Equalizing Transparency for Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to biennially publish information on the VA's provision of health care on a VA Internet database that is publicly available.
Includes among that information for each VA medical facility:
Includes in such information for each VA nursing home any quality measures the Secretary of HHS makes publicly available regarding Medicare nursing homes.
Directs the Secretary to establish a process to validate the published information.
Requires the Secretary to annually submit a plan to Congress to improve each VA medical facility that ranks within the bottom quartile on each quality measure used by the Secretary to rank such facilities.
Directs the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for individuals to use to notify the Secretary of low-quality care being provided at a VA medical facility.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4875 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4875
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish information on
the provision of health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 17, 2014
Mr. Boustany (for himself and Mr. Roe of Tennessee) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish information on
the provision of health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Equalizing Transparency for Veterans
Act''.
SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION ON PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE BY
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Publication of Information.--
(1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall publish on an Internet
database of the Department of Veterans Affairs that is
publically available information on the provision of health
care by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) Elements.--
(A) Medical facilities.--With respect to each
medical facility of the Department, including community
based outpatient clinics, each publication required by
paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the
following:
(i) The measures regarding inpatient and
outpatient care made publically available by
the Secretary of Health and Human Services
pursuant to section 1886(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395ww(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII)), including with
respect to emergency department throughput
measures, hospital consumer assessment of
health-care providers and systems, and the
national healthcare safety network.
(ii) Per each discharged patient of such a
facility--
(I) the average length of stay;
(II) the opioid prescription rate;
and
(III) the suicide rate.
(iii) The average number of days a patient
waited beginning on the date on which an
appointment or procedure was requested and
ending on the date on which the appointment or
procedure occurred.
(B) Nursing homes.--With respect to each nursing
home of the Department of Veterans Affairs, each
publication required by paragraph (1) shall include, at
a minimum, any measures that the Secretary of Health
and Human Services makes publically available with
respect to Medicare nursing homes.
(C) Period covered.--The information included
pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) in each
publication required by paragraph (1) shall cover the
period that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
determines is equivalent to the period covered by the
Secretary of Health and Human Services in publishing
similar information.
(3) Personal information.--The Secretary shall ensure that
personal information connected to information published under
paragraph (1) is protected from disclosure as required by
applicable law.
(b) Validation.--The Secretary shall establish a process to
validate the information published under subsection (a). Such process
shall include the following:
(1) An audit of a number of randomly selected medical
facilities that is sufficient to ensure the validity of such
information.
(2) An opportunity for a medical facility described in
paragraph (1) to appeal the validation of such information.
(c) Annual Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report that includes--
(1) a listing of the facilities of the Department that rank
within the bottom quartile on each quality measure used by the
Secretary to determine such rankings, including, as applicable,
the measures used in the database under subsection (a); and
(2) a plan to improve each such facility.
(d) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to Congress a report setting forth
recommendations for additional elements to be included with the
information published under subsection (a) to improve the evaluation
and assessment of the safety and health of individuals receiving care
under the laws administered by the Secretary and the quality of care
received by such individuals.
(e) Toll-Free Hotline on Care Provided.--Not later than two years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
(1) establish a toll-free telephone number for individuals
to use to notify the Secretary of low-quality care being
provided at a health care facility of the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(2) ensure that patients at such a health care facility,
and caregivers of such patients, are informed of such telephone
number.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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