Following, you will find a notice the American Pain Society has received about a project sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (HHS/ASPE), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an examination of major federal regulations governing the health care industry.

They are currently soliciting public comment quantifying the economic impact of these regulations. Studies like this provide the basis for important legislative initiatives. This is the research, this is the data, this is the thought process that goes into major initiatives.

This is your opportunity to make your voice heard.


There are two ways to comment: 1) attend a Town Hall Meeting, or 2) submit written comments to the project mailbox: TownHallMeetingsComments@hhs.gov

The deadline for written comments is February 9th, 2006.

The Web site describing this project, guidelines for written comments and the locations of the remaining Town Hall Meetings is: aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml

If you have any questions please contact Jessica Kasten , the Project Director with Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., which is under contract with HHS/ASPE to manage this project at 301 628-3227 (phone). Or, you can contact Marty McGeein or Adelle Simmons with ASPE at: 202 690-6443.

 

Action to Reduce Regulatory Burden

Introduction:

FY 2005 Appropriations Committee Report 108-636 requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (HHS/ASPE), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to examine major Federal regulations governing the health care industry. Of particular interest is quantifying the economic impact of Federal regulations on the health care industry. The goal of the HHS/OMB initiative is to identify immediate steps and longer term proposals for reducing regulatory burden and improving the translation of biomedical research into medical practice, while maintaining the highest quality health care and other patient protections. For additional information on the initiative, see aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml.

A series of Town Hall Meetings is being held in cities across the country to provide an opportunity for public comment on the economic impact of Federal health care regulations. Meeting dates are November 3, 2005 (Washington, DC); December 8, 2005 (Chicago, IL); January 12, 2006 (Oklahoma City, OK); and February 2, 2006 (San Francisco, CA). Interested individuals and stakeholder groups may also submit written comments to HHS via the Internet.

Findings from the Town Hall Meetings and other public comments, case studies, and a literature review will be included in a report to Congress.

Public Comment:

Two ways to provide your comments:

  1. Attend a Town Hall Meeting. Interested individuals or representatives of stakeholder organizations (e.g., health care administrators, institutional providers, physicians, practitioners, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and patients) may attend a Town Hall Meeting and present comments. Individuals attending the public meetings who wish to submit documentation to support their comments may send supporting documents and spreadsheets through February 9, 2006, to TownHallMeetingsDocuments@hhs.gov. For additional information about the remaining Town Hall Meetings, see aspe.hhs.gov/arrb/index.shtml.

  2. Provide comments online. Comments may be submitted through February 9, 2006, at TownHallMeetingsComments@hhs.gov.

 Comments should include:

  • Contact information of the individual or organization submitting comments
  • Background information on the regulation(s) at issue
  • Original justification of the regulation
  • Description of the regulatory burden
  • Recommended reform
  • Detailed quantification of the economic burden of the regulation, including supporting data.

American Pain Society
4700 W. Lake Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025-1485
Phone: 847/375-4715
Fax: 877/734-8758
E-mail: info@ampainsoc.org