AGENCY: Health Care Financing

Administration (HCFA), HHS.

ACTION: Withdrawal of Notice, and

Request for Comments.

SUMMARY: This notice announces our

withdrawal of a prior proposed notice.

It also announces a request for the

Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research to conduct a new technology

assessment on the salivary

electrostimulation in Sjogren’s

Syndrome which includes the use of the

Salitron System for the treatment of

xerostomia (Dry Mouth) secondary to

Sjogren’s Syndrome.

DATES: Comments will be considered if

we receive them at the appropriate

address, as provided below, no later

than 5 p.m. on July 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments (1

original and 3 copies) to both the

following addresses:

Health Care Financing Administration,

Department of Health and Human

Services, Attention: HCFA–3782-NC,

PO Box 26688, Baltimore, MD 21207,

and

Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research Attention: HCFA–3782–NC,

Willco Building, Suite 309, 6000

Executive Boulevard, Rockville,

Maryland 20852.

If you prefer, you may deliver your

written comments to one of the

following addresses:

Room 309–G, Hubert H. Humphrey

Building, 200 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20201, or

Room C5–09–26, 7500 Security

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–

1850.

Because of staffing and resource

limitations, we cannot accept comments

by facsimile (FAX) transmission. In

commenting, please refer to file code

HCFA–3782-NC. Comments received

timely will be available for public

inspection as they are received,

generally beginning approximately 3

weeks after publication of a document,

in Room 309-G of the Department’s

offices at 200 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC, on Monday

through Friday of each week from 8:30

a.m. to 5 p.m. (phone: (202) 690–7890).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Francina C. Spencer, (410) 786–4614.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May

23, 1994, we published a notice in the

Federal Register (59 FR 26653) entitled,

‘‘Noncoverage of Electrostimulation of

Salivary Glands for the Treatment of

Xerostomia (Dry Mouth).’’ That notice

announced our intent not to cover

electrostimulation of the salivary glands

for the treatment of xerostomia

secondary to Sjogren’s Syndrome and

electrostimulation devices, such as the

Salitron System, under the Medicare

program. The notice took into account

and provided details of a technology

assessment submitted to the Health Care

Financing Administration in 1990 by

the Office of Health Technology

Assessment (OHTA).

However, due to the lapse of time

from the date the original technology

assessment was done (in 1990), we have

decided to withdraw the notice that was

issued in the Federal Register in 1994,

(FR Doc. 94–12457) and take no further

action pursuant to that notice. Instead,

before we make a coverage

determination, we believe it would be

appropriate to obtain an updated

assessment to take into account research

and data made available since 1990.

Therefore, we have requested the

Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research (AHCPR), the organization we

now deal with for such issues, to do a

technology assessment of the Salitron

System. We will make a decision

regarding the coverage of

electrostimulation of the salivary glands

for the treatment of xerostomia

secondary to Sjogren’s Syndrome once

we have received and reviewed the new

technology assessment from AHCPR.

Any comments or significant data

regarding the study of

electrostimulation of the salivary glands

for the treatment of xerostomia

secondary to Sjogren’s Syndrome

should be submitted to both the Agency

for Health Care Policy and Research and

HCFA at the addresses provided above.

Until a decision is made, Medicare

coverage for electrostimulation of the

salivary glands for the treatment of

xerostomia secondary to Sjogren’s

Syndrome and the Salitron System will

continue to be at the discretion of the

Medicare program durable medical

equipment regional carriers.

Response to Comments

Because of the large number of items

of correspondence we normally receive

on Federal Register documents

published for comment, we are not able

to acknowledge or respond to them

individually. We will consider all

comments we receive by the date and

time specified in the DATES section of

this preamble, and, if we proceed with

a subsequent document, we will

respond to the comments in the

preamble to that document.

Authority: Secs. 1861 and 1862 of the

Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x and

1395y).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.778, Medical Assistance

Program; No. 93.773 Medicare—Hospital

Insurance Program; and No. 93.774,

Medicare—Supplementary Medical

Insurance Program)

Dated: April 28, 1998.

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle,

Administrator, Health Care Financing

Administration.

Dated: May 13, 1998.

Donna E. Shalala,

Secretary, Department of Health and Human

Services.

[FR Doc. 98–14307 Filed 5–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration

Current List of Laboratories Which

Meet Minimum Standards To Engage in

Urine Drug Testing for Federal

Agencies, and Laboratories That Have

Withdrawn From the Program

AGENCY: Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Health and

Human Services notifies Federal

agencies of the laboratories currently

certified to meet standards of Subpart C

of Mandatory Guidelines for Federal

Workplace Drug Testing Programs (59

FR 29916, 29925). A similar notice

listing all currently certified laboratories

will be published during the first week

of each month, and updated to include

laboratories which subsequently apply

for and complete the certification

process. If any listed laboratory’s

certification is totally suspended or

revoked, the laboratory will be omitted

from updated lists until such time as it

is restored to full certification under the

Guidelines.

If any laboratory has withdrawn from

the National Laboratory Certification

Program during the past month, it will

be identified as such at the end of the

current list of certified laboratories, and