CAL Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011
Latest action (27 Jul 2011): Introduced
What this bill does
H.R. 2671, the CAL Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011, would amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, to establish and maintain a nationwide "CAL Network" for undiagnosed diseases. The network would let physicians share and search cases of undiagnosed illnesses, support cross-disease research, track demographic and diagnostic data, and help determine whether NIH's existing Undiagnosed Diseases Program should be expanded or replicated elsewhere. Access to network data would be limited and structured to protect individually identifiable and confidential business information, consistent with HIPAA privacy rules.
The bill would primarily affect patients with unexplained chronic conditions, the physicians treating them, and researchers and institutions working on rare or undiagnosed diseases, by creating new tools for diagnosis, data-sharing, and potential grant funding for related programs. NIH would also be authorized to award grants and contracts to public or private nonprofit entities for data collection and new undiagnosed-disease programs.
The bill sets an implementation timeline, requiring preparatory work within one year of enactment and full operation by September 30, 2013, and authorizes $5 million for fiscal years 2012–2017, offset by reductions elsewhere in NIH's Office of the Director budget. Introduced July 27, 2011, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the bill received no further action and did not advance during the 112th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Charles August Long Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011 or the CAL Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish and maintain an undiagnosed diseases patient network. Includes among the purposes of the CAL Network to: (1) provide physicians who are handling cases of undiagnosed diseases with a means to search for similar cases and to network and collaborate with physicians handling similar cases; (2) better enable and examine cross-disease research; (3) better describe the types and prevalence of cases of undiagnosed diseases in the United States; and (4) provide such data necessary to better understand the length of time for a diagnosis to be rendered and to identify barriers to diagnoses and reasons for misdiagnosis of diseases.
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for: (1) the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on cases of undiagnosed diseases and other disorders that can often go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed as other diseases or disorders; and (2) the establishment of separate undiagnosed disease programs.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 2671 do?
- H.R. 2671, the CAL Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011, would amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, to establish and maintain a nationwide "CAL Network" for undiagnosed diseases. The network would let physicians share and search cases of undiagnosed illnesses, support cross-disease research, track demographic and diagnostic data, and help determine whether NIH's existing Undiagnosed Diseases Program should be expanded or replicated elsewhere. Access to network data would be limited and structured to protect individually identifiable and confidential business information, consistent with HIPAA privacy rules. The bill would primarily affect patients with unexplained chronic conditions, the physicians treating them, and researchers and institutions working on rare or undiagnosed diseases, by creating new tools for diagnosis, data-sharing, and potential grant funding for related programs. NIH would also be authorized to award grants and contracts to public or private nonprofit entities for data collection and new undiagnosed-disease programs. The bill sets an implementation timeline, requiring preparatory work within one year of enactment and full operation by September 30, 2013, and authorizes $5 million for fiscal years 2012–2017, offset by reductions elsewhere in NIH's Office of the Director budget. Introduced July 27, 2011, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the bill received no further action and did not advance during the 112th Congress.
- Has H.R. 2671 become law?
- Not yet. As of 27 Jul 2011, H.R. 2671 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 2671?
- H.R. 2671 was sponsored by Rep. John R. Carter [R-TX31] (Republican-TX), with 9 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 2671?
- Introduced (27 Jul 2011).
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