Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 106537 

Committee (referred to as the ‘‘HITAC’’). 

The HITAC will be governed by the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92– 

463), as amended, (5 U.S.C. app.), which 

sets forth standards for the formation 

and use of federal advisory committees. 

Composition: The HITAC is 

comprised of at least 25 members, of 

which: 

• No fewer than 2 members are 

advocates for patients or consumers of 

health information technology; 

• 3 members are appointed by the 

HHS Secretary 

Æ 1 of whom shall be appointed to 

represent the Department of Health and 

Human Services; and 

Æ 1 of whom shall be a public health 

official; 

• 2 members are appointed by the 

majority leader of the Senate; 

• 2 members are appointed by the 

minority leader of the Senate; 

• 2 members are appointed by the 

Speaker of the House of Representatives; 

• 2 members are appointed by the 

minority leader of the House of 

Representatives; 

• Other members are appointed by 

the Comptroller General of the United 

States. 

Members serve for one-, two-, or 

three-year terms. All members may be 

reappointed for a subsequent three-year 

term. Each member is limited to two 

three-year terms, not to exceed six years 

of service. Members serve without pay 

but will be provided per-diem and 

travel costs for committee services, if 

warranted. 

Recommendations: The HITAC 

recommendations to the Assistant 

Secretary for Technology Policy/ 

National Coordinator for Health 

Information Technology are publicly 

available at https://www.healthit.gov/ 

topic/federal-advisory-committees/ 

recommendations-national-coordinatorhealth-it. 

Public Meetings: All HITAC meetings 

will be virtual. Please note that some 

HITAC meetings may also have an inperson meeting option. For web 

conference instructions and the most 

up-to-date information, including inperson meeting location (if applicable), 

please visit the HITAC calendar on the 

ONC website, www.healthit.gov/topic/ 

federal-advisory-committees/hitaccalendar. 

The schedule of meetings to be held 

in 2025 is as follows: 

• February 13, 2025, from 

approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./ 

Eastern Time 

• March 20, 2025, from 

approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./ 

Eastern Time 

• April 10, 2025, from approximately 

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./Eastern Time 

• May 8, 2025, from approximately 

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./Eastern Time 

• June 12, 2025, from approximately 

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./Eastern Time 

• July 17, 2025, from approximately 

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./Eastern Time 

• August 14, 2025, from 

approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./ 

Eastern Time 

• September 18, 2025, from 

approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./ 

Eastern Time 

• October 16, 2025, from 

approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./ 

Eastern Time 

• November 13, 2025, from 

approximately 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m./ 

Eastern Time 

All meetings are open to the public. 

Additional meetings may be scheduled 

as needed. 

Contact Person for Meetings: Seth 

Pazinski, Seth.Pazinski@hhs.gov. A 

notice in the Federal Register about last 

minute modifications that impact a 

previously announced advisory 

committee meeting cannot always be 

published quickly enough to provide 

timely notice. Please email Seth 

Pazinski for the most current 

information about meetings. 

Agenda: As outlined in the 21st 

Century Cures Act, the HITAC will 

develop and submit recommendations 

to the Assistant Secretary for 

Technology Policy/National Coordinator 

on Health Information Technology on 

the topics of interoperability, privacy 

and security, patient access to 

information, use of technologies that 

support public health, design and use of 

technologies that advance health equity, 

and use of artificial intelligence that 

improves health and health care. In 

addition, the committee will also 

address any administrative matters and 

hear periodic reports from ASTP. ASTP 

intends to make background material 

available to the public no later than 24 

hours prior to the meeting start time. If 

ASTP is unable to post the background 

material on its website prior to the 

meeting, the material will be made 

publicly available on ASTP’s website 

after the meeting, at www.healthit.gov/ 

hitac. 

Procedure: Interested persons may 

present data, information, or views, 

orally or in writing, on issues pending 

before the committee. Written 

submissions may be made to the contact 

person prior to the meeting date. An 

oral public comment period will be 

scheduled at each meeting. Time 

allotted for each commenter will be 

limited to three minutes. If the number 

of speakers requesting to comment is 

greater than can be reasonably 

accommodated during the scheduled 

public comment period, ASTP will take 

written comments after the meeting. 

ASTP welcomes the attendance of the 

public at its HITAC meetings. If you 

require special accommodations due to 

a disability, please contact Seth Pazinski 

at least seven (7) days in advance of the 

meeting. 

