Sec. 7103. ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS

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## SEC. 7103 ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS ###

(a)Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— ####

(1)Foreign Service personnel at the Department serve with distinction in austere places and under challenging conditions around the world with limited healthcare availability; ####

(2)the use of paper medical records, which require Foreign Service personnel to carry files containing protected health information from post to post, limits the availability of their health information to Department medical personnel during critical health incidents; ####

(3)electronic medical records are necessary, particularly as the Department opens new embassies in the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest Department medical officer, who may not have access to up-to-date personnel medical files; ####

(4)the lack of electronic medical records is even more important for mental health records, as the Department only has a small number of regional medical officer psychiatrists and relies heavily on telehealth for most Foreign Service personnel; and ####

(5)due to the critical need for electronic medical records, it is imperative that the Department address the situation quickly and focus on secure commercially available or other successful systems utilized by public and private sector organizations with a track record of successfully implementing large-scale projects of this type. ###

(b)Electronic Medical Records Requirement Not later than December 31, 2027, the Secretary shall have fully implemented an electronic medical records process or system for all Foreign Service personnel and their Eligible Family Members that eliminates reliance on paper medical records and includes appropriate safeguards to protect personal privacy. ###

(c)Report on Implementation ####

(1)In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report on the progress made towards meeting the requirement under subsection (b). ####

(2)Elements The report required under paragraph

(1)shall include the following elements: #####

(A)An updated timeline for implementation. #####

(B)An estimated completion date. #####

(C)The amounts expended to date on the required electronic medical records system. #####

(D)The estimated amount needed to complete the system. ####

(3)Termination of requirement #####

(A)In general The reporting requirement under paragraph

(1)shall cease upon the earlier of— ######

(i)notification to the appropriate congressional committees that electronic medical records have been completely implemented for all Foreign Service personnel; and ######

(ii)the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. #####

(B)Report required in case of non-implementation If the Department has not completely implemented electronic medical records within 5 years of the date of the enactment of this Act, the final report submitted under paragraph

(1)shall include an explanation for the lack of completion and steps the Department will take to finalize the electronic medical records process.