Sec. 102. Establishment of Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management in Veterans Health Administration
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Subchapter I of chapter 73 of title 38, United States, Code, is amended by inserting after section 7306 the following new section: There is established in the Veterans Health Administration an office to be known as the Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management or the TEAM Office (in this section referred to as the Office ). The head of the Office shall be responsible for the functions of the Office and shall be appointed by the Under Secretary for Health from among individuals qualified to perform the duties of the position.
The head of the Office shall be known as the Director of the Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management or the Director of the TEAM Office and shall report directly to the Under Secretary for Health. The functions of the Office shall include the following: Tracking recommendations related to the Veterans Health Administration, and other relevant recommendations, made by the Office of the Medical Inspector (established under section 7306B of this title), the Inspector General of the Department, the Comptroller General of the United States, the Office of Special Counsel, the Joint Commission, and other relevant internal and external investigative and oversight bodies, to ensure individual and relevant system-wide compliance with and adoption of those recommendations.
To ensure compliance with those recommendations, the following: Following up with relevant departments and program offices of the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Integrated Service Networks, medical centers, and other facilities to which those recommendations were made. Sharing knowledge of those recommendations and directing corrective policy actions across the Veterans Health Administration so as to aid other offices, facilities, and other entities in avoiding repetition of the issues that required those recommendations.
Ensuring consistency and reducing variation in delivery of health care and related services by the Veterans Health Administration (whether direct care or through any contract or agreement) and adherence to national policies across the country. Conducting regular proactive and reactive in-person and virtual oversight visits to check adherence to all applicable policies, regulations, and guidance of the Department. Using internal and external data related to health quality, safety, access, satisfaction, staffing, and other areas with respect to health care from the Department to monitor and discover risks and challenges before they become larger issues and proactively direct changes, including by providing direction and recommendations to the central office of the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Integrated Service Networks, medical centers, and other facilities and sub-units to address quality, safety, access, satisfaction, staffing, and other health care delivery performance priorities.
Soliciting feedback to seek areas of improvement of delivery of health care to veterans, including from individual veterans and their families, veterans service organizations, labor organizations, and employees across all levels of the Department. Proactive sharing of best practices and challenges identified across the Veterans Health Administration with the appropriate leadership at every level of the Veterans Health Administration. Monitoring for, and incorporating best practices in, health quality, safety, access, satisfaction, staffing, compliance, and risk management in public, private, and non-profit health settings and providing guidance for the Veterans Health Administration to incorporate those relevant best practices.
Instilling a proactive approach to leadership at every level of the Veterans Health Administration, including the central office, Veterans Integrated Service Networks, medical centers, and other facilities and sub-units. In establishing the Office and carrying out the functions of the Office, the Under Secretary shall consult with the Comptroller General of the United States and the Inspector General of the Department to ensure the Office draws upon best practices identified across the Federal Government and recommendations of the Comptroller General and the Inspector General.
The Under Secretary may reorganize other offices within the Veterans Health Administration to operate under the purview of the Office if the Under Secretary notifies Congress in advance of such reorganization. . The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7306 the following new item: 7306A. Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management. . In establishing the Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management under section 7306A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall solicit formal written feedback from labor organizations, veterans service organizations, and other appropriate entities.
Not later than 180 days after soliciting formal written feedback under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report containing any recommendations obtained under such paragraph, including feedback on whether or not the Under Secretary intends to follow any such recommendations and explanations for why the Under Secretary does not intend to follow any such recommendations.
As part of the establishment of the Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management under section 7306A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Comptroller General of the United States and the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall reorganize into a cohesive office with relevant sub-offices consistent with best practices of the Comptroller General for internal controls and management the various relevant disparate oversight functions within the Veterans Health Administration that have some portion of responsibility for— health care quality, safety, and risk; proactive safety and quality improvements; reactive safety and quality improvements; access to care; consistency of care delivery and quality; adherence to national standards, policy, protocols, laws, and regulations; quality and safety data collection and monitoring; and such other matters as the Secretary determines appropriate.
In carrying out the reorganization required under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall— reduce duplication of functions in the various offices reorganized under such paragraph; clarify reporting structures and responsibilities; and ensure the establishment of a centralized, proactive, and accountable office dedicated to the functions outlined in section 7306A(c) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1).
At a minimum, the offices that shall be subsumed and restructured under the Office of Transparency, Engagement, Accountability, and Management under section 7306A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), as part of the reorganization required under paragraph
(1)shall include, from within the Veterans Health Administration— the Office of Oversight, Risk, and Ethics; relevant portions or full offices from— the Office of Risk Management; the Office of Clinical Services; the Office of Patient Care Services; the Office of Operations; and the Office of Quality and Patient Safety; and the Office of the Medical Inspector under section 7306B of title 38, United States Code, as added by section 202(a), solely for purposes of organizational efficiency and economies of scale. Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the completion of the reorganization required under paragraph (1). The report required by subparagraph
(A)shall include— a description of the reorganization required under paragraph
(1)that the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs has carried out and the reasoning for the various structures established and how those structures will improve accountability, efficiency, management, leadership, care delivery, and oversight; a description of any challenges, and a response to those challenges, encountered in conducting such reorganization; recommendations for such legislative or administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate to fully implement such reorganization, including additional authorities or resources; and a description of any reasons why offices listed under paragraph
(2)were not consolidated and how that decision will not affect accountability, efficiency, care delivery, and oversight. In this paragraph, 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.