Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that nearly 26,000,000 Americans have diabetes in addition to an estimated 79,000,000 American adults that have pre-diabetes, an increase of 2,000,000 Americans with diabetes and 22,000,000 American adults with pre-diabetes since 2008. (2)Diabetes affects 8.3 percent of Americans of all ages and 11.3 percent of adults age 20 and older. Individuals of racial and ethnic minorities continue to have higher rates of diabetes than individuals not of such minorities, as demonstrated by the following: 16.1 percent of all adult American Indians and Alaskan Natives have diabetes; 12.6 percent of all adult African-Americans have diabetes; 11.8 percent of all adult Hispanics have diabetes; and 8.4 percent of all adult Asian-Americans have diabetes, while 7.1 percent of all non-Hispanic Whites have diabetes. (3)Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. (4)People with diabetes are more likely than people without diabetes to have heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, kidney failure, blindness, and require amputations. (5)Total national costs associated with diabetes in 2007 exceeded $218,000,000,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (6)One in three Medicare dollars is currently spent on people with diabetes. (7)The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that as many as 1 in 3 American adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue. (8)There are 37 Federal departments, agencies, and offices involved in the implementation of Federal diabetes activities.

Establishment of the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission

Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

399V–6.

National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission

(a)

Establishment

There is hereby established within the Department of Health and Human Services the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission (in this section referred to as the Commission) to evaluate and make recommendations regarding better coordination and leveraging of programs within the Department of Health and Human Services and other Federal agencies that relate in any way to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. (b)

Membership

(1)

In general

The Commission shall be composed of the following voting members: (A)The Administrators or Directors (or the designees of Administrators or Directors) of the following Federal agencies and departments that conduct programs that could impact the clinical care of people with pre-diabetes and diabetes: (i)The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (ii)The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (iii)The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iv)The Indian Health Service. (v)The Department of Veterans Affairs. (vi)The National Institutes of Health. (vii)The Food and Drug Administration. (viii)The Health Resources and Services Administration. (B)Twelve additional voting members appointed under paragraph (2). (2)

Additional members

The Commission shall include additional voting members appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States, in consultation with national medical societies and patient advocate organizations with expertise in diabetes and the care of patients with diabetes who are representatives of the following: (A)Clinical endocrinologists. (B)Physician specialties (other than as described in subparagraph (A)) that play a role in diabetes care. (C)Primary care physicians. (D)Non-physician health care professionals, such as diabetes educators, clinical dieticians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. (E)Patient advocates. (F)National experts in the duties listed under subsection (c). (3)

Chairperson

The voting members of the Commission shall select a chairperson from the members described in paragraph (2)(A). (4)

Meetings

The Commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson but at least twice, and not more than 4 times, a year. (5)

Board terms

Members of the Commission, including the chairperson, shall serve for a 3-year term. A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. (c)

Duties

The Commission shall— (1)evaluate programs of the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the utilization of diabetes screening benefits, annual wellness visits, and other preventive health benefits that may reduce the risk of diabetes and its complications, addressing any existing problems regarding such utilization and related data collection mechanisms; (2)identify current activities and critical gaps in Federal efforts to support clinicians in providing integrated, high quality care to people with pre-diabetes and diabetes; (3)assist in the coordination of clinically-based activities that are being supported by the Federal Government; (4)assist with the development and coordination of federally-funded clinical practice support tools for physicians and other health care professionals in caring for and managing the care of people with pre-diabetes and diabetes; (5)evaluate programs in existence as of the date of the enactment of this section and determine if such programs are meeting the needs identified in paragraph (2) and, if such programs are determined to not be meeting such needs, recommend programs that would be more appropriate; (6)use outcomes-based registry data to evaluate various care models and methods and the impact of such models and methods on diabetes management as measured by appropriate care parameters (such as A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels); (7)evaluate and expand education and awareness to physicians and other health care professionals regarding clinical practices for the prevention of diabetes and the precursor conditions of diabetes; (8)develop and test appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources that regard diabetes prevention and treatments, are funded by the Federal Government, and are intended for to health care professionals and the public; and (9)other activities, including relating to the areas of public health and nutrition, that the Commission deems appropriate. (d)

Operating plan

(1)

Initial plan

Prior to the expenditure of Federal funds for any activities pursuant to subsection (c), the Commission shall submit to the Secretary and the Congress an operating plan for carrying out the activities of the Commission. Such operating plan shall include— (A)a list of specific activities that the Commission plans to conduct for purposes of carrying out the duties described in each of the paragraphs in subsection (c); (B)a plan for completing the activities, including any contracts or grants that need to be awarded; (C)a list of members of the Commission and other individuals who are not members of the Commission who will need to be involved to conduct such activities; (D)an explanation of Federal agency involvement and coordination needed to conduct such activities; (E)a budget for conducting such activities; and (F)other information that the Commission deems appropriate. (2)

Updates

The Commission shall periodically update the operating plan under paragraph (1) and submit such updates to the Secretary and the Congress. (e)

Final report and sunset of the commission

By not later than 3 years after the date of the Commission’s first meeting, the Commission shall submit to the Secretary and the Congress a report containing all of the findings and recommendations of the Commission and an operating plan for implementation of all such recommendations. The Commission shall terminate after submission of such report. (f)

Authorization of appropriations

Appropriations are authorized to be made available to the Commission for each of fiscal years 2012, 2013 and 2014, from amounts otherwise made available to the Department of Health and Human Services for such fiscal years, to carry out this section.