10 U.S.C. § 1073c (ARMED FORCES)
§ 1073c. Administration of Defense Health Agency and military medical treatment facilities
(a) Administration of Military Medical Treatment Facilities.—
(1) Beginning October 1, 2018, the Director of the Defense Health Agency shall be responsible for the administration of each military medical treatment facility, including with respect to—
(A) budgetary matters;
(B) information technology;
(C) health care administration and management;
(D) administrative policy and procedure;
(E) miliary 1 medical construction; and
(F) any other matters the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate.
(2) The commander of each military medical treatment facility shall be responsible for—
(A) ensuring the readiness of the members of the armed forces and civilian employees at such facility; and
(B) furnishing the health care and medical treatment provided at such facility.
(3) The Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Defense Health Agency a professional staff to provide policy, oversight, and direction to carry out subsection (a). The Secretary shall carry out this paragraph by appointing the positions specified in subsections (b) and (c).
(b) DHA Assistant Director.—
(1) There is in the Defense Health Agency an Assistant Director for Health Care Administration. The Assistant Director shall—
(A) be a career appointee within the Department; and
(B) report directly to the Director of the Defense Health Agency.
(2) The Assistant Director shall be appointed from among individuals who have equivalent education and experience as a chief executive officer leading a large, civilian health care system.
(3) The Assistant Director shall be responsible for the following:
(A) Establishing priorities for health care administration and management.
(B) Establishing policies, procedures, and direction for the provision of direct care at military medical treatment facilities.
(C) Establishing priorities for budgeting matters with respect to the provision of direct care at military medical treatment facilities.
(D) Establishing policies, procedures, and direction for clinic management and operations at military medical treatment facilities.
(E) Establishing priorities for information technology at and between the military medical treatment facilities.
(c) DHA Deputy Assistant Directors.—
(1)
(A) There is in the Defense Health Agency a Deputy Assistant Director for Information Operations.
(B) The Deputy Assistant Director for Information Operations shall be responsible for policies, management, and execution of information technology operations at and between the military medical treatment facilities.
(2)
(A) There is in the Defense Health Agency a Deputy Assistant Director for Financial Operations.
(B) The Deputy Assistant Director for Financial Operations shall be responsible for the policy, procedures, and direction of budgeting matters and financial management with respect to the provision of direct care across the military health system.
(3)
(A) There is in the Defense Health Agency a Deputy Assistant Director for Health Care Operations.
(B) The Deputy Assistant Director for Health Care Operations shall be responsible for the policy, procedures, and direction of health care administration in the military medical treatment facilities.
(4)
(A) There is in the Defense Health Agency a Deputy Assistant Director for Medical Affairs.
(B) The Deputy Assistant Director for Medical Affairs shall be responsible for policy, procedures, and direction of clinical quality and process improvement, patient safety, infection control, graduate medical education, clinical integration, utilization review, risk management, patient experience, and civilian physician recruiting.
(5) Each Deputy Assistant Director appointed under paragraphs (1) through (4) shall report directly to the Assistant Director for Health Care Administration.
(d) Certain Responsibilities of DHA