I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2960 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to foster more effective implementation and coordination of clinical care for people with pre-diabetes and 

diabetes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 

Mr. OLSON (for himself, Mr. GUTHRIE, and Mr. SESSIONS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to foster more 

effective implementation and coordination of clinical care 

for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Diabetes 

5 Clinical Care Commission Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre9 vention report that nearly 26,000,000 Americans 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2960 IH

1 have diabetes in addition to an estimated 

2 79,000,000 American adults that have pre-diabetes, 

3 an increase of 2,000,000 Americans with diabetes 

4 and 22,000,000 American adults with pre-diabetes 

5 since 2008. 

6 (2) Diabetes affects 8.3 percent of Americans of 

7 all ages and 11.3 percent of adults age 20 and older. 

8 Individuals of racial and ethnic minorities continue 

9 to have higher rates of diabetes than individuals not 

10 of such minorities, as demonstrated by the following: 

11 16.1 percent of all adult American Indians and Alas12 kan Natives have diabetes; 12.6 percent of all adult 

13 African-Americans have diabetes; 11.8 percent of all 

14 adult Hispanics have diabetes; and 8.4 percent of all 

15 adult Asian-Americans have diabetes, while 7.1 per16 cent of all non-Hispanic Whites have diabetes. 

17 (3) Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of 

18 death in the United States. 

19 (4) People with diabetes are more likely than 

20 people without diabetes to have heart attacks, 

21 strokes, high blood pressure, kidney failure, blind22 ness, and require amputations. 

23 (5) Total national costs associated with diabetes 

24 in 2007 exceeded $218,000,000,000, according to 

25 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2960 IH

1 (6) One in three Medicare dollars is currently 

2 spent on people with diabetes. 

3 (7) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre4 vention projects that as many as 1 in 3 American 

5 adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends 

6 continue. 

7 (8) There are 37 Federal departments, agen8 cies, and offices involved in the implementation of 

9 Federal diabetes activities. 

10 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL DIABETES 

11 CLINICAL CARE COMMISSION. 

12 Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

13 (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

14 the following new section: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 399V–6. NATIONAL DIABETES CLINICAL CARE COM16 MISSION. 

17 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

18 within the Department of Health and Human Services the 

19 National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission (in this sec20 tion referred to as the ‘Commission’) to evaluate and make 

21 recommendations regarding better coordination and 

22 leveraging of programs within the Department of Health 

23 and Human Services and other Federal agencies that re24 late in any way to supporting appropriate clinical care for 

25 people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2960 IH

1 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be 

3 composed of the following voting members: 

4 ‘‘(A) The Administrators or Directors (or 

5 the designees of Administrators or Directors) of 

6 the following Federal agencies and departments 

7 that conduct programs that could impact the 

8 clinical care of people with pre-diabetes and dia9 betes: 

10 ‘‘(i) The Centers for Medicare and 

11 Medicaid Services. 

12 ‘‘(ii) The Agency for Healthcare Re13 search and Quality. 

14 ‘‘(iii) The Centers for Disease Control 

15 and Prevention. 

16 ‘‘(iv) The Indian Health Service. 

17 ‘‘(v) The Department of Veterans Af18 fairs. 

19 ‘‘(vi) The National Institutes of 

20 Health. 

21 ‘‘(vii) The Food and Drug Adminis22 tration. 

23 ‘‘(viii) The Health Resources and 

24 Services Administration. 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 2960 IH

1 ‘‘(B) Twelve additional voting members ap2 pointed under paragraph (2). 

3 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.—The Commission 

4 shall include additional voting members appointed by 

5 the Comptroller General of the United States, in 

6 consultation with national medical societies and pa7 tient advocate organizations with expertise in diabe8 tes and the care of patients with diabetes who are 

9 representatives of the following: 

10 ‘‘(A) Clinical endocrinologists. 

11 ‘‘(B) Physician specialties (other than as 

12 described in subparagraph (A)) that play a role 

13 in diabetes care. 

14 ‘‘(C) Primary care physicians. 

15 ‘‘(D) Non-physician health care profes16 sionals, such as diabetes educators, clinical di17 eticians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physi18 cian assistants. 

19 ‘‘(E) Patient advocates. 

20 ‘‘(F) National experts in the duties listed 

21 under subsection (c). 

