Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1484 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 676 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1484
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Joanne M. Comerford
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to reduce incidence and death from pancreatic cancer.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and WorcesterMark C. MontignySecond Bristol and Plymouth1/23/2025Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex1/24/2025Paul K. Frost7th Worcester1/24/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester1/27/2025John F. KeenanNorfolk and Plymouth1/29/2025Sal N. DiDomenicoMiddlesex and Suffolk1/29/2025William N. BrownsbergerSuffolk and Middlesex2/3/2025Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/10/2025John J. Marsi6th Worcester2/11/2025Hannah Kane11th Worcester2/11/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/11/2025Nick CollinsFirst Suffolk2/12/2025Kathleen R. LaNatra12th Plymouth2/14/2025Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex2/14/2025Patricia D. JehlenSecond Middlesex2/19/2025Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable2/24/2025Bruce E. TarrFirst Essex and Middlesex2/26/2025 1 of 5
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 676 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1484
18	18	By Ms. Comerford, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1484) of Joanne M. Comerford,
19	19	Mark C. Montigny, Danillo A. Sena, Paul K. Frost and other members of the General Court for
20	20	legislation to reduce incidence and death from pancreatic cancer. Public Health.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 1330 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act to reduce incidence and death from pancreatic cancer.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the
32	32	2following section:-
33	33	3 Section 245. (a) The department shall administer a comprehensive pancreatic cancer
34	34	4initiative to provide coordinated pancreatic cancer prevention, screening, education and support
35	35	5programs in the commonwealth. The department may develop and implement other initiatives
36	36	6regarding pancreatic cancer awareness, research and care that the department determines will
37	37	7further the purposes of this section.
38	38	8 (b) There shall be a pancreatic cancer advisory council within the department. The
39	39	9council shall be appointed and convened by the commissioner and shall consist of 13 members 2 of 5
40	40	10representing interdisciplinary fields including, but not limited to, oncology, palliative care,
41	41	11medicine, nursing, social work, pharmacy, spirituality and the area of patient and family
42	42	12caregiver advocacy, including health professionals having expertise treating pancreatic cancer
43	43	13patients and their families; provided, at least 1 member shall be a representative of the Pancreatic
44	44	14Cancer Action Network and 1 member shall be a representative of the American Cancer Society
45	45	15Cancer Action Network. The commissioner may appoint other members that the commissioner
46	46	16deems appropriate. Council members shall serve for a period of 3 years at the pleasure of the
47	47	17commissioner. The members shall elect a chair and vice chair whose duties shall be established
48	48	18by the council. The department shall provide a place for regular meetings of the council, which
49	49	19shall meet at least monthly.
50	50	20 Council members shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be allowed
51	51	21actual and necessary expenses in the performance of their council duties.
52	52	22 The council shall:
53	53	23 (1) Investigate and make recommendations for a system to certify and approve hospital
54	54	24systems that meet National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation criteria and post this information on an
55	55	25appropriate state website and on advocacy organization websites.
56	56	26 (2) Identify institutions and hospital systems which could meet the criteria in areas that
57	57	27are geographically underserved and provide them with incentives to develop the necessary
58	58	28resources to comply in order to assure that all residents have access to hospitals that meet the
59	59	29criteria.
60	60	30 (3) Investigate and make recommendations for the establishment of a multi-provider
61	61	31consortium to develop and disseminate amongst each other best practice algorithms, decision 3 of 5
62	62	32aids for electronic health record systems, and quality metrics for all phases of care in pancreatic
63	63	33cancer. The consortium shall partner with other entities including, but not limited to, patient
64	64	34organizations, National Institute of Health and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action
65	65	35Network to develop and maintain a portfolio of statewide clinical trials in pancreatic cancer.
66	66	36 (4) Disseminate targeted communications to primary care providers and their office staff
67	67	37to connect them with the consortium members and resources which are local to their practices.
68	68	38 (5) Utilize the local resources of the consortium members to fully operationalize existing
69	69	39state initiatives to identify existing cancer support services, survivorship care and counseling and
70	70	40to expand these initiatives to meet current needs.
71	71	41 (6) Develop and support the use in all hospitals of a standard consent form for pancreatic
72	72	42cancer patients to consent to donate their tissue samples without restrictions for tissue collection
73	73	43and banking for research.
74	74	44 (c) The department, in conjunction with the pancreatic cancer advisory council, shall
75	75	45conduct a comprehensive study to ascertain the prevalence and incidence of pancreatic cancer in
76	76	46the commonwealth, the unmet needs of persons with pancreatic cancer and their families, time-
77	77	47of-diagnosis statistics and likely risks for pancreatic cancer. Information collected by the study
78	78	48shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
79	79	49 (1) germline testing results;
80	80	50 (2) molecular tumor analysis in patients with metastatic disease;
81	81	51 (3) hospitals treating the highest volume of pancreatic cancer patients;
82	82	52 (4) information on stage of diagnosis; 4 of 5
83	83	53 (5) treatment rendered, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgical treatment,
84	84	54neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy;
85	85	55 (6) patient outcomes;
86	86	56 (7) number of patients diagnosed who did not receive any treatment or palliative care;
87	87	57and
88	88	58 (8) number of pancreatic resections performed at each hospital and associated outcomes.
89	89	59 (d) The department, in conjunction with the pancreatic cancer advisory council, shall
90	90	60develop and implement a statewide public education and community outreach program to inform
91	91	61the general public about genetic risks, signs, symptoms, and premalignant conditions associated
92	92	62with pancreatic cancer, including new-onset diabetes, and the availability of clinical trials for
93	93	63those with pancreatic cancer. In developing and implementing the program, the commissioner
94	94	64shall consult with similar programs including, but not limited to, anti-tobacco, obesity and other
95	95	65pre-malignant conditions associated with pancreatic cancer. The department shall add pancreatic
96	96	66cancer to the list of diseases that its programs target with counseling for tobacco discontinuation,
97	97	67diet and weight management.
98	98	68 SECTION 2. The commissioner of insurance shall survey health insurers in the
99	99	69commonwealth to ascertain coverage benefits of genetic testing for pancreatic cancer across
100	100	70health insurance plans, and present its findings to the committee on health care financing and the
101	101	71committee on financial services no later than June 30, 2026.
102	102	72 SECTION 3. The center for health information and analysis shall conduct a review and
103	103	73update of its mandated benefit review of pancreatic cancer screenings as reported in the center’s 5 of 5
104	104	74report titled “Mandated Benefit Review of S.B. 471: An Act relative to pancreatic cancer
105	105	75screening,” dated July 2014, including an update of the cost analysis for pancreatic cancer
106	106	76screening for high-risk individuals. The center shall present its findings and update to the
107	107	77committee on health care financing and the committee on financial services no later than June
108	108	7830, 2026.
109	109	79 SECTION 4. The initial meeting of the pancreatic cancer advisory council shall convene
110	110	80no later than 60 days after the effective day of this act.