than 120,000 veterans waited at least 90 days for 
appointments for medical care or never received ap-
pointments. 
(2) One year later, and despite handling more 
appointments than in previous years, reports indi-
cate that the number of veterans waiting 30 days or 
more for medical care has increased by 50 percent. 
(3) In 2008, the Inspector General of the De-
partment estimated that 18 percent of outpatient 
appointment slots went unfilled because of patient 
no-shows or because facility personnel did not refill 
canceled appointments. 
(4) Wait times are not unique to the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. The average wait time in 
the private sector is more than 18 days, but private 
sector hospitals and health systems are now 
leveraging technology to eliminate wait times and 
ensure every available appointment is used. 
(5) In June 2015 the Institute of Medicine 
called for a patient-oriented scheduling platform that 
allows patients to self-schedule care online at any 
time. 
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SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHING A PATIENT SELF- 
SCHEDULING APPOINTMENT SYSTEM. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall commence a pilot program under 
which veterans use an Internet website to schedule and 
confirm medical appointments at medical facilities of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(b) SELECTION OF LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall 
select not less than three Veterans Integrated Services 
Networks in which to carry out the pilot program under 
subsection (a). 
(c) CONTRACTS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall seek to 
enter into a contract with one or more contractors 
to provide the scheduling capability described in sub-
section (a). 
(2) NOTICE OF COMPETITION.—Not later than 
60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall issue a request for proposals for 
the contract described in paragraph (1). Such re-
quest shall be full and open to any contractor that 
is able to meet the criteria under paragraph (3). 
(3) SELECTION OF VENDORS.—Not later than 
120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall award a contract with one or 
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more contractors that have an existing commercially 
available online patient self-scheduling capability 
that— 
(A) allows patients to self-schedule, con-
firm, and modify outpatient and specialty care 
appointments in real time through an Internet 
website; 
(B) makes available, in real time, any ap-
pointments that were previously filled but later 
canceled by other patients; and 
(C) allows patients to use the online sched-
uling capability 24 hours a day, seven days a 
week. 
(4) INTEGRATION WITH EXISTING INFRASTRUC-
TURE.—The Secretary shall ensure that a contractor 
awarded a contract under this section is able to inte-
grate the online scheduling capability of the con-
tractor with the Veterans Health Information Sys-
tems and Technology Architecture of the Depart-
ment. 
(d) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by para-
graph (2), the Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
program under subsection (a) for an 18-month pe-
riod. 
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(2) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may extend 
the duration of the pilot program under subsection 
(a), and may expand the selection of Veterans Inte-
grated Services Networks under subsection (b), if 
the Secretary determines that the pilot program is 
reducing the wait times of veterans seeking medical 
care and ensuring that more available appointment 
times are filled. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than one year after com-
mencing the pilot program under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 
of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 
on the outcomes of the pilot program, including— 
(1) whether the pilot program demonstrated— 
(A) improvements to the ability of veterans 
to schedule medical appointments; and 
(B) a reduction in wait times for such 
medical appointments; and 
(2) any recommendations of the Secretary for 
expanding the pilot program to additional Veterans 
Integrated Services Networks. 
(f) USE OF FUNDS OTHERWISE APPROPRIATED.— 
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) and such 
pilot program shall be carried out using amounts other-
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wise made available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
for the medical support and compliance account of the 
Veterans Health Administration. 
Æ 
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