Chronic Kidney Disease Study
SECTION 89.
(a) There is hereby established a task force to make an investigation and comprehensive study of chronic kidney disease and its complications and how it affects the citizens of the commonwealth. The chronic kidney disease task force shall be comprised of 14 members, 1 of whom shall be the secretary of the executive office of health and human services, or his designee, who shall serve as chair; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of the department of public health, or his designee; and the following 12 members who shall be appointed as follows: (i) The speaker of the house and senate president each shall appoint 3 physicians licensed to practice medicine in the commonwealth, 2 of whom shall be family practitioners, 2 of whom shall be nephrologists and 2 of whom shall be pathologists; (ii) the speaker of the house shall appoint 2 members who represent the state affiliate of the National Kidney Foundation, 1 of whom shall be an advocate on dialysis or a transplant recipient and 1 whom shall represent the Department of Nephrology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center; (iii) the senate president shall appoint 1 member who shall represent a health care services plan provider and 1 member who shall represent the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans; (iv) the governor shall appoint 1 member who shall represent owners and operators of clinical laboratories in the commonwealth and 1 member who shall represent the Massachusetts Hospital Association.
(b) The duties of the chronic kidney disease task force shall include, but not be limited to: developing a plan to educate health care professionals about the advantages and methods of early screening, diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease and its complications based on the K/DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines for chronic kidney disease or other medically recognized clinical practice guidelines; developing a plan to educate health care professionals about the advantages of end stage renal disease (ESRD) modality education; and making recommendations on the implementation of a cost-effective plan for early screening, diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease for the commonwealth's population.
(c) The chronic kidney disease task force shall submit a report to the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on public health, the joint committee on health care financing and the house and senate committees on ways and means no later than June 30, 2008.