Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016

Summary: (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on December 6, 2016.  Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to begin an 18-month pilot program in at least three Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) under which veterans use an Internet website or mobile application to schedule and confirm appointments at VA medical facilities.The program's duration may be extended and the number of VISNs may be increased if the VA determines that the program is reducing the wait times of veterans seeking medical care and ensuring that more available appointment times are filled. The VA shall seek to enter into a contract using competitive procedures with one or more contractors to provide the scheduling capability. The VA's request for proposals shall be open to any contractor that has an existing commercially available, off-the-shelf online patient self-scheduling system that includes the capabilities to:  schedule, modify, and cancel appointments for primary care, specialty care, and mental health; support appointments for the provision of health care regardless of whether such care is provided in person or through telehealth services; view appointment availability in real time; make available, in real time, appointments that were previously filled but later cancelled by other patients; provide prompts or reminders to veterans to schedule follow-up appointments; be used 24 hours per day, 7 days per week; and integrate with the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture of the VA.  The VA shall seek to enter into an agreement with an appropriate non-governmental, not-for-profit entity with expertise in health information technology to independently validate and verify that the system used in the program and any other patient self-scheduling appointment system developed or used by the VA includes such capabilities. The bill sets deadlines for the validation and verification of such systems. The Government Accountability Office shall evaluate and report to specified congressional committees on each validation and verification conducted. By December 31, 2017, the VA shall certify to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs that such systems include such capabilities.  If the VA develops or begins using a new patient self-scheduling appointment system that is not covered by such certification, it shall: (1) certify that such new system includes such capabilities by 30 days after it makes the determination to replace the previous system, or (2) replace any such system developed that is in use with a commercially available, off-the-shelf online patient self-scheduling system that includes the specified capabilities.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Faster Care for Veterans Act of 
2016''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHING A PATIENT SELF-SCHEDULING 
APPOINTMENT SYSTEM.
    (a) Pilot Program.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall commence 
a pilot program under which veterans use an Internet website or mobile 
application to schedule and confirm medical appointments at medical 
facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (b) Selection of Locations.--The Secretary shall select not less 
than three Veterans Integrated Services Networks in which to carry out 
the pilot program under subsection (a).
    (c) Contracts.--
        (1) Authority.--The Secretary shall seek to enter into a 
    contract using competitive procedures with one or more contractors 
    to provide the scheduling capability described in subsection (a).
        (2) Notice of competition.--Not later than 60 days after the 
    date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a 
    request for proposals for the contract described in paragraph (1). 
    Such request shall be full and open to any contractor that has an 
    existing commercially available, off-the-shelf online patient self-
    scheduling system that includes the capabilities specified in 
    section 3(a).
        (3) Selection.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
    enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award a contract to one 
    or more contractors pursuant to the request for proposals under 
    paragraph (2).
    (d) Duration of Pilot Program.--
        (1) In general.--Except as provided by paragraph (2), the 
    Secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) 
    for an 18-month period.
        (2) Extension.--The Secretary may extend the duration of the 
    pilot program under subsection (a), and may expand the selection of 
    Veterans Integrated Services Networks under subsection (b), if the 
    Secretary determines that the pilot program is reducing the wait 
    times of veterans seeking medical care and ensuring that more 
    available appointment times are filled.
    (e) Mobile Application Defined.--In this section, the term ``mobile 
application'' means a software program that runs on the operating 
system of a cellular telephone, tablet computer, or similar portable 
computing device that transmits data over a wireless connection.
SEC. 3. CAPABILITIES OF PATIENT SELF-SCHEDULING APPOINTMENT SYSTEM.
    (a) Minimum Capabilities.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
ensure that the patient self-scheduling appointment system used in the 
pilot program under section 2, and any other patient self-scheduling 
appointment system developed or used by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, includes, at a minimum, the following capabilities:
        (1) Capability to schedule, modify, and cancel appointments for 
    primary care, specialty care, and mental health.
        (2) Capability to support appointments for the provision of 
    health care regardless of whether such care is provided in person 
    or through telehealth services.
        (3) Capability to view appointment availability in real time.
        (4) Capability to make available, in real time, appointments 
    that were previously filled but later cancelled by other patients.
        (5) Capability to provide prompts or reminders to veterans to 
    schedule follow-up appointments.
        (6) Capability to be used 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
        (7) Capability to integrate with the Veterans Health 
    Information Systems and Technology Architecture of the Department, 
    or such successor information technology system.
    (b) Independent Validation and Verification.--
        (1) Independent entity.--
            (A) The Secretary shall seek to enter into an agreement 
        with an appropriate non-governmental, not-for-profit entity 
        with expertise in health information technology to 
        independently validate and verify that the patient self-
        scheduling appointment system used in the pilot program under 
        section 2, and any other patient self-scheduling appointment 
        system developed or used by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
        includes the capabilities specified in subsection (a).
            (B) Each independent validation and verification conducted 
        under subparagraph (A) shall be completed as follows:
                (i) With respect to the validation and verification of 
            the patient self-scheduling appointment system used in the 
            pilot program under section 2, by not later than 60 days 
            after the date on which such pilot program commences.
                (ii) With respect to any other patient self-scheduling 
            appointment system developed or used by the Department of 
            Veterans Affairs, by not later than 60 days after the date 
            on which such system is deployed, regardless of whether 
            such deployment is on a limited basis, but not including 
            any deployments for testing purposes.
        (2) GAO evaluation.--
            (A) The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
        evaluate each validation and verification conducted under 
        paragraph (1).
            (B) Not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
        Comptroller General completes an evaluation under paragraph 
        (1), the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees a report on such evaluation.
            (C) In this paragraph, the term ``appropriate congressional 
        committees'' means--
                (i) the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
            Representatives and the Senate; and
                (ii) the Committees on Appropriations of the House of 
            Representatives and the Senate.
    (c) Certification.--
        (1) Capabilities included.--Not later than December 31, 2017, 
    the Secretary shall certify to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs 
    of the House of Representatives and the Senate that the patient 
    self-scheduling appointment system used in the pilot program under 
    section 2, and any other patient self-scheduling appointment system 
    developed or used by the Department of Veterans Affairs as of the 
    date of the certification, includes the capabilities specified in 
    subsection (a).
        (2) New systems.--If the Secretary develops or begins using a 
    new patient self-scheduling appointment system that is not covered 
    by a certification made under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
    certify to such committees that such new system includes the 
    capabilities specified in subsection (a) by not later than 30 days 
    after the date on which the Secretary determines to replace the 
    previous patient self-scheduling appointment system.
        (3) Effect of capabilities not included.--If the Secretary does 
    not make a timely certification under paragraph (1) or paragraph 
    (2), the Secretary shall replace any patient self-scheduling 
    appointment system developed by the Secretary that is in use with a 
    commercially available, off-the-shelf online patient self-
    scheduling system that includes the capabilities specified in 
    subsection (a).
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON NEW APPROPRIATIONS.
    No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of 
this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts 
otherwise authorized.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.