I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5014 
To improve the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of diagnosis in 
health care, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 8, 2019 
Mr. LUJA´N (for himself and Mr. BILIRAKIS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To improve the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness 
of diagnosis in health care, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Diagnosis 
in Medicine Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. RESEARCH CENTERS OF DIAGNOSTIC EXCELLENCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 912 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299b–1) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c), by inserting after ‘‘part 
C’’ the following: ‘‘and subsection (d)’’; and 
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(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) RESEARCH CENTERS OF DIAGNOSTIC EXCEL-
LENCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall award 
grants for the establishment and maintenance of 
centers, to be known as Research Centers of Diag-
nostic Excellence, that advance research and 
progress in diagnostic quality, safety, and value in 
clinical care and population health through imple-
menting the activities specified in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants 
under paragraph (1), the Director shall take into 
consideration— 
‘‘(A) the level of development within the 
field of research on improving diagnosis in 
health care; and 
‘‘(B) the need to plan and establish new 
Research Centers of Diagnostic Excellence. 
‘‘(3) ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(A) REQUIRED
ACTIVITIES.—Each Re-
search Center of Diagnostic Excellence receiv-
ing funds pursuant to paragraph (1) shall use 
such funds to— 
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‘‘(i) serve as an interdisciplinary core 
diagnostic research hub for conducting di-
agnostic safety and quality research; 
‘‘(ii) support research and public 
health initiatives on improving diagnosis in 
medicine; and 
‘‘(iii) foster high-impact research on 
novel solutions to improve diagnosis that 
will significantly reduce patient harm. 
‘‘(B) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—In addi-
tion to the required activities listed in subpara-
graph (A), each Research Center of Diagnostic 
Excellence receiving funds pursuant to para-
graph (1) may use such funds to— 
‘‘(i) build capacity by cultivating, 
training, and developing a highly qualified 
diagnostic research workforce; 
‘‘(ii) develop and validate operation-
ally viable measures of diagnostic error to 
assess which approaches are effective for 
monitoring the diagnosis process of identi-
fying, analyzing, and reducing diagnostic 
errors; and 
‘‘(iii) utilize strategic partnerships 
that capitalize on the capabilities of both 
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academic research institutions and non- 
academic 
health 
care, 
public 
health, 
science, and technology stakeholders.’’. 
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON IMPROVING DIAGNOSIS 
IN HEALTH CARE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall establish within the Office of the Secretary 
an interagency council to be known as the Interagency 
Council on Improving Diagnosis in Health Care (in this 
section referred to as the ‘‘Council’’). 
(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the Council shall 
be the following: 
(1) Enhance the quality, appropriateness, and 
effectiveness of diagnosis in health care through— 
(A) the establishment and support of a 
broad base of scientific research; 
(B) the dissemination and implementation 
of the results of such research; and 
(C) the promotion of improvements in clin-
ical and health system practices. 
(2) Identify and eliminate systemic barriers to 
supporting research in improving diagnosis in health 
care. 
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(3) Identify knowledge gaps, research needs, 
and deficiencies in clinical and health system deliv-
ery, associated with the diagnostic process, with an 
emphasis on clarifying needs across the diagnostic 
research continuum. 
(4) Create core diagnostic research services and 
interdisciplinary teams to facilitate diagnostic re-
search. 
(5) Build capacity by training and developing a 
highly-qualified diagnostic research workforce. 
(6) Establish valid operational measures of di-
agnostic error. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) CHAIRPERSON.—The Director of the Agen-
cy for Healthcare Research and Quality (or the Di-
rector’s designee) shall be the Chairperson of the 
Council. 
(2) MEMBERS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—In addition to the 
Chairperson, the Council shall be comprised of 
at least 1 designee from each of the following, 
appointed by the head of the applicable depart-
ment or agency: 
(i) The Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. 
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(ii) The Centers for Medicare & Med-
icaid Services. 
(iii) The Department of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
(iv) The Congressionally Directed 
Medical Research Program of the Depart-
ment of Defense. 
(v) The National Institutes of Health, 
including designees from— 
(I) the National Cancer Institute; 
(II) the National Center for Ad-
vancing Translational Sciences; 
(III) the National Institute of Al-
lergy and Infectious Diseases; 
(IV) the National Heart, Lung, 
and Blood Institute; 
(V) the National Institute of 
Neurological Disorders and Stroke; 
(VI) the National Library of 
Medicine; and 
(VII) such other national re-
search institutes and national centers 
as may be appropriate, as determined 
by the Director of the National Insti-
tutes of Health. 
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(B) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.—In addition 
to the designees under subparagraph (A), the 
Council may include such other designees from 
Federal departments or agencies as the Chair-
person of the Council deems appropriate. 
(C) DESIGNATION.—A person appointed to 
the Council as a designee shall be a senior offi-
cial or employee of the department or agency 
whose responsibilities and subject matter exper-
tise are relevant to the Council’s objectives list-
ed in subsection (b), as determined by the des-
ignating official. 
(d) STRATEGIC PLAN; REPORTS.— 
(1) STRATEGIC FEDERAL PLAN TO IMPROVE DI-
AGNOSIS
IN
HEALTH
CARE.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Council shall develop, submit to the Secretary and 
Congress, and make publicly available a strategic 
plan, to be known as the Strategic Federal Plan to 
Improve Diagnosis, that, consistent with the objec-
tives listed in subsection (b)— 
(A) identifies coordinated opportunities to 
enhance scientific research and reduce systemic 
barriers in order to improve diagnosis in health 
care; and 
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(B) includes legislative and administrative 
policy recommendations. 
(2) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
July 31 of every odd-numbered year beginning with 
the first such year after the date of submission of 
the first Strategic Federal Plan to Improve Diag-
nosis under paragraph (1), the Council shall pre-
pare, submit to the Secretary and Congress, and 
make publicly available an updated Strategic Fed-
eral Plan to Improve Diagnosis that includes— 
(A) such updates as the Council deter-
mines to be appropriate; 
(B) information on the overall progress of 
the Federal Government in reducing barriers to 
research on, and supporting projects to im-
prove, diagnosis in health care; and 
(C) legislative and administrative policy 
recommendations, including addressing any 
needs for greater legislative authority to meet 
the objectives listed in subsection (b). 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act (including the amendments made by this Act) 
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