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 infor-
mation on the provision of health care by the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equalizing Trans-
parency for Veterans Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION ON PROVISION OF 
HEALTH CARE BY DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and bi-
ennially thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall publish on an Internet database of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs that is publically available 
information on the provision of health care by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(2) ELEMENTS.— 
(A) MEDICAL
FACILITIES.—With respect 
to each medical facility of the Department, in-
cluding community based outpatient clinics, 
each publication required by paragraph (1) 
shall include, at a minimum, the following: 
(i) The measures regarding inpatient 
and outpatient care made publically avail-
able by the Secretary of Health and 
Human 
Services 
pursuant 
to 
section 
1886(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII) of the Social Se-
curity 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1395ww(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII)), 
including 
with respect to emergency department 
throughput measures, hospital consumer 
assessment of health-care providers and 
systems, and the national healthcare safety 
network. 
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(ii) Per each discharged patient of 
such a facility— 
(I) the average length of stay; 
(II) the opioid prescription rate; 
and 
(III) the suicide rate. 
(iii) The average number of days a 
patient waited beginning on the date on 
which an appointment or procedure was re-
quested and ending on the date on which 
the appointment or procedure occurred. 
(B) NURSING
HOMES.—With respect to 
each nursing home of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs, each publication required by 
paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, any 
measures that the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services makes publically available with 
respect to Medicare nursing homes. 
(C) PERIOD
COVERED.—The information 
included pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) in each publication required by paragraph 
(1) shall cover the period that the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs determines is equivalent to the 
period covered by the Secretary of Health and 
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Human Services in publishing similar informa-
tion. 
(3) PERSONAL INFORMATION.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that personal information connected to 
information published under paragraph (1) is pro-
tected from disclosure as required by applicable law. 
(b) VALIDATION.—The Secretary shall establish a 
process to validate the information published under sub-
section (a). Such process shall include the following: 
(1) An audit of a number of randomly selected 
medical facilities that is sufficient to ensure the va-
lidity of such information. 
(2) An opportunity for a medical facility de-
scribed in paragraph (1) to appeal the validation of 
such information. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there-
after, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 
includes— 
(1) a listing of the facilities of the Department 
that rank within the bottom quartile on each quality 
measure used by the Secretary to determine such 
rankings, including, as applicable, the measures used 
in the database under subsection (a); and 
(2) a plan to improve each such facility. 
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(d) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 
to Congress a report setting forth recommendations for 
additional elements to be included with the information 
published under subsection (a) to improve the evaluation 
and assessment of the safety and health of individuals re-
ceiving care under the laws administered by the Secretary 
and the quality of care received by such individuals. 
(e) TOLL-FREE HOTLINE ON CARE PROVIDED.—Not 
later than two years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall— 
(1) establish a toll-free telephone number for 
individuals to use to notify the Secretary of low- 
quality care being provided at a health care facility 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and 
(2) ensure that patients at such a health care 
facility, and caregivers of such patients, are in-
formed of such telephone number. 
Æ 
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