[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14977-14979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6179]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of
Authority
Part C (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of
the Department of Health and Human Services (45 FR 67772-76, dated
October 14, 1980, and corrected at 45 FR 69296, October 20, 1980, as
amended most recently at 76, FR 1167, dated January 7, 2011) is amended
to reflect the reorganization of the National Center for Emerging and
Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Office of Infectious Diseases, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Section C-B, Organization and Functions, is hereby amended as
follows:
Delete in their entirety the titles and functional statements for
the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (CVLD) and insert the
following:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (CVLD). The mission of the
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) is to protect patients;
protect healthcare personnel; and promote safety, quality, and value in
both national and international healthcare delivery systems. In
carrying out its mission, DHQP: (1) Measures, validates, interprets,
and responds to data relevant to healthcare-associated infections
(HAI); antimicrobial resistance; adverse drug events; blood, organ and
tissue safety; and immunization safety; and other related adverse
events or medical errors in healthcare affecting patients and
healthcare personnel; (2) investigates and responds to emerging
infections and related adverse events among patients and healthcare
personnel; (3) develops and maintains the National Healthcare Safety
Network (NHSN), a tool for monitoring healthcare-associated infections,
measuring healthcare outcomes and processes, and monitoring healthcare
worker vaccination and selected health measures in healthcare
facilities; (4) assesses rates of infections caused by resistant-
bacteria in the U.S. through active surveillance, review of national
healthcare data sets, and laboratory surveillance programs; (5)
conducts epidemiologic, and basic and applied laboratory research to
identify new strategies to prevent infections/antimicrobial resistance,
and related adverse events or medical errors, especially those
associated with medical or surgical procedures, indwelling medical
devices, contaminated products, dialysis, and water; (6) collaborates
with academic and public health partners to design, develop, and
evaluate the efficacy of interventions for preventing infections and
reducing antimicrobial resistance, and related adverse events or
medical errors; (7) develops and disseminates evidence-based guidelines
and recommendations to prevent and control HAT, antimicrobial
resistance, and related adverse events or medical errors; (8) promotes
the nationwide implementation of Healthcare Infection Control Practices
Advisory Committee (HICPAC) recommendations and other evidence-based
interventions to prevent HAI, antimicrobial resistance, and related
adverse events or medical errors among patients and healthcare
personnel; (9) evaluates the impact of evidence-based recommendations
and interventions across the spectrum of healthcare delivery sites;
(10) develops, implements, and evaluates the effectiveness of
interventions to prevent transmission of healthcare-associated human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other bloodborne pathogen, infections;
(11) serves as the National Reference Laboratory for the identification
and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of staphylococci, anaerobic
bacteria, non-tuberculous mycobacterial, and those gram-negative
bacilli causing healthcare associated infections; (12) serves as the
technical reference laboratory for detection and characterization of
other pathogens related to healthcare; and for characterizing the
contribution of the healthcare environment to HAI; (13) coordinates
guidance and research related to infection control across the agency
and with national and international partners; (14) monitors vaccine
safety and conducts research to evaluate the safety of available and
new vaccines; (15) promotes the integration of the healthcare delivery
system in federal/state/local public health preparedness planning; (16)
trains Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers and other trainees; (17)
coordinates antimicrobial resistance activities at CDC; (18) works in a
national leadership capacity with public and private organizations to
enhance antimicrobial resistance prevention and control, surveillance
and response, and applied research; (19) coordinates blood, organ, and
other tissue safety at CDC; and (20) provides expertise arid assistance
to HHS and other Federal agencies on efforts and activities related to
health reform.
