Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 144 /Tuesday, July 28, 1998 / Notices 40297

Dated: July 22, 1998.

Bob Sargis,

Acting Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–20076 Filed 7–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. 98F–0567]

The Dow Chemical Co.; Filing of Food

Additive Petition

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration,

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) is announcing

that The Dow Chemical Co. has filed a

petition proposing that the food additive

regulations be amended to provide for

the expanded safe use of copolymers of

ethylene and octene-1 as articles or

components of articles contacting food.

DATES: Written comments on the

petitioner’s environmental assessment

by August 27, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to the Dockets Management Branch

(HFA–305), Food and Drug

Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm.

1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Julius Smith, Center for Food Safety and

Applied Nutrition (HFS–215), Food and

Drug Administration, 200 C St. SW.,

Washington, DC 20204, 202–418–3091.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

(sec. 409(b)(5) (21 U.S.C. 348(b)(5))),

notice is given that a food additive

petition (FAP 8B4601) has been filed by

The Dow Chemical Co., 2030 Dow

Center, Midland, MI 48674. The petition

proposes to amend the food additive

regulations in § 177.1520 Olefin

polymers (21 CFR 177.1520) to expand

the safe use of ethylene-octene-1

copolymers as articles or components of

articles contacting food by lowering the

required level of polymer units derived

from ethylene to not less than 50 weight

percent.

The potential environmental impact

of this action is being reviewed. To

encourage public participation

consistent with regulations promulgated

under the National Environmental

Policy Act (40 CFR 1501.4(b)), the

agency is placing the environmental

assessment submitted with the petition

that is the subject of this notice on

public display at the Dockets

Management Branch (address above) for

public review and comment. Interested

persons may, on or before August 27,

1998, submit to the Dockets

Management Branch (address above)

written comments. Two copies of any

comments are to be submitted, except

that individuals may submit one copy.

Comments are to be identified with the

docket number found in brackets in the

heading of this document. Received

comments may be seen in the office

above between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.,

Monday through Friday. FDA will also

place on public display any

amendments to, or comments on, the

petitioner’s environmental assessment

without further announcement in the

Federal Register. If, based on its review,

the agency finds that an environmental

impact statement is not required and

this petition results in a regulation, the

notice of availability of the agency’s

finding of no significant impact and the

evidence supporting that finding will be

published with the regulation in the

Federal Register in accordance with 21

CFR 25.40(c).

Dated: July 6, 1998.

Laura M. Tarantino,

Acting Director, Office of Premarket

Approval, Center for Food Safety and Applied

Nutrition.

[FR Doc. 98–20038 Filed 7–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–01–F

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

Privacy Act of 1974; Report of New

System

AGENCY: Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS), Health Care

Financing Administration (HCFA).

ACTION: Notice of new system of records.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974,

we are proposing to establish a new

system of records, called the ‘‘National

Provider System (NPS),’’ HHS/HCFA/

OIS No. 09–70–0008. We have provided

background information about the

proposed system in the ‘‘Supplementary

Information’’ section below. Both

institutional (e.g., hospitals, skilled

nursing facilities) and individually

identifiable (e.g., physicians and other

practitioners) providers are included in

the NPS database. The institutional

providers’ data are covered by section

1106 of the Social Security Act and the

Freedom of Information Act, while the

individually identifiable providers’ data

are also covered by the Privacy Act of

1974. Although the Privacy Act requires

only that the ‘‘routine uses’’ portion of

the system be published for comment,

HCFA invites comments on all portions

of this notice. See ‘‘Effective Dates’’ for

comment period.

EFFECTIVE DATES: HCFA filed a new

system report with the Chairman of the

Committee on Government Reform and

Oversight of the House of

Representatives, the Chairman of the

Committee on Governmental Affairs of

the Senate, and the Acting

Administrator, Office of Information

and Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget (OMB), on July

8, 1998. The new system of records,

including routine uses, will become

effective 40 days from the date

submitted to OMB and the Congress,

unless HCFA receives comments which

require alteration to this notice. HCFA

will also consider revisions to this

notice based upon comments received

on the National Provider Identifier (NPI)

notice of proposed rulemaking (FR/Vol.

63, No. 88/May 7, 1998). The NPS will

not become operational until sometime

after the NPI final rule is published and

the system is in full compliance with

the requirements of the final rule.

ADDRESSES: The public should address

comments to the HCFA Privacy Act

Officer, Division of Freedom of

Information & Privacy, Office of

Information Services, Health Care

Financing Administration, 7500

Security Boulevard, C2–01–11,

Baltimore, Maryland 21244–1850.

Comments received will be available for

review at this location by appointment

during regular business hours, Monday

through Friday 9 a.m.—3 p.m. Eastern

Time Zone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia Peyton, Office of Information

Services, Health Care Financing

Administration, 7500 Security

Boulevard, N3–09–16, Baltimore,

Maryland 21244–1850. The telephone

number is (410) 786–1812.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

system will allow better administration

of all health care programs. Currently,

there is no standard health care provider

identifier in use in the health care

industry. Health care providers are

assigned multiple identifiers by the

health plans in which they participate;

such assignments are made routinely

and independently of each other. The

identifiers are frequently not

standardized within a single health plan

or across plans. A single health care

provider may have different

identification numbers for each health

program, and often multiple billing

numbers issued within the same

program.