Pediatric liver disease outcomes and newborn screening panels

(a) GAO Study The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on— (1) federally funded initiatives to improve early detection and treatment of pediatric liver tumors, including education programs for healthcare providers, as well as research to identify risk factors and innovative therapeutic strategies; (2) to the extent reliable data are available, what is known about trends in pediatric liver-transplant wait-list mortality, including a breakdown by geography, race, insurance status, diagnosis, and severity of illness; and (3) to the extent reliable data are available, what is known about the cost effectiveness of adding direct-bilirubin as a screening test for biliary atresia and other cholestatic liver diseases to State newborn-screening panels. (b) Report to Congress Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit to Congress a report on the results of the study.