SEC. 2. BIANNUAL INDEPENDENT AUDITS OF HEALTH CARE 
FUNCTIONS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 17 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1709B. Biannual audits of Department health care 
functions 
‘‘(a) BIANNUAL AUDITS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 
shall enter into a contract with an appropriate non-govern-
ment entity for the conduct of a biannual audit of all func-
tions of the Department related to the furnishing of health 
care by the Department. Such entity shall provide a report 
on the results of each biannual audit conducted under this 
section, which shall be made publicly available on an Inter-
net website of the Department. Each such report shall in-
clude an assessment of each of the following: 
‘‘(1) The current and projected demographics 
and unique health care needs of the patient popu-
lation of the Department, as well as the unique 
health care needs of veterans living in rural areas. 
‘‘(2) The current and projected health care ca-
pabilities and resources of the Department. 
‘‘(3) The use of authorities granted to the Sec-
retary to furnish hospital care and medical services 
at non-Department facilities. 
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‘‘(4) The appropriate system-wide access stand-
ard applicable to health care furnished by and 
through the Department. 
‘‘(5) The workflow efficiency and processes at 
each medical facility of the Department for sched-
uling appointments for veterans. 
‘‘(6) The organization, workflow processes, and 
tools used by the Department to support clinical 
staffing, access to care, effective length-of-stay man-
agement and care transitions, positive patient expe-
rience, accurate documentation, and subsequent cod-
ing of inpatient services. 
‘‘(7) The staffing level and productivity of each 
medical facility of the Department. 
‘‘(8) The progress of the Department with re-
spect to the use of information technology for fur-
nishing and managing health care. 
‘‘(9) The business processes of the Veterans 
Health Administration. 
‘‘(10) The purchasing, distribution, and use of 
pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, med-
ical devices, and health care related services by the 
Department. 
‘‘(11) The progress of the Department with re-
spect to construction and maintenance projects at 
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medical facilities of the Department and the use of 
medical facility leases. 
‘‘(12) The effectiveness of the leadership of the 
Department in executing their management respon-
sibilities and implementing reforms of previous au-
dits. 
‘‘(13) The progress of the Department with re-
spect to implementing recommended reforms result-
ing from previous evaluations. 
‘‘(14) Such other matters as the non-govern-
ment entity determines relevant. 
‘‘(15) Recommendations on how the Depart-
ment can make changes to be more effective in deliv-
ering quality and timely care to veterans. 
‘‘(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 120 
days after receiving a report under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall submit to Congress a report on the results 
of the audit covered by the report. Each such report shall 
include the findings of the audit and the plans of the Sec-
retary to address such findings and make improvements 
to the functions of the Department based on such find-
ings.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such section is amended by inserting 
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after the item relating to section 1709A the following new 
item: 
‘‘1709B. Biannual audits of Department health care functions’’. 
(c) DEADLINE
FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—The Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall enter into a contract for 
the conduct of the audit required under section 1709B of 
title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), 
by not later than January 1, 2017. 
Æ 
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