[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4888 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4888

 To provide for the identification and dissemination of best practices 
 for medical professionals and other health care providers relative to 
         neonatal abstinence syndrome, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2014

Ms. Clark of Massachusetts (for herself and Mr. Stivers) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the identification and dissemination of best practices 
 for medical professionals and other health care providers relative to 
         neonatal abstinence syndrome, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coordinated Recovery Initiative for 
Babies Act of 2014'' or the ``CRIB Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION, TREATMENT, AND SURVEILLANCE OF NEONATAL 
              ABSTINENCE SYNDROME.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this Act 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall conduct a study to identify--
            (1) the most effective and beneficial methods that are 
        currently available to identify the need for treating and best 
        treatment methods for, infants diagnosed with neonatal 
        abstinence syndrome;
            (2) barriers, including associated costs and limitations or 
        disparities in the availability or scope of health insurance 
        coverage, that may hinder the clinical use of best practices by 
        medical professionals and other health care providers for the 
        identification and treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome;
            (3) circumstances, such as populations with unique needs 
        and health care settings with limited resources, that may 
        require particularized best practices for medical professionals 
        and other health care providers for the identification and 
        treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome;
            (4) existing surveillance measures within the Department of 
        Health and Human Services (in this Act referred to as the 
        ``Department'') and in State health agencies relating to 
        neonatal abstinence syndrome; and
            (5) areas in which information on neonatal abstinence 
        syndrome and its surrounding circumstances is insufficient, 
        incomplete, or requires further study or analysis.
    (b) Advisory Panel.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall convene an advisory 
        panel (in this section referred to as the ``Panel'') to 
        identify and compile the best practices under subsection (c). 
        The Secretary shall reconvene the Panel for such purpose 
        whenever the Secretary, with the advice of the Panel, 
        determines updates are needed to the list of best practices 
        under subsection (e), but no less than every 2 years.
            (2) Members.--The Panel shall be composed of 19 members, 
        all of whom shall be medical professionals or health care 
        providers with expertise in neonatal abstinence syndrome. 
        Members shall represent the broad range of such professionals 
        and providers necessary to identify and compile the best 
        practices for identification and treatment of neonatal 
        abstinence syndrome, including representatives of--
                    (A) The American Academy of Family Physicians.
                    (B) The American Academy of Pediatrics.
                    (C) The American Academy of Physician Assistants.
                    (D) The American College of Nurse-Midwives.
                    (E) The American College of Obstetricians and 
                Gynecologists.
                    (F) The American Hospital Association.
                    (G) The American Medical Association.
                    (H) The American Nurses Association.
                    (I) The American Pharmacists Association.
                    (J) The American Public Health Association.
                    (K) The American Society for Addiction Medicine.
                    (L) The American Society of Anesthesiologists.
                    (M) The Association of State and Territorial Health 
                Professionals.
                    (N) The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, 
                and Neonatal Nurses.
                    (O) The Children's Hospital Association.
                    (P) The National Association of Medicaid Directors.
                    (Q) The National Association of Nurse Practitioners 
                in Women's Health.
                    (R) The National Association of Pediatric Nurse 
                Practitioners.
                    (S) The National Association of Social Workers.
            (3) Administrative support.--The Secretary shall provide 
        appropriate administrative support, including technical 
        assistance, to the Panel.
    (c) Best Practices; Plan; Report.--Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
            (1)(A) identify and compile the best practices for medical 
        professionals and other health care providers for identifying 
        and treating neonatal abstinence syndrome; and
            (B) identify any gaps in best practices for medical 
        professionals and other health care providers that may require 
        additional research or analysis;
            (2) develop and implement a plan for the coordination and, 
        if necessary, expansion and enhancement of public health 
        surveillance of neonatal abstinence syndrome that--
                    (A) identifies the data necessary for a public 
                health response to neonatal abstinence syndrome;
                    (B) identifies any gaps in current surveillance or 
                coordination that results in the lack of collection of 
                such data, including a lack of timeliness or 
                standardization of data reporting;
                    (C) makes recommendations and provides assistance 
                to the States to implement effective measures to 
                collect such necessary data by State health agencies; 
                and
                    (D) designates an appropriate agency in the 
                Department to coordinate such data; and
            (3) not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, submit to the Congress a report containing the 
        Secretary's findings and identifying issues that--
                    (A) relate to neonatal abstinence syndrome, 
                including its causes, identification, treatment, 
                prevalence, and effects; and
                    (B) public health issues related to neonatal 
                abstinence syndrome that would benefit from further 
                study.
    (d) Dissemination of Best Practices.--The Secretary--
            (1) shall disseminate the best practices identified and 
        compiled under subsection (c), including any updates under 
        subsection (e), directly or through arrangements with nonprofit 
        organizations, government agencies, or the media;
            (2) shall post such best practices on the public Internet 
        site of the Department; and
            (3) may include in such dissemination any supplemental 
        information which the Secretary determines to be relevant and 
        appropriate, in consultation with the Panel.
    (e) Updates to Best Practices.--The Secretary shall periodically, 
but no less often than every 2 years, review the best practices 
identified under subsection (c) to ensure that such best practices are 
up-to-date and reflect the views of the medical community, including 
organizations listed in subsection (b)(2).
    (f) Appropriate Agency.--In designating an appropriate agency 
within the Department under subsection (c), the Secretary shall 
consider, among other factors, agency resources, purpose, expertise, 
and capability to conduct public health programs and research.
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