Notice of these meetings are given 

under the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act (Pub. L. No. 92–463, 5 U.S.C., App. 

2). 

Dated: November 22, 2024. 

Stanley S. Pazinski, 

Designated Federal Officer, Assistant 

Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the 

National Coordinator for Health Information 

Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2024–31076 Filed 12–27–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4150–45–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Indian Health Service 

Organization, Functions, and 

Delegations of Authority; Part G; 

Indian Health Service; Headquarters, 

Office of the Director, Office of Quality 

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services. 

ACTION: Final notice. 

SUMMARY: Part G of the Statement of 

Organization, Functions, and 

Delegations of Authority of the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) is hereby amended to 

reflect a reorganization of the Indian 

Health Service (IHS). The purpose of 

this reorganization proposal is to update 

the current approved IHS, Office of the 

Director (GA), Congressional and 

Legislative Affairs Staff (GA1) and the 

Office of Quality (GAP) in their entirety 

and replace with the following: 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The IHS is 

an Operating Division within the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) and is under the 

leadership and direction of a Director 

who is directly responsible to the 

Secretary of Health and Human 

Services. The IHS Headquarters is 

proposing to reorganize the following 

major component: Office the Office of 

Quality (OQ). 

Part G of the Statement of 

Organization, Functions, and 

Delegations of Authority was most 

recently amended at 89 FR 61126, July 

30, 2024. 


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106538 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 

Office of the Director, IHS (GA) 

Congressional and Legislative Affairs 

Staff (CLAS) (GA1) 

(1) Serves as the principal advisor to 

the IHS Director on all legislative and 

congressional relations matters; (2) 

advises the IHS Director and other IHS 

officials on the need for changes in 

legislation and manages the 

development of IHS legislative 

initiatives; (3) serves as the IHS liaison 

office for congressional and legislative 

affairs with Congressional offices, the 

HHS, the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB), the White House, and 

other federal agencies; (4) tracks all 

major legislative proposals in the 

Congress that would impact Indian 

health; (5) ensures that the IHS Director 

and appropriate IHS and HHS officials 

are briefed on the potential impact of 

proposed legislation; (6) develops 

legislative strategy for key policy and 

legislative initiatives; (7) provides 

technical assistance and advice relative 

to the effect that initiatives/ 

implementation would have on the IHS; 

(8) provides support and collaborates 

with the Office of Finance and 

Accounting relative to IHS 

appropriations efforts; (9) directs the 

development of IHS briefing materials 

for congressional hearings, testimony, 

and bill reports; (10) analyzes legislation 

for necessary action within the IHS; (11) 

develops appropriate legislative 

implementation plans; (12) coordinates 

with IHS HQ and Area Offices as 

appropriate to provide leadership, 

advocacy, and technical support to 

respond to requests from the public, 

including tribal governments, tribal 

organizations, and Indian community 

organizations regarding IHS legislative 

issues. 

Office of Quality (GAP) 

The Office of Quality (OQ) provides 

leadership and direction for quality 

improvement and patient safety 

activities and oversees compliance and 

risk management throughout the agency. 

Specifically, the office (1) advises the 

Indian Health Service (IHS) Director on 

assuring quality health care, maximizing 

the patient experience, and 

systematizing quality improvement 

activities to improve clinical outcomes 

and administrative processes; (2) 

develops and implements a strategic 

quality framework; (3) oversees 

accreditation readiness activities and 

compliance with accreditation 

requirements at all IHS Direct Service 

facilities; (4) conducts performance 

improvement, quality assurance, 

innovative thinking, and risk 

management trainings; (5) oversees IHS 

facilities and staff in intra-agency 

quality improvement activities; (6) 

advises on development and monitoring 

of quality assurance and governance 

metrics for health care delivery 

processes and outcomes; (7) develops 

programs to assess, address, and 

improve systems and processes to 

improve health care quality; (8) advises 

on compliance with relevant federal 

regulations and accreditation and 

professional standards; (9) provides 

guidance for standardization of health 

care delivery policies, protocols, and 

governance; (10) advises and guides IHS 

patient-centered care processes, 

ensuring engagement of patients as 

partners in care; (11) oversees the IHS 

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) 

vision, culture, strategy, and framework 

and clinical risk management; (12) 

oversees and coordinates the agency’s 

efforts to establish and maintain proper 

internal controls; (13) ensures 

requirements are met under OMB 

Circular A–123; (14) develops programs 

to promote patient safety management 

and reporting systems and processes, 

sentinel event investigations/root cause 

analysis; and (15) participates in crosscutting issues and processes, including 

but not limited to, emergency 

preparedness/security, quality 

assurance, recruitment, budget 

formulation, self-determination issues, 

and resolution of audit findings as may 

be needed and appropriate. 

