I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2834

To provide for a pilot program to be conducted by the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs through the establishment of an electronic database to enable 

healthcare facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Iowa to 

share patient information with the State of Iowa Veterans Home on 

patients of both those facilities and that home. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 23, 2003

Mr. LATHAM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL

To provide for a pilot program to be conducted by the 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs through the establishment 

of an electronic database to enable healthcare facilities 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Iowa to share 

patient information with the State of Iowa Veterans 

Home on patients of both those facilities and that home.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. PILOT PROGRAM FOR CREATION OF ELEC2 TRONIC DATABASE OF AUTHORIZED PATIENT 

3 INFORMATION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

5 shall conduct a pilot program to determine the feasibility 

6 of electronically sharing individually identifiable health in7 formation of patients of a facility of the Department of 

8 Veterans Affairs with State veterans homes. In order to 

9 conduct this pilot program, the Secretary shall enter into 

10 an agreement with the appropriate state official of Iowa 

11 to create an electronic database system that contains indi12 vidually identifiable health information on any individual 

13 who is a patient of both a facility of the Department of 

14 Veterans Affairs in Iowa and the State of Iowa Veterans 

15 Home and who gives an authorization for inclusion of that 

16 information in the database. 

17 (b) TERMS OF AGREEMENT.—The Secretary of Vet18 erans Affairs shall require that the agreement under sub19 section (a) include: 

20 (1) Standards for determining which officials at 

21 the Iowa Veterans Home and at the Department of 

22 Veterans Affairs may access the database. 

23 (2) Provisions for an individual to revoke any 

24 authorization given by that individual under sub25 section (a). 
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1 (3) Provisions for removing any individually 

2 identifiable health information for which the indi3 vidual revokes an authorization, pursuant to the 

4 standards described in paragraph (2). 

5 (4) Such additional terms and conditions as the 

6 Secretary considers necessary to carry out the provi7 sions of subsection (a). 

8 (c) IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE.—The Secretary of 

9 Veterans Affairs shall enter into the agreement under sub10 section (a) not later than six months after the date of the 

11 enactment of this Act. 

12 (d) DURATION OF PROGRAM.—The pilot program 

13 shall be conducted during the three-year period beginning 

14 on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

15 (e) REPORT.—Not later than six months after the 

16 end of the pilot program under this section, the Secretary 

17 of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report pro18 viding the results of the pilot program. The Secretary shall 

19 include in the report the following: 

20 (1) The Secretary’s assessment of the benefits 

21 to veterans of the pilot program. 

22 (2) The Secretary’s assessment of the effect of 

23 the pilot program on the Department of Veterans 

24 Affairs, including the effect on delivery of health 

25 care to veterans. 
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1 (3) Any other findings and conclusions of the 

2 Secretary with respect to the pilot program. 

3 (4) Any recommendations of the Secretary for 

4 continuation of the pilot program or for extension of 

5 the pilot program to other States.

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