Office of the Director (CVLD1). (1) Manages, directs, and
coordinates the activities of the DHQP; (2) provides leadership and
guidance on policy and communications/media; (3) works with Federal
agencies, CDC's Office of Prevention through Healthcare, and other
partners on activities related to Health Reform; (4) coordinates state
and local activities to monitor and prevent HAI; (5) provides liaison
with other governmental agencies, international organizations, and
other outside groups; (6) coordinates, in collaboration with the
appropriate CIO and CDC components, global health activities relating
to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections/antimicrobial
resistance, and related adverse events or medical errors; (7)
coordinates activities, guidance, emergency response, and research
related to infection control in healthcare settings across the agency
and with national and international partners; (8) works with other
federal agencies, state governments, medical societies, and other
public and private organizations to promote collaboration and to
integrate healthcare preparedness in federal/state/local public health
preparedness planning; (9) oversees the coordination of antimicrobial
resistance activities at CDC; (10) represents CDC as co-chair of the
federal Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance; (11)
coordinates with other agencies, state governments, medical societies,
and other public and private organizations to enhance antimicrobial
resistance prevention and control, surveillance and response, and
applied research; (12) leads CDC's activities on blood, organ, and
other tissue safety; (13) represents CDC on the Advisory Committee on
Blood Safety and Availability and the Advisory Committee on Organ
Transplantation; (14) works with other federal agencies, state
governments, and
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other public and private organizations to enhance blood, organ, and
other tissue safety through coordination of investigation, prevention,
response, surveillance, applied research, health communication, and
public policy; and (15) advises the Director, NCEZID, on science,
policy and communication matters concerning DHQP activities.
Program Implementation and Integration Activity (CVLD13). (1)
Provides leadership and guidance for program planning and development,
program management, and operations; (2) provides DHQP-wide
administrative and program services and coordinates or ensures
coordination with the appropriate CIOs and CDC staff offices on
administrative and program matters including budget formulation and
execution and human resource management; (3) oversees the coordination
of federal and state programs and new initiatives to prevent HAI (e.g.,
the HAI Recovery Act State Cooperative Agreement program); (4)
interprets general program and administrative policy directives for
implications on management and execution of DHQP's programs; (5) serves
as lead and primary contact and liaison with relevant CDC staff offices
on all matters pertaining to DHQP's procurement needs and activities;
(6) provides management and coordination for DHQP-occupied space and
facilities including laboratory space and facilities; (7) provides
oversight and management of the distribution, accountability, and
maintenance of CDC property and equipment including laboratory property
and equipment; and (8) provides program and administrative support for
HICPAC.
Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch (CVLDB). (1)
Collaborates with the Prevention and Response Branch to provide
laboratory response to outbreaks and emerging threats associated with
infections/antimicrobial resistance and related adverse events
throughout the healthcare delivery system; (2) provides comprehensive
laboratory support and expertise for investigations of recognized and
emerging bacterial agents in healthcare settings; (3) develops methods
to assess contamination of environmental surface; (4) investigates
novel and emerging mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance among
targeted pathogens found in healthcare settings; (5) detects toxins/
virulence factors of bacteria causing HAI to understand their
transmission and pathogenicity; (6) conducts research in collaboration
with partners to develop new, accurate methods of detecting
antimicrobial resistance in bacteria and to improve reporting of
antimicrobial susceptibility testing results to physicians to improve
antimicrobial use; (7) conducts laboratory research to identify new
strategies to prevent infections/antimicrobial resistance, related
adverse events, and medical errors, especially those associated with
invasive medical devices, contaminated products, dialysis, and water;
(8) maintains capacity to evaluate commercial microbial identification
and antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems and products and
facilitates their improvement to provide accurate patient test results;
(9) investigates the role of biofilms, particularly those detected in
indwelling medical devices and medical water systems, in medicine and
public health, and identifies novel methods to eliminate colonization
and biofilm formation on foreign bodies; (10) investigates the role of
the water distribution systems in healthcare facilities in order to
understand and prevent waterborne healthcare associated infections; and
(11) provides expertise, research opportunities, training, and
laboratory support for investigations of infections and related adverse
events to other CDC CIOs and to our partners in areas related to
quality clinical microbiology laboratory practices, investigation of
emerging pathogens and environmental microbiology.
