I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4875 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish information on the 

provision of health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 17, 2014 

Mr. BOUSTANY (for himself and Mr. ROE of Tennessee) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish information on the provision of health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equalizing Trans5 parency for Veterans Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION ON PROVISION OF 

7 HEALTH CARE BY DEPARTMENT OF VET8 ERANS AFFAIRS. 

9 (a) PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and bi3 ennially thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

4 shall publish on an Internet database of the Depart5 ment of Veterans Affairs that is publically available 

6 information on the provision of health care by the 

7 Department of Veterans Affairs. 

8 (2) ELEMENTS.— 

9 (A) MEDICAL FACILITIES.—With respect 

10 to each medical facility of the Department, in11 cluding community based outpatient clinics, 

12 each publication required by paragraph (1) 

13 shall include, at a minimum, the following: 

14 (i) The measures regarding inpatient 

15 and outpatient care made publically avail16 able by the Secretary of Health and 

17 Human Services pursuant to section 

18 1886(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII) of the Social Se19 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 1395ww(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII)), including 

21 with respect to emergency department 

22 throughput measures, hospital consumer 

23 assessment of health-care providers and 

24 systems, and the national healthcare safety 

25 network. 


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1 (ii) Per each discharged patient of 

2 such a facility— 

3 (I) the average length of stay; 

4 (II) the opioid prescription rate; 

5 and 

6 (III) the suicide rate. 

7 (iii) The average number of days a 

8 patient waited beginning on the date on 

9 which an appointment or procedure was re10 quested and ending on the date on which 

11 the appointment or procedure occurred. 

12 (B) NURSING HOMES.—With respect to 

13 each nursing home of the Department of Vet14 erans Affairs, each publication required by 

15 paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, any 

16 measures that the Secretary of Health and 

17 Human Services makes publically available with 

18 respect to Medicare nursing homes. 

19 (C) PERIOD COVERED.—The information 

20 included pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and 

21 (B) in each publication required by paragraph 

22 (1) shall cover the period that the Secretary of 

23 Veterans Affairs determines is equivalent to the 

24 period covered by the Secretary of Health and 


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1 Human Services in publishing similar informa2 tion. 

3 (3) PERSONAL INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

4 shall ensure that personal information connected to 

5 information published under paragraph (1) is pro6 tected from disclosure as required by applicable law. 

7 (b) VALIDATION.—The Secretary shall establish a 

8 process to validate the information published under sub9 section (a). Such process shall include the following: 

10 (1) An audit of a number of randomly selected 

11 medical facilities that is sufficient to ensure the va12 lidity of such information. 

13 (2) An opportunity for a medical facility de14 scribed in paragraph (1) to appeal the validation of 

15 such information. 

16 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after 

17 the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there18 after, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 

19 includes— 

20 (1) a listing of the facilities of the Department 

21 that rank within the bottom quartile on each quality 

22 measure used by the Secretary to determine such 

23 rankings, including, as applicable, the measures used 

24 in the database under subsection (a); and 

25 (2) a plan to improve each such facility. 


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1 (d) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT.—Not later 

2 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

3 the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 

4 to Congress a report setting forth recommendations for 

5 additional elements to be included with the information 

6 published under subsection (a) to improve the evaluation 

7 and assessment of the safety and health of individuals re8 ceiving care under the laws administered by the Secretary 

9 and the quality of care received by such individuals. 

10 (e) TOLL-FREE HOTLINE ON CARE PROVIDED.—Not 

11 later than two years after the date of the enactment of 

12 this Act, the Secretary shall— 

13 (1) establish a toll-free telephone number for 

14 individuals to use to notify the Secretary of low15 quality care being provided at a health care facility 

16 of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and 

17 (2) ensure that patients at such a health care 

18 facility, and caregivers of such patients, are in19 formed of such telephone number. 

Æ 


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