I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1579 
To create a standard soldier patient tracking system. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 20, 2007 
Mr. BUCHANAN (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, and Mr. SHAYS) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To create a standard soldier patient tracking system. 
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 ‘‘Wounded Warriors 
Joint Health Care Patient Tracking Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A STANDARD SOLDIER PA-
TIENT TRACKING SYSTEM. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—The Surgeons General of the 
military departments shall develop a joint soldier tracking 
system for medical holdover patients. The Assistant Sec-
retary of Defense for Health Affairs shall have access to 
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the tracking system of each military department for pur-
poses of monitoring trends and problems. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The tracking system devel-
oped under subsection (a) shall allow each medical 
holdover patient, each family member of such a pa-
tient, each commander of a military installation re-
taining medical holdover patients, each patient navi-
gator, and ombudsman office personnel, at all times, 
to be able to locate and understand exactly where a 
patient is in the medical holdover process. 
(2) ADDITIONAL
FUNCTIONS.—The tracking 
system also shall be designed to ensure that— 
(A) the commander of each military instal-
lation where medical holdover patients are lo-
cated is able to track appointments of such pa-
tients to ensure they are meeting timeliness and 
other standards that serve the patient; and 
(B) each medical holdover patient is able 
to know when his appointments and other med-
ical evaluation board or physical evaluation 
board deadlines will be and that they have been 
scheduled in a timely and accurate manner. 
(c) MATTERS COVERED BY TRACKING SYSTEM.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
the tracking system shall contain, at a minimum, in-
formation on the following: 
(A) The location of each medical holdover 
patient. 
(B) The scheduled and anticipated ap-
pointments of the patient. 
(C) The timelines and deadlines of the 
processes for evaluating the nature and extent 
of disabilities affecting the patient, including 
timelines of the medical evaluation board and 
physical evaluation board evaluating to the pa-
tient. 
(D) Any other information needed to con-
duct oversight of care of the patient throughout 
the medical holdover process. 
(2) PRIVACY EXCEPTION.—Information relating 
to specific medical treatment or conditions, or other 
information with privacy concerns, may be withheld 
from the tracking system. 
(d) UPDATING.—The tracking system shall be up-
dated daily by personnel that have access to the informa-
tion described in subsection (c). 
(e) MEDICAL HOLDOVER PATIENT.—In this Act, the 
term ‘‘medical holdover patient’’ means a member of the 
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Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard 
or other reserve component, who is undergoing medical 
treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise in 
medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or 
disease incurred or aggravated while on active duty in the 
Armed Forces. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 
2007 and $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 and 
2009. 
Æ 
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