GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2009

S                                                                                                                                                     1

SENATE BILL 1022

Short Title:        Comparative Effectiveness Task Force.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senators Stein;  Garrou, Nesbitt, Purcell, Snow, and Stevens.
Referred to:	Health Care.

March 26, 2009

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS TASK FORCE to improve health care quality and contain health care costs.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  There is established the Joint Legislative Comparative Effectiveness Task Force (Task Force).  The purpose of the Task Force is to ascertain how to improve people's health and contain health care costs by studying the comparative effectiveness of various medical treatments and prescription drugs.

SECTION 1.(b)  The Task Force shall be comprised of eleven members, one appointed by each of the following:

(1)        One member of the Senate to serve as cochair of the Task Force appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

(2)        One member of the House of Representatives to serve as cochair of the Task Force appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(3)        The NC Institute of Medicine.

(4)        The North Carolina Hospital Association.

(5)        The North Carolina Medical Society.

(6)        The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

(7)        Duke University.

(8)        North Carolina Association of Health Plans.

(9)        Division of Medical Assistance of the Department of Health and Human Services, appointed by the Secretary of the Department.

(10)      The Research Triangle Institute.

SECTION 1.(c)  The Task Force shall study the following:

(1)        How to develop and even more robust research effort in our State, including the development of initiatives to draw down additional federal funds.

(2)        How to organize our State-level efforts in a way that maximizes our opportunities for additional joint efforts with Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.

(3)        How to organize providers and payors in our State so that dissemination of comparative effectiveness research findings is as rapid and far-reaching as possible.

(4)        How to develop mechanisms for the ongoing monitoring of these efforts.

SECTION 1.(d)  Members of the Task Force shall not be compensated for their services but shall receive per diem and travel costs as authorized by law.

SECTION 1.(e)  On or before February 1, 2011, the Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2011 General Assembly.  Upon submitting its final report the Task Force shall terminate.

SECTION 2.  The Legislative Services Office shall allocate funds appropriated to the General Assembly to support the activities of the Task Force.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.