SCREENS Act
Sponsored By: Senator Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced
Summary
Creates a national computable-guideline framework for cancer screening that would make screening recommendations machine-readable, interoperable, and privacy-protected. It would link those recommendations to certified health IT, health plans, and research to support data-driven screening decisions and patient-facing tools.
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- Patients and families: Would let patients see their recommended screenings, access tools that explain options, and request corrections to their records. Privacy rules limit data used to age, sex, and specified high-risk factors.
- Health IT and clinicians: Would require certified electronic health record systems to operationalize the computable screening logic so a patient’s completion status can be determined. That certification condition would take effect no later than 5 years after enactment and must be interoperable with standards like the mCODE dataset or USCDI.
- Health plans and research: The Secretary would issue guidance within 2 years to encourage adoption by plans including Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, and ACA exchange plans, and would let consumers opt into certified EHR tools. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute would fund pilots, implementation, and dissemination to test computable guidelines, decision support, and patient-facing aids.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Health plans urged to add screening
If enacted, HHS would have to issue guidance within 2 years encouraging health plans to integrate the computable screening technology. The guidance would cover Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, and Exchange qualified health plans. The guidance would also encourage plans to let consumers opt into certified EHR technology that includes the cancer-screening features, but it would not force plans to spend money.
National computable cancer screening framework
If enacted, the National Coordinator would set up a national, machine-readable cancer screening framework within 1 year. The framework would be updated every year and published in logic that works with the mCODE dataset or USCDI. The bill would require activities under the framework to follow HIPAA privacy rules and would say nothing in the bill allows unauthorized use or re-identification of identifiable health data. The Secretary would also require certified health IT, within 5 years, to use only the minimum data (age, sex, high-risk factors), tell patients how data are used, and let patients access, review, and request changes to their information.
PCORI support for screening tools
If enacted, the bill would let PCORI support research, pilot projects, and dissemination to build interoperable health IT that turns evidence-based screening rules into practice. Funded activities could include computable guidelines, decision support, patient-facing decision aids, and tools to find people who need preventive services or who are eligible for clinical research. The bill does not set a specific dollar amount for these activities.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
IA • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 9/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov