Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 242 / Tuesday, December 17, 2024 / Notices 102147 

1See https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ 

chestradiography/php/breader/. 

calling 202–501–4755 or emailing 

GSARegSec@gsa.gov. Please cite OMB 

Control No. 9000–0198, Certain Federal 

Acquisition Regulation Part 9 

Requirements. 

Janet Fry, 

Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, 

Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, 

Office of Acquisition Policy, Office of 

Governmentwide Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29702 Filed 12–16–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–EP–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[Docket No. CDC–2024–0103; NIOSH 355] 

Expansion of NIOSH B Reader 

Certification Eligibility; Request for 

Information 

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC), Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The B Reader Program, 

administered by CDC’s National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH), is seeking information 

from experts in occupational respiratory 

health surveillance and radiology, nurse 

practitioners, physician assistants, 

workers exposed to mineral dust and 

unions representing such workers, 

industry and other parties interested in 

allowing nurse practitioners and 

physician assistants to be eligible to take 

the NIOSH B Reader examination and 

become certified B Readers if they 

successfully pass the examination. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

March 17, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by either 

of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, Robert 

A. Taft Laboratories, MS C–34, 1090 

Tusculum Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 

45226–1998. 

Instructions: All written submissions 

received in response to this document 

must include the agency name and 

docket number (CDC–2024–0103; 

NIOSH–355) for this activity. All 

relevant comments, including any 

personal information provided, will be 

posted without change to https://

www.regulations.gov. Do not submit 

comments by email. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laura E. Reynolds, NIOSH B Reader 

Program, Respiratory Health Division, 

1095 Willowdale Road, MS HG900.2, 

Morgantown, WV 26505–2888; (304) 

285–5853 (this is not a toll-free 

number); lreynolds@cdc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

NIOSH B Reader program, established 

in 42 CFR 37.52, certifies physicians as 

being able to apply the International 

Labour Organization (ILO) International 

Classification of Radiographs of 

Pneumoconioses in classifying 

posteroanterior chest radiographic 

images for the presence and severity of 

appearances of pneumoconiosis (a type 

of dust-induced lung disease). In the 

United States, B Readers classify chest 

radiographic images of workers 

participating in health surveillance 

programs.1 These workers have jobs 

involving exposure to mineral dusts that 

can cause pneumoconiosis such as coal 

mine dust, crystalline silica, and 

asbestos. 

B Readers participate in several types 

of activities involving classification of 

chest radiographs. Physicians who 

classify chest radiographs for certain 

Federal surveillance programs such as 

the NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health 

Surveillance Program must be B 

Readers. Additionally, B Readers 

provide classifications for research 

purposes and for certain legal and 

administrative activities such as 

compensation programs. 

Currently, only physicians licensed to 

practice medicine in the United States 

can serve as certified B Readers in the 

United States, and only after 

successfully completing the B Reader 

examination. The examination, 

developed by NIOSH in partnership 

with the American College of Radiology, 

is rigorous and tests physicians’ ability 

to apply the ILO classification system. 

International physicians may also take 

the B Reader examination to document 

their ability to apply the ILO 

classification system, but those who 

pass the examination do not serve as 

certified B Readers in the United States. 

As of October 2024, 184 U.S. 

physicians based in 35 States and 2 

Territories are NIOSH-certified B 

Readers. NIOSH is interested in 

ensuring that B Readers are available to 

classify chest radiographs obtained in 

all states and territories. To meet this 

goal, NIOSH is requesting information 

from parties interested in allowing 

nurse practitioners and physician 

assistants to be eligible to take the 

NIOSH B Reader examination and 

become certified B Readers if they 

successfully pass the examination. 

NIOSH is particularly interested in 

receiving information about the 

following questions: 

1. What is the current demand for B 

Readers, and would expanding the 

program to include nurse practitioners 

and physician assistants help meet this 

demand? 

2. Are there specific geographic areas 

or populations that might benefit from 

having nurse practitioners and 

physician assistants certified as B 

Readers? 

3. Are there any potential risks 

associated with expanding the B Reader 

certification to nurse practitioners and 

physician assistants and, if so, how can 

those risks be mitigated? 

4. ILO classification of chest 

radiographs is not the same as clinical 

interpretation. Are there states where 

scope of practice and standards of care 

allow nurse practitioners and physician 

assistants to perform clinical 

interpretation of chest radiographs 

without physician oversight? In states 

where physician oversight is required 

for clinical interpretation, is it also 

required for ILO classification? What 

would be the best approach to ensuring 

that appropriate clinical interpretations 

are obtained for all contemporary chest 

radiographs undergoing ILO 

classification by nurse practitioners and 

physician assistants? 

5. How do you anticipate different 

interested parties (e.g., physicians, 

nurse practitioners and physician 

assistants, industry representatives, 

workers, health profession boards) 

would view the potential expansion of 

the B Reader program to include nonphysicians? 

6. What challenges might arise during 

the implementation of this expansion, 

and how could they be effectively 

managed? 

7. Do you have any other information 

or comments relevant to whether nurse 

practitioners and physician assistants 

should be able to become B Readers 

and, if so, the best way to implement 

that expansion? 

John J. Howard, 

Director, National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, Department of Health and 

Human Services. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29622 Filed 12–16–24; 8:45 am] 

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