Division of Quality Assurance and 

Patient Safety (GAPA) 

(1) Develops and implements 

programs to promote sustained 

compliance with relevant federal 

regulations related to accreditation and 

professional standards for health care 

facilities; (2) manages and coordinates 

continuous accreditation compliance 

programs using multidisciplinary 

integration of survey readiness 

activities; (3) coordinates health care 

accreditation resource management; (4) 

tracks health care accreditation and 

certification survey reports; (5) develops 

and implements programs to manage 

credentialing standards and policy, 

acquires and maintains centralized 

credentialing software system, promotes 

unification of medical staff 

professionals (MSP), and promotes 

standardized training and support 

resources for MSP; (6) develops and 

implements policies and procedures to 

promote patient safety, infection control 

practices, and environment of care and 

life safety practices; (7) establishes 

policies and guidelines to reduce 

adverse events; (8) develops education 

and training related to the application of 

established patient safety and adverse 

event reporting systems and metrics; (9) 

establishes and maintains oversight 

mechanisms for incident identification 

and reporting, adverse events and good 

catches, comprehensive systemic 

analysis/root cause analysis process and 

documentation; (10) implements 

strategies to improve patient and 

workforce safety; (11) enhances 

collaborative communication to 

facilitate the sharing of best practices 

and learning related to identified risks 

and mitigation actions across the 

agency; (12) identifies IHS and National 

patient safety trends and investigates 

positive and negative patient safety 

outcomes across the agency; and (13) 

provides patient safety consultation 

regarding industry standards, best 

practices, and development of policy, 

processes, and procedures. 

Division of Enterprise Risk 

Management (GAPB) 

(1) Oversees and coordinates the IHS 

ERM vision, culture, strategy, and 

framework; (2) develops goals and 

objectives for the ERM program, 

integrated with broader IHS-wide 

strategic goals/objectives, and tracks 

progress toward achieving them; (3) 

coordinates the development of risk 

policy, including a risk appetite 

statement, to guide Agency decisionmaking and documentation related to 

risk; (4) advises and collaborates in the 

development of the IHS ERM portfolio 

of enterprise risks and ensures 

appropriate and effective management 

by accountable individual risk owners; 

(5) integrates risk assessment activities 

across the IHS risk portfolio; (6) advises 

on ERM and provides expertise, advice, 

and assistance to the agency leadership 

on compliance matters; (7) provides 

guidance and training on the risk 

management process and prioritization; 

(8) facilitates the governance policy, 

process, and reporting to establish 

consistency and quality of 

documentation of fiduciary 

responsibilities of governing bodies; (9) 

oversees tracking of high-risk 

administrative, clinical, or personnel 

incidents to ensure appropriate local 

and agency-wide response, timely 

closure, assessment of internal controls, 

and review of case studies to promote a 

safety culture based on risk-awareness; 

(10) collaborates with key HQ Offices to 

ensure consistency in cross-cutting 

agency strategic planning, ERM, and 

management of internal controls across 

IHS; (11) collaborates with strategic 

planning process to integrate risk 

management and strategic thinking; (12) 

reviews tort claims files; (13) represents 

the IHS when claims are presented for 

review by the Malpractice Claims 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 249 / Monday, December 30, 2024 / Notices 106539 

Review Panel chartered by the HHS, and 

assists providers with Malpractice 

Claims Review Panel interactions; (14) 

submits payment reports to the National 

Practitioner Data Bank; (15) maintains 

case files and a malpractice claims 

database; (16) provides case summaries, 

peer review, outcome information, and 

feedback of risk management 

recommendations; (17) disseminates 

information about the review process; 

(18) responds to outside organizations 

requesting tort claim-involvement 

histories on former employees; and (19) 

responds to Tort Claims inquiries from 

governmental agencies, media, Tribal 

and Urban Indian organizations, and 

advocacy groups with the Office of 

General Council guidance. 

