Request to Medical Examiners on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners Regarding Submission of Examination Results

Meera Joshi
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
9 August 2021

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 150 (Monday, August 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 43577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16955]



[[Page 43577]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration


Request to Medical Examiners on the National Registry of 
Certified Medical Examiners Regarding Submission of Examination Results

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Request for examination results.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA requests that medical examiners (MEs), by September 30, 
2021, submit results of physical qualification examinations conducted 
during the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (National 
Registry) outage from December 1, 2017, through August 13, 2018. During 
the outage, FMCSA encouraged MEs to continue conducting physical 
qualification examinations and instructed MEs to submit examination 
results to the National Registry when upload functionality was 
restored. The upload functionality was fully restored on August 13, 
2018, but a significant number of healthcare professionals have not 
uploaded the results from examinations conducted during the National 
Registry outage. FMCSA requests that the examiners in question upload 
the information.

DATES: Medical examiners should submit the results from examinations 
conducted between December 1, 2017, and August 13, 2018, to the Agency 
by September 30, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Christine A. Hydock, Chief, 
Medical Programs Division, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001; telephone (202) 366-4001; 
fmcsamedical@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Enacted in 2005 and amended in 2012, 49 U.S.C. 31149 authorizes the 
National Registry program. Among other statutory mandates, section 
31149 directed the Secretary, acting through FMSCA, to establish the 
National Registry and to require MEs to transmit electronically certain 
information about completed medical examination results of commercial 
motor vehicle (CMV) drivers (section 31149(c)(1)(E), (d)(1)). To 
implement the requirements of section 31149, FMCSA issued a final rule 
in 2012 establishing the National Registry (77 FR 24104 (Apr. 20, 
2012)). This rule also required MEs to submit a CMV Driver Medical 
Examination Results Form, MCSA-5850, to FMCSA for each physical 
examination conducted during the previous month for any driver who is 
required to be examined by an ME listed on the National Registry. This 
rule was amended in 2015 to require MEs to report results of all CMV 
drivers' physical examinations conducted (including the results of 
examinations where the driver was found not to be qualified) to FMCSA 
by midnight local time of the next calendar day following the 
examination, beginning on June 22, 2018 (80 FR 22790 (Apr. 23, 2015); 
80 FR 35577 (Jun. 22, 2015)).

II. National Registry Outage

    In December 2017, an incident occurred that caused the Agency to 
take the National Registry system offline. Unfortunately, during the 
outage, MEs were not able to access their National Registry accounts to 
upload results of examinations conducted. MEs were encouraged to 
continue conducting physical qualification examinations and issuing 
Medical Examiner's Certificates to qualified CMV drivers. MEs were also 
informed that they should segregate all examinations completed during 
the outage and be prepared to upload them to the National Registry 
system when it is back online and operating normally.

III. National Registry Reporting Functionality Restored

    The functionality for MEs to submit results of examinations to the 
National Registry was restored on June 22, 2018. The functionality for 
Medical Examiner Administrative Assistants (MEAAs) and Third Party 
Organizations (TPOs) to submit results of examinations on behalf of MEs 
to the National Registry was restored on August 13, 2018. Therefore, 
MEs were instructed to resume submitting results of examinations 
conducted either through their National Registry account or by using 
their designated MEAAs or TPOs, in accordance with 49 CFR 
391.43(g)(5)(i)(B) and (5)(ii).
    Although the functionality to enter results of examinations 
conducted had been restored, FMCSA was concerned that the temporary 
National Registry system would not be able to handle the usual daily 
activity together with the additional activity for results from 
examinations conducted during the time the National Registry was 
offline. Therefore, on June 27, 2018, FMCSA sent an email to all MEs 
explaining that FMCSA was not requiring MEs to immediately upload 
results of the examinations conducted during the National Registry 
outage and that it would provide an extended period to upload results 
of examinations conducted during the National Registry outage. The 
Agency explained that, in an effort to limit the time burden on MEs, it 
would ensure that MEs have ample time to upload results of these 
examinations.

IV. Request for Examination Results

    Due to continued improvements to the National Registry system, 
FMCSA is no longer concerned about the increased activity of uploading 
results of examinations that occurred during the National Registry 
outage. FMCSA is aware that while many MEs have submitted results of 
examinations conducted while the National Registry was offline, others 
still have not done so. FMCSA estimates that approximately 14,000 MEs 
still have examinations results to upload. This includes MEs who were 
certified and actively uploading results of examinations conducted on 
December 1, 2017, when the National Registry was taken offline, who 
have successfully migrated their National Registry account, and who 
have been using the interim National Registry system. This activity 
demonstrates that they have continued to conduct physical qualification 
examinations, but may not have uploaded results of any examinations 
conducted between the outage period of December 1, 2017, and August 13, 
2018. Therefore, FMCSA requests that MEs who have not yet submitted 
results of examinations conducted during the National Registry outage, 
between December 1, 2017, and August 13, 2018, report the outstanding 
results to the National Registry through their National Registry 
account or by a designated MEAA or TPO no later than September 30, 
2021. FMCSA makes this request to ensure, to the greatest extent 
possible, that results of all examinations conducted during the outage 
are reported to the National Registry.

Meera Joshi,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2021-16955 Filed 8-6-21; 8:45 am]
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