Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization Improvement Act

Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization Improvement Act

This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from commencing a program activity (i.e., an activity under the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program) at a facility of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) until the VA certifies to Congress that the electronic health record system has met specified improvement objectives at each facility where the system is being utilized as of the date of the enactment of this bill.

The VA is prohibited from newly implementing the electronic health record system at a VHA facility until the director of the facility, chief of staff of the facility, and the director of the appropriate Veterans Integrated Services Network certify to Congress that (1) the proposed build and configuration of the system are accurate and complete; (2) the staff and infrastructure of the facility are adequately prepared to receive the system; and (3) the implementation will not significantly affect patient safety, patient wait-times for medical care, or health care quality.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 592 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 592

To prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from carrying out certain 
  activities under the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program 
   until certification of system improvements and facility readiness.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2023

 Mr. Bost (for himself, Mr. Rosendale, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. 
  Carey, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Bentz, and Mr. 
    Banks) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from carrying out certain 
  activities under the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program 
   until certification of system improvements and facility readiness.

    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 ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Electronic Health Record Modernization Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN ACTIVITIES UNDER ELECTRONIC HEALTH 
              RECORD MODERNIZATION PROGRAM UNTIL CERTIFICATION OF 
              SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS AND FACILITY READINESS.

    (a) Certification of Improvement.--
            (1) Prohibition.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not 
        commence a program activity at a facility of the Veterans 
        Health Administration where such activity is not being carried 
        out as of the date of the enactment of this Act until the date 
        on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs submits to the 
        Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate written certification that the electronic health 
        record system has met each of the improvement objectives 
        described in paragraph (2) at each facility where such system 
        is being carried out as of the date of the enactment of this 
        Act.
            (2) Improvement objectives.--The improvement objectives 
        described in this paragraph are the following:
                    (A) A monthly uptime for the electronic health 
                record system of 99.9 percent for four sequential 
                months.
                    (B) The completion of all improvements or 
                modifications of the electronic health record system 
                required to be completed pursuant to a contract, task 
                order, modification, or other similar instrument, 
                entered into before the date of the enactment of this 
                Act.
    (b) Certification of Readiness.--The Secretary may not implement 
the electronic health record system at a facility of the Veterans 
Health Administration where such system has not been implemented as of 
the date of the enactment of this Act until the date on which the 
director of such facility, the chief of staff of such facility, and the 
director of the Veterans Integrated Services Network in which such 
facility is located each submit to the Secretary, and the Secretary 
transmits to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate, written certification that--
            (1) the build and configuration of the electronic health 
        record system, as proposed to be carried out at such facility, 
        are accurate and complete;
            (2) the staff and infrastructure of such facility are 
        adequately prepared to receive such system; and
            (3) the implementation of such system will not have 
        significant, sustained adverse effects on patient safety, 
        patient wait-times for medical care, or health care quality at 
        such facility.
    (c) Definitions.--In the section:
            (1) The term ``electronic health record system'' means the 
        electronic health record system implemented pursuant to the 
        Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.
            (2) The term ``program activity'' means an activity under 
        the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, including 
        any site assessment, current state assessment, local or 
        national workshop, training, testing, or any other activity 
        conducted before the activation of the electronic health record 
        system.
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