SCREENS Act

The National Coordinator for Health Information Technology would establish a national framework for cancer screening recommendations using factors such as age, sex, and high-risk factors, based on recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the National Cancer Institute. The framework would be updated annually and made publicly available in machine-readable form that works with either mCODE or USCDI.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services would require certified health information technology to include functionality that uses the framework to determine whether a patient has completed recommended cancer screenings. The functionality would use only the minimum necessary patient data and give patients information about data use and ways to review and request changes to their health information.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services would issue guidance encouraging Medicaid managed care organizations, Medicare Advantage plans, and qualified health plans offered through the health insurance exchanges to integrate technology based on the framework. The guidance would also encourage plans to let consumers opt into certified electronic health record technology with screening functionality.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute could support research, pilot projects, implementation, and information-sharing related to interoperable health technology and evidence-based preventive care. Examples include screening tools, patient decision aids, shared decision-making, and identifying people who may qualify for preventive services or clinical research.

Activities under the framework would have to comply with applicable privacy laws. The bill also states that it does not permit unauthorized use, disclosure, or re-identification of individually identifiable health information.