President Trump signs law creating diabetes commission

President Donald Trump last week signed new legislation that calls for the creation of a national commission of health care experts to address issues related to diabetes care, including closing any gaps in federal support efforts and finding opportunities for consolidation.

The legislation, which calls for the establishment of a 23-member commission to optimize programs for Americans with diabetes, was champions by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, who have supported the bipartisan initiative since it was first introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2011. The bill was authored by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH and Susan Collins, R-ME.

“We are so excited to finally see the passage of this legislation to improve the quality of care of patients with diabetes,” Jonathan Leffert, FACP, FACE, ECNU, president of AACE, told Endocrine Today. “AACE committed to leading this legislation through the Congress because as clinical endocrinologists, we recognized the gaps in translation between research and clinical care. The Commission will focus on developing solutions to bring the outstanding research and education in diabetes accomplished by the federal government to clinicians and patients with this complex disease.”

S. 920, the "National Clinical Care Commission Act," establishes a National Clinical Care Commission within the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate and make recommendations on the use of federal resources in combating diabetes, according to a press release issued by the White House Nov. 2. The commission will be tasked with assessing existing federal programs that support clinical care for individuals with complex diabetes, metabolic or autoimmune diseases — or complications caused by such diseases — and facilitating through its recommendations increased interaction between agencies such as Medicare, the FDA, the CDC and private-sector clinicians in the U.S.

According to a summary of the legislation on Congress.gov, the commission must report on five key issues:

HHS programs that focus on prevention
Current activities and gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing integrated care
Improvement in federal education and awareness activities related to prevention and treatment
Methods for outreach and dissemination of education and awareness materials
Opportunities for consolidation of overlapping federal programs.

The commission must submit an operating plan to HHS and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.

For more information:

White House press release: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/11/02/president-donald-j-trump-signs-hr-1329-hr-1616-hr-2989-s-190-s-504-s-920

National Clinical Care Commission Act: www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/920?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22S.+920%22%5D%7D&r=1