Prevention and Response Branch (CVLDC). (1) Coordinates rapid
response to assess and control strategically selected outbreaks and
emerging threats (i.e., healthcare associated infections, related
adverse events, including related infections in the community, and
antimicrobial resistance) and communicates the results of response
activities with federal and state agencies, healthcare providers, and
the public to prevent similar adverse events in the future; (2)
supports local, state, and national efforts to prevent HAI and related
adverse events using evidence-based recommendations; (3) develops and/
or evaluates the effectiveness of interventions to prevent HAI and
related adverse events or medical errors across the spectrum of
healthcare delivery sites including acute and long-term inpatient care,
dialysis, and ambulatory settings; (4) provides epidemiology support
for investigation and study of both recognized and emerging bacterial
healthcare pathogens and related community pathogens, including
antimicrobial resistant forms of these pathogens; (5) provides
epidemiology support to Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch
to identify new strategies to prevent infections associated with
indwelling medical devices, contaminated products, dialysis, and water;
(6) develops, promotes, and monitors implementation of evidence-based
guidelines/recommendations, and other proven interventions to prevent
HAI and related adverse events, and occupational infections/exposures
among healthcare personnel; (7) develops, promotes, and monitors
implementation of interventions to prevent transmission of healthcare-
associated HIV infections and conducts case investigations of
occupational HIV infections; (8) conducts and supports research and
evaluates impact of public health practices to prevent HAIs and related
adverse events and monitors progress in reaching national prevention
goals; and (9) provides expert consultation, guidance, and technical
support to other branches in the division, across the agency, to
government (e.g., Centers for Medicare Services and the VA
Administration) and non-governmental payers of healthcare, and other
domestic and international partners, and the U.S. public on the
epidemiology and prevention of HAI and related adverse events, and
exposures/injuries among healthcare personnel.
Surveillance Branch (CVLDD). (1) Monitors and evaluates on the
national level the extent, distribution, and impact of healthcare-
associated infections, antimicrobial use and resistance, adverse drug
events, healthcare worker safety events, and adherence to clinical
processes and intervention programs designed to prevent or control
adverse exposures or outcomes in healthcare; (2) provides leadership
and consultative services for statistical methods and analysis to
investigators in the branch, division, and other organizations
responsible for surveillance, research studies, and prevention and
control of HAI and other healthcare-associated adverse events; (3)
improves methods and enables wider use of clinical performance
measurements by healthcare facilities and public health entities for
specific interventions and prevention strategies designed to safeguard
patients and healthcare workers from risk exposures and adverse
outcomes through collaborations with extramural partners; (4)
collaborates with public and private sector partners to further
standardize, integrate, and streamline systems by which healthcare
organizations collect, manage, analyze, report, and respond to data on
clinical guideline adherence, HAI, including transmission of multi-drug
resistant organisms and other HAI; (5) coordinates, further develops,
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enables wider use, and maintains NHSN to obtain scientifically valid
clinical performance indices and benchmarks that promote healthcare
quality and value at the facility, state, and national levels; (6)
conducts applied research to identify and develop innovative methods to
detect and monitor HAI and antimicrobial resistance; (7) conducts
special studies and provides national estimates of targeted,
healthcare-associated adverse events, antimicrobial use and resistance
patterns, and the extent to which prevention and control safeguards are
in use to protect at-risk patients across the spectrum of healthcare
delivery sites; (8) uses NHSN and other data sources to conduct special
studies and provide national estimates of targeted occupational
illnesses and injuries among healthcare workers and the extent to which
preventive safeguards are in use across the spectrum of healthcare
delivery sites; and (9) leads CDC's national adverse drug events
surveillance activities and seeks to translate population-based
surveillance data into evidence-based policies and targeted, innovative
and collaborative interventions.
Immunization Safety Office (CVLDE). (1) Assesses the safety of new
and currently available vaccines received by children, adolescents and
adults; (2) coordinates vaccine safety activities at CDC; (3) conducts
public health surveillance to identify adverse events following
immunization; (4) in collaboration with the Food and Drug
Administration, coordinates and maintains the Vaccine Adverse Event
Reporting System, a national reporting system that serves as an early-
warning system to detect medical problems that may be related to
vaccines; (5) coordinates and maintains the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a
collaborative effort with managed care organizations, to assess adverse
events following immunization; (6) administers the Clinical
Immunization Safety Assessment network, a national network of medical
research centers with expertise in immunization safety conducting
clinical research on immunization-associated health risks; (7)
participates in the Brighton Collaboration, an international
collaboration of scientists from around the world working to develop,
evaluate, and disseminate globally accepted standard case definitions
for adverse events following immunization and guidelines for
collection, analysis, and presentation of vaccine safety data; and (8)
works with other federal agencies, state governments, and other public
and private organizations to assess and promote the safety of vaccines.
Dated: March 10, 2011.
James D. Seligman,
Acting Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2011-6179 Filed 3-17-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-18-M