Sec. 722. HEALTH CARE RESOURCES SHARING AND COORDINATION PROJECT
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## SEC. 722 HEALTH CARE RESOURCES SHARING AND COORDINATION PROJECT **[**[38 U.S.C. 8111 note](/us/usc/t38/s8111)**]** ###
(a)Establishment ####
(1)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a health care resources sharing project to serve as a test for evaluating the feasibility, and the advantages and disadvantages, of measures and programs designed to improve the sharing and coordination of health care and health care resources between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. The project shall be carried out, as a minimum, at the sites identified under subsection (b). ####
(2)Reimbursement between the two Departments with respect to the project under this section shall be made in accordance with the provisions of section 8111(e)(2) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 721(a). ###
(b)Site Identification ####
(1)Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly identify not less than three sites for the conduct of the project under this section. ####
(2)For purposes of this section, a site at which the resource sharing project shall be carried out is an area in the United States in which— #####
(A)one or more military treatment facilities and one or more VA health care facilities are situated in relative proximity to each other, including facilities engaged in joint ventures as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and #####
(B)for which an agreement to coordinate care and programs for patients at those facilities could be implemented not later than October 1, 2004. ###
(c)Conduct of Project ####
(1)At sites at which the project is conducted, the Secretaries shall provide a test of a coordinated management system for the military treatment facilities and VA health care facilities participating in the project. Such a coordinated management system for a site shall include at least one of the elements specified in paragraph (2), and each of the elements specified in that paragraph must be included in the coordinated management system for at least one of the participating sites. ####
(2)Elements of a coordinated management system referred to in paragraph
(1)are the following: #####
(A)A budget and financial management system for those facilities that— ######
(i)provides managers with information about the costs of providing health care by both Departments at the site; and ######
(ii)allows managers to assess the advantages and disadvantages (in terms of relative costs, benefits, and opportunities) of using resources of either Department to provide or enhance health care to beneficiaries of either Department. #####
(B)A coordinated staffing and assignment system for the personnel (including contract personnel) employed at or assigned to those facilities, including clinical practitioners of either Department. #####
(C)Medical information and information technology systems for those facilities that— ######
(i)are compatible with the purposes of the project; ######
(ii)communicate with medical information and information technology systems of corresponding elements of those facilities; and ######
(iii)incorporate minimum standards of information quality that are at least equivalent to those adopted for the Departments at large in their separate health care systems. ###
(d)Authority To Waive Certain Administrative Policies ####
(1)#####
(A)In order to carry out subsection (c), the Secretary of Defense may, in the Secretary's discretion, waive any administrative policy of the Department of Defense otherwise applicable to that subsection that specifically conflicts with the purposes of the project, in instances in which the Secretary determines that the waiver is necessary for the purposes of the project. #####
(B)In order to carry out subsection (c), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may, in the Secretary's discretion, waive any administrative policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs otherwise applicable to that subsection that specifically conflicts with the purposes of the project, in instances in which the Secretary determines that the waiver is necessary for the purposes of the project. #####
(C)The two Secretaries shall establish procedures for resolving disputes that may arise from the effects of policy changes that are not covered by other agreements or existing procedures. ####
(2)No waiver under paragraph
(1)may alter any labor-management agreement in effect as of the date of the enactment of this Act or adopted by either Department during the period of the project. ###
(e)Use by DOD of Certain Title 38 Personnel Authorities ####
(1)In order to carry out subsection (c), the Secretary of Defense may apply to civilian personnel of the Department of Defense assigned to or employed at a military treatment facility participating in the project any of the provisions of subchapters I, III, and IV of chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code, determined appropriate by the Secretary. ####
(2)For purposes of paragraph (1), any reference in chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code— #####
(A)to the “Secretary” or the “Under Secretary for Health” shall be treated as referring to the Secretary of Defense; and #####
(B)to the “Veterans Health Administration” shall be treated as referring to the Department of Defense. ###
(f)Funding From amounts available for health care for a fiscal year, each Secretary shall make available to carry out the project not less than— ####
(1)$3,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; ####
(2)$6,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and ####
(3)$9,000,000 for each succeeding year during which the project is in effect. ###
(g)Definitions For purposes of this section: ####
(1)The term “**military treatment facility**” means a medical facility under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department. ####
(2)The term “**VA health care facility**” means a facility under the jurisdiction of the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. ###
(h)Termination ####
(1)The project, and the authority provided by this section, shall terminate on September 30, 2007. ####
(2)The two Secretaries jointly may terminate the performance of the project at any site when the performance of the project at that site fails to meet performance expectations of the Secretaries, as determined by the Secretaries based on information available to the Secretaries to warrant such action.
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Sec. 722
HEALTH CARE RESOURCES SHARING AND COORDINATION PROJECT
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