Division of Innovation and 

Improvement (GAPC) 

(1) Provides trainings on innovative 

thinking and performance improvement 

techniques; (2) provides training on 

empathy and relational intelligence to 

better understand colleagues and 

stakeholders and maximize teamwork; 

(3) integrates innovative thinking into 

quality improvement and policy 

formation processes to stimulate rapid 

idea generation; (4) oversees training 

programs to increase quality 

improvement capacity and standardize 

improvement methodology to test smallscale changes at the local level; (5) 

reviews use of health information 

technology and data to improve 

performance, quality and service; (6) 

monitors patient and staff satisfaction 

with health care service delivery; (7) 

leads change management for practice 

transformation to embrace new models 

of care delivery and to enhance 

efficiency of the care delivery process; 

(8) develops programs to promote the 

implementation of patient-centered care 

models; (9) coordinates sharing of best 

practices between Area Quality 

Managers and Service Unit Quality 

Assurance and Performance 

Improvement officers; and (10) supports 

and promotes patient-centered care 

including Patient and Family 

Engagement, and promotes unification 

of Area Quality Managers and Service 

Unit Quality Assurance and 

Performance Improvement Officers. 

Division of Compliance (GAPD) 

(1) Coordinates the IHS’s compliance 

program; (2) administers the agency’s 

internal control program in accordance 

with the Federal Managers’ Financial 

Integrity Act, OMB Circular No. A–123, 

GAO Green Book, and other applicable 

requirements; (3) oversees and 

coordinates the agency’s efforts to 

establish and maintain proper internal 

controls; (4) oversees and 

institutionalizes a continuous 

compliance review process; (5) manages 

goals and objectives for the Compliance 

program, integrates them with broader 

IHS-wide strategic goals/objectives, and 

tracks progress toward achieving them; 

(6) evaluates and monitors systems of 

internal control across IHS and uses the 

assessments of the internal control 

program as an integral part of ERM to 

effectively manage risks across IHS; (7) 

Serves as the IHS liaison office to the 

Government Accountability Office 

(GAO) and Office of Inspector General 

(OIG); (8) coordinates the development, 

clearance, and transmittal of IHS 

responses and follow-up to reports 

issued by the OIG, the GAO, and other 

federal internal and external authorities 

reviewing risk management and internal 

controls; (9) provides leadership and 

direction on activities for continuous 

improvement of management 

accountability and administrative 

systems for effective and efficient 

program support services IHS-wide; and 

(10) oversees and coordinates the 

annual development and submission of 

the agency’s federal Activities Inventory 

Reform Act report to the HHS. 

Section GA–30, Indian Health Service— 

Delegations of Authority 

All delegations of authority and redelegations of authority made to IHS 

officials that were in effect immediately 

prior to this reorganization, and that are 

consistent with this reorganization, 

shall continue in effect pending further 

re-delegation. 

Roselyn Tso, 

Director, Indian Health Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–31273 Filed 12–27–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4166–14–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Institute on Aging; Notice of 

Closed Meeting 

Pursuant to section 1009 of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended, notice is hereby given of the 

following meeting. 

The meeting 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: National Institute on 

Aging Special Emphasis Panel; NHP Review. 

Date: January 31, 2025. 

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Address: National Institute on Aging, 5601 

Fishers Lane, Suite 8B, Rockville, MD 20892. 

Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting. 

Contact Person: Bita Nakhai, Ph.D., 

Scientific Review Officer, National Institute 

on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 5601 

Fishers Lane, Suite 8B, Rockville, MD 20852, 

(301) 402–7701, nakhaib@nia.nih.gov. 

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Nos. 93.866, Aging Research, 

National Institutes of Health, HHS) 

Dated: December 19, 2024. 

Miguelina Perez, 

Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30880 Filed 12–27–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Institute of General Medical 

Sciences; Notice of Closed Meeting 

Pursuant to section 1009 of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended, notice is hereby given of the 

following meeting. 

The meeting 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: National Institute of 

General Medical Sciences Initial Review 

Group Training and Workforce Development 

Study Section—C Training & Workforce 

Development Study Section C (TWD–C) 

Review of applications for the B2B & 

IRACDA Programs and Scientific Meetings & 

Conferences. 

Date: February 20–21, 2025. 

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Address: National Institutes of Health, 

National Institute of General Medical 

Sciences, Natcher Building, 45 Center Drive, 

Bethesda, Maryland 20892. 

Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting. 

Contact Person: Sonia Ivette OrtizMiranda, Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1