22 ‘‘(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The voting members of 

23 the Commission shall select a chairperson from the 

24 members described in paragraph (2)(A). 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 2960 IH

1 ‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet 

2 at the call of the chairperson but at least twice, and 

3 not more than 4 times, a year. 

4 ‘‘(5) BOARD TERMS.—Members of the Commis5 sion, including the chairperson, shall serve for a 3- 

6 year term. A vacancy on the Commission shall be 

7 filled in the same manner as the original appoint8 ments. 

9 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The Commission shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) evaluate programs of the Department of 

11 Health and Human Services regarding the utiliza12 tion of diabetes screening benefits, annual wellness 

13 visits, and other preventive health benefits that may 

14 reduce the risk of diabetes and its complications, ad15 dressing any existing problems regarding such utili16 zation and related data collection mechanisms; 

17 ‘‘(2) identify current activities and critical gaps 

18 in Federal efforts to support clinicians in providing 

19 integrated, high quality care to people with pre-dia20 betes and diabetes; 

21 ‘‘(3) assist in the coordination of clinically22 based activities that are being supported by the Fed23 eral Government; 

24 ‘‘(4) assist with the development and coordina25 tion of federally-funded clinical practice support 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 2960 IH

1 tools for physicians and other health care profes2 sionals in caring for and managing the care of peo3 ple with pre-diabetes and diabetes; 

4 ‘‘(5) evaluate programs in existence as of the 

5 date of the enactment of this section and determine 

6 if such programs are meeting the needs identified in 

7 paragraph (2) and, if such programs are determined 

8 to not be meeting such needs, recommend programs 

9 that would be more appropriate; 

10 ‘‘(6) use outcomes-based registry data to evalu11 ate various care models and methods and the impact 

12 of such models and methods on diabetes manage13 ment as measured by appropriate care parameters 

14 (such as A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels); 

15 ‘‘(7) evaluate and expand education and aware16 ness to physicians and other health care profes17 sionals regarding clinical practices for the prevention 

18 of diabetes and the precursor conditions of diabetes; 

19 ‘‘(8) develop and test appropriate methods for 

20 outreach and dissemination of educational resources 

21 that regard diabetes prevention and treatments, are 

22 funded by the Federal Government, and are in23 tended for to health care professionals and the pub24 lic; and 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 2960 IH

1 ‘‘(9) other activities, including relating to the 

2 areas of public health and nutrition, that the Com3 mission deems appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(d) OPERATING PLAN.— 

5 ‘‘(1) INITIAL PLAN.—Prior to the expenditure 

6 of Federal funds for any activities pursuant to sub7 section (c), the Commission shall submit to the Sec8 retary and the Congress an operating plan for car9 rying out the activities of the Commission. Such op10 erating plan shall include— 

11 ‘‘(A) a list of specific activities that the 

12 Commission plans to conduct for purposes of 

13 carrying out the duties described in each of the 

14 paragraphs in subsection (c); 

15 ‘‘(B) a plan for completing the activities, 

16 including any contracts or grants that need to 

17 be awarded; 

18 ‘‘(C) a list of members of the Commission 

19 and other individuals who are not members of 

20 the Commission who will need to be involved to 

21 conduct such activities; 

22 ‘‘(D) an explanation of Federal agency in23 volvement and coordination needed to conduct 

24 such activities; 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 2960 IH

1 ‘‘(E) a budget for conducting such activi2 ties; and 

3 ‘‘(F) other information that the Commis4 sion deems appropriate. 

5 ‘‘(2) UPDATES.—The Commission shall periodi6 cally update the operating plan under paragraph (1) 

7 and submit such updates to the Secretary and the 

8 Congress. 

9 ‘‘(e) FINAL REPORT AND SUNSET OF THE COMMIS10 SION.—By not later than 3 years after the date of the 

11 Commission’s first meeting, the Commission shall submit 

12 to the Secretary and the Congress a report containing all 

13 of the findings and recommendations of the Commission 

14 and an operating plan for implementation of all such rec15 ommendations. The Commission shall terminate after sub16 mission of such report. 

17 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Appro18 priations are authorized to be made available to the Com19 mission for each of fiscal years 2012, 2013 and 2014, 

20 from amounts otherwise made available to the Department 

21 of Health and Human Services for such fiscal years, to 

22 carry out this section.’’. 

Æ 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS