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analyze options and propose policies to implement the statutory requirements. Through the publication of several proposed rules in the Federal Register, HHS will propose standards for each item required in the legislation. B. Purpose of The Notice of Intent There has been considerable consensus on most of the standards that HHS is to adopt. However, opinion on the unique identifier for individuals is deeply divided. Given the level of controversy surrounding the individual identifier, HHS made the decision to proceed cautiously in fulfilling its statutory responsibility to adopt a unique health identifier for individuals for use in the health care system. The notice of intent is the vehicle by which HHS will examine the controversial dimensions of a unique health identifier for individuals, discuss a number of identifier options from which a choice might be made, identify advantages and disadvantages of those options, and request the public to comment. Any subsequent public policy decisions or proposed rules about the unique individual identifier will benefit from the public debate and information gathering elicited by the notice. Among the areas where comments are solicited are the following: What are the major confidentiality and privacy concerns associated with a health identifier for individuals and how should they be resolved? What principles should underlie the choice and implementation of an identifier? What uses should be approved for the health identifier for individuals? What is the relationship of this identifier to legal protection for health information generally? What model should be selected for a health identifier for individuals? Are there other viable options that are not discussed in this notice? How should candidate identifiers be evaluated? Are the relevant positive and negative aspects included for the alternatives in this notice? Which alternative do you prefer and which ones should be eliminated from consideration? Why? What will it cost both to transition to a new identifier system and to operate it? Who should pay those costs and why? What will the impact be for small providers and, if significant, how can it be mitigated? What are the critical implementation issues for a health identifier for individuals and how should they be addressed? For instance: How will the system of authenticating requests and assigning identifiers work on a day-to-day basis? Who will operate the system? What are the infrastructure requirements? How can encryption and other digital security technologies enhance identifier protection? What will the transition process look like? The notice will also seek comments from the public on additional specific implementation questions in Section IV., Implementation Issues Needing Further Consideration. C. Future Activities 60-day public comment period. Analysis of comments on the notice. Public hearings conducted by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) in Washington and in different regions of the Nation. N