Sec. 103. Access standards and standards for quality
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Subchapter I of chapter 17 is amended by inserting after section 1703 the following new sections: The Secretary shall establish access standards for hospital care, medical services, and extended care services furnished by the Department, including through health care providers under section 1703 of this title. The Secretary shall ensure that the hospital care, medical services, and extended care services furnished to a veteran by the Department, including through health care providers under section 1703 of this title, is furnished within the access standards established under paragraph (1). The access standards established under paragraph
(1)shall align with the categories of hospital care, medical services, and extended care services set forth under subsection
(b)and shall be informed by the market area assessments performed under section 1730B(c) of this title. The categories of hospital care, medical services, and extended care services subject to access standards established under subsection
(a)are as follows: Primary care services. Specialty care services, including services that may require a referral and services that may be considered wellness or preventative care. Behavioral health services, including mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment. Urgent care. Home health services, including services that may be virtual. Dental services. As determined by the Secretary, any additional types of services for which the Department or the networks established under section 1703(d) of this title have experienced increased demand according to the market area assessments performed under section 1730B(c) of this title or an increase in access complaints to network health care providers or the Department. The Secretary may establish and apply access standards under subsection
(a)according to the market area assessments under section 1730B(c) of this title. In carrying out section 1703 of this title, the Secretary shall apply access standards established under subsection
(a)to a covered veteran under such section with respect to the residence, as defined in section 17.1505 of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation), of the covered veteran. The Secretary shall ensure that the access standards required by subsection
(a)provide veterans, employees of the Department, and health providers in the Veterans Community Care Program established under section 1703 of this title with relevant comparative information that is clear, useful, and timely, so that veterans can make informed and responsible decisions regarding their hospital care, medical services, and extended care services. The Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of Defense, and may consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, entities in the private sector, and other nongovernmental entities in establishing access standards under subsection (a). Not later than two years after the date on which the Secretary establishes access standards under this section and not less frequently than once every three years thereafter, the Secretary shall— conduct a review of such standards; and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes the following: A report on the findings of the Secretary with respect to the review conducted under paragraph
(1)and any modification to such standards as the Secretary considers appropriate. For each medical service line that the Secretary determined, during the period covered by the report, did not meet a standard established under this section, identification of the leadership team in the facility and the Veterans Integrated Service Network that are responsible for overseeing the progress of the medical service line in meeting such standard. The Secretary shall publish the health care access standards established under subsection
(a)and any modifications to such standards in the Federal Register and on a publicly accessible Internet website of the Department. In this section, the term appropriate committees of Congress means— the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. The Secretary shall establish standards for quality regarding hospital care, medical services, and extended care services furnished by the Department, including through health care providers under section 1703 of this title. The Secretary shall ensure that the hospital care, medical services, and extended care services furnished to a veteran by the Department, including through health care providers under section 1703 of this title, is furnished within the standards for quality established under paragraph (1). The standards for quality established under paragraph
(1)shall align with the Department of Defense according to categories of hospital care, medical services, and extended care services set forth under section 1703B(b) of this title and shall be informed by the market area assessments performed under section 1730B(c) of this title. In establishing standards for quality under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— conduct a survey of covered veterans described in section 1703(b) of this title through a third party entity to assess the satisfaction of such veterans with service and quality of care; and collect data sets that include, at a minimum— general information; surveys of patients' experiences; timely and effective care; complications; readmissions and deaths; use of medical imaging; payment and value of care; and use of telemedicine. The Secretary shall develop such standards for quality and collect data according to health care settings consistent with the Department of Defense and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including, at a minimum, the following: Inpatient hospitals. Nursing homes. Individual health care providers. Dialysis facilities. Hospice. Inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Long-term care hospitals. Outpatient facilities. The standards for quality established under paragraph
(1)shall be informed by existing health quality measures, such as those defined by the HealthCare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, that are applied to public and privately sponsored health care systems with the purpose of providing veterans relevant comparative information to make informed decisions regarding their health care. Not later than one year after the date on which the Secretary establishes standards under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— publish the quality rating of medical facilities of the Department on a publicly available Internet website, such as a website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, for the purpose of providing veterans with information that allows them to compare performance measure information among Department and community health care providers who provide hospital care, medical services, or extended care services under section 1703 of this title; and consider and solicit public comment on potential changes to the established quality measures to ensure that they include the most up-to-date and applicable industry measures for veterans. The Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of Defense, and may consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, entities in the private sector, and other nongovernmental entities in establishing standards for quality under this section. Not later than two years after the date on which the Secretary establishes standards for quality under this section and not less frequently than once every three years thereafter, the Secretary shall— conduct a review of such standards across the Department; and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes the following: A report on the findings of the Secretary with respect to the review conducted under paragraph
(1)and any modification to such standards as the Secretary considers appropriate. For each medical service line that the Secretary determined, during the period covered by the report, did not meet a standard established under this section, identification of the leadership team in the facility and the Veterans Integrated Service Network that are responsible for overseeing the progress of the medical service line in meeting such standard. The Secretary shall publish the health care quality standards established under subsection
(a)and any modifications to such standards in the Federal Register and on a publicly accessible Internet website of the Department. In this section, the term appropriate committees of Congress means— the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. . The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 17, as amended by section 102, is further amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1703 the following new items: 1703B. Access standards. 1703C. Standards for quality. . Not later than July 1, 2018, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report detailing the access standards and standards for quality established under sections 1703B and 1703C of title 38, United States Code, respectively, as added by subsection (a). In this subsection, the term appropriate committees of Congress means— the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.