ficient to assess the balance of benefits and 
risks of the product or service. 
‘‘(E) CHANGES IN GRADING SYSTEM.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Director may 
provide, by regulation, for changes in the 
grading system described in subparagraph 
(D). 
‘‘(ii) IMPACT
OF
CHANGES.—If the 
Director makes a change in the grading 
system under clause (i) for a particular 
grade, the Task Force shall review and re-
grade the services previously classified 
within that grade. Such review and regrade 
may be done through an expedited process 
but any such change in grade shall not 
take effect before such review process is 
completed.’’; 
(5) in paragraph (5), as redesignated by para-
graph (3)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘dissemination of the rec-
ommendations of the Task Force’’ and inserting 
‘‘dissemination of its recommendation state-
ments’’; and 
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(B) by striking ‘‘Guide’s recommenda-
tions’’ and inserting ‘‘recommendations of the 
Task Force’’; 
(6) by inserting after paragraph (5), as so re-
designated, the following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(6) 
PREVENTIVE
SERVICES
ADVISORY 
BOARD.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall 
convene a preventive services advisory board (in 
this subsection referred to as the ‘board’) com-
posed of representatives of appropriate public 
and private entities with an interest in clinical 
preventive services to advise the Task Force on 
developing, updating, publishing, and dissemi-
nating evidence-based recommendations on the 
use of clinical preventive services. 
‘‘(B) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the 
board shall include representatives of the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) Patient groups. 
‘‘(ii) Providers of clinical services, in-
cluding community-based providers and 
specialty physicians. 
‘‘(iii) Federal departments and agen-
cies, including— 
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‘‘(I) appropriate health agencies 
and offices in the Department, includ-
ing the National Institutes of Health, 
the National Cancer Institute, the Na-
tional Institute on Minority Health 
and Health Disparities, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, 
the Administration on Aging, the 
Health Resources and Services Ad-
ministration, the Centers for Medicare 
& Medicaid Services, the Office of the 
Surgeon General of the Public Health 
Service, the Department of Defense, 
the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
the Patient-Centered Outcomes Re-
search Institute, the Office of Minor-
ity Health, and the Office on Wom-
en’s Health; and 
‘‘(II) as appropriate, other Fed-
eral departments and agencies the 
programs of which have a significant 
impact upon health. 
‘‘(iv) Private health care payors. 
‘‘(C) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In accordance 
with subsection (b)(5), the board shall— 
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‘‘(i) recommend clinical preventive 
services for review by the Task Force; 
‘‘(ii) suggest scientific evidence for 
consideration by the Task Force related to 
reviews undertaken by the Task Force; 
‘‘(iii) provide feedback regarding the 
research plan, the evidence report, and 
draft recommendations by the Task Force; 
and 
‘‘(iv) assist with efforts regarding dis-
semination of recommendations by the Di-
rector of the Agency for Healthcare Re-
search and Quality. 
‘‘(D) MEETINGS.—The Preventive Services 
Advisory Board shall meet as the Chair of the 
Board determines to be appropriate to fulfill 
the responsibilities described in paragraph (C), 
but not fewer than 2 times each year. 
‘‘(7) DISCLOSURE AND CONFLICTS OF INTER-
EST.—Prior to participating in a meeting of the 
Task Force or board, each member of the Task 
Force or board, respectively, shall disclose to the Di-
rector any potential, relevant financial interests in 
the same manner and to the same extent as an em-
ployee of the executive branch of the United States, 
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if the employee were participating in such meeting, 
would be required to disclose such interests under 
section 208 of title 18, United States Code. 
‘‘(8) NO
PAY; 
RECEIPT
OF
TRAVEL
EX-
PENSES.—Members of the Task Force or the board 
shall not receive any pay for service on the Task 
Force or board, but may receive travel expenses, in-
cluding a per diem, in accordance with applicable 
provisions of subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
United States Code.’’; and 
(7) by amending paragraph (10), as redesig-
nated by paragraph (3), to read as follows: 
‘‘(10) APPLICATION OF FACA.—The Task Force 
shall conduct its activities in compliance with the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE; TRANSITION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided, the amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
The United States Preventive Services Task Force 
shall not publish any draft or final recommendations 
on or after such date except in accordance with such 
amendments. 
