The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Tuesday requested nominations for membership on the Preventive Services Task Force, the advisory body that determines which preventive medical services must be provided without cost to patients.
The agency said it is seeking clinicians and researchers to be nominated to the task force, and specifically listed specialties "including but not limited to" cardiology, oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine and health economics. Nominations are due by May 23.
The Preventive Services Task Force typically has 16 members. According to the agency announcement, the panel last convened more than a year ago. Three successive planned meetings were canceled, and new members have not been appointed to replace five volunteers whose terms ended in December.
Secretary Kennedy has criticized the task force’s performance. "That task force has been lackadaisical. It’s not been doing its job," he told a House committee earlier this month.
Medical experts have raised concerns that the sidelining of the panel has slowed updates to screening guidance. Those experts say the delay has affected the timetable for revising recommendations for screening related to cancer, heart disease and other conditions.
What HHS is seeking
- Clinicians and researchers across a range of specialties for nomination to the task force.
- Specific specialties named by the department include cardiology, oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine and health economics, though the request was not limited to those fields.
- Nominations must be submitted by May 23.
The request to refill the task force comes after an extended period of inactivity for a body that plays a central role in determining which preventive services are mandated to be cost-free for patients. The department’s call for nominees follows public criticism from the secretary and concerns from medical experts about delays in updating clinical screening guidelines.