(2) RECONSTITUTION
OF
TASK
FORCE.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
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of this Act, the Director of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality shall take steps to 
reconstitute the membership of the Task Force con-
sistent with section 915(a)(3) of the Public Health 
Service Act, as amended by subsection (a). 
(3) PREVIOUSLY
PUBLISHED
RECOMMENDA-
TIONS.—With respect to recommendations or guide-
lines published by such Task Force before the date 
of the enactment of this Act, under procedures es-
tablished by the Director of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality, the reconstituted 
Task Force shall undertake a review process con-
sistent with the following: 
(A) An organization may request the Task 
Force to review such previous recommendations 
or guidelines if such organization has additional 
peer-reviewed scientific evidence that provides 
new information relevant to the previous rec-
ommendation or guideline. 
(B) Based upon such requests, the Task 
Force shall establish a process for the review of 
previous recommendations or guidelines. 
(C) Such process shall include public no-
tice through the Federal Register and oppor-
tunity for comment and a determination to con-
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firm or modify such recommendations or guide-
lines. 
(D) The process shall, to the extent fea-
sible, be consistent with the procedures applied 
under the amendments made by subsection (a) 
for the promulgation of new recommendations. 
(c) GAO EVALUATION AND REPORT.—Not later than 
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall submit to Con-
gress a report that contains the following: 
(1) A listing of the recommendations of the 
United States Preventive Services Task Force as of 
such date, including the date final recommendations 
and any subsequent updates were posted or pub-
lished. 
(2) A comparison of such recommendations and 
relevant recommendations of other Federal health 
agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Med-
icaid Services, the Department of Defense, the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, and the Patient-Cen-
tered Outcomes Research Institute, as well as rel-
evant recommendations from national medical pro-
fessional societies and relevant patient and disease 
advocacy organizations. 
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(3) An analysis of the impact of the rec-
ommendations of the Task Force on public and pri-
vate insurance coverage, access, and outcomes, in-
cluding impact on morbidity and mortality. 
(d) ELIMINATION OF SECRETARIAL DISCRETION TO 
REMOVE CERTAIN PREVENTIVE SERVICES UNDER THE 
MEDICARE PROGRAM.—Section 1834(n) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(n)) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (2); 
(2) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(1)(B) and inserting a period; 
(3) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) of paragraph (1) as paragraphs (1) and (2), re-
spectively, and moving their margins 2 ems to the 
left; and 
(4) by striking ‘‘may’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘modify’’ and inserting ‘‘may modify’’. 
(e) APPLICATION TO SECRETARIAL DISCRETION TO 
REMOVE CERTAIN PREVENTIVE SERVICES UNDER THE 
MEDICARE PROGRAM.—Section 1834(n) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(n)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following flush sentence: ‘‘Effective on the 
date of enactment of the USPSTF Transparency and Ac-
countability Act of 2017, the Secretary may only use the 
authority under this subsection to modify or eliminate cov-
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erage of a preventive service based on the recommendation 
or grade of the United States Preventive Services Task 
Force with respect to the service if such recommendation 
or grade was developed or updated in accordance with the 
amendments made by section 2(a) of such Act and if the 
Secretary has concurred with such recommendation or 
grade after consultation with other Federal health agen-
cies and relevant patient and provider groups.’’. 
(f) APPLICATION TO PHYSICIAN QUALITY MEASURES 
UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.—Section 1848 of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(t) MEASURES
RELATED
TO
USPSTF REC-
OMMENDATIONS.—Effective on the date of enactment of 
the USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act of 
2017, notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a 
quality measure related to a recommendation of the 
United States Preventive Services Task Force may only 
be applied under this section if such recommendation was 
developed or updated in accordance with the amendments 
made by section 2(a) of such Act and if the Secretary has 
concurred with such recommendation or grade after con-
sultation with other Federal health agencies and relevant 
patient and provider groups.’’. 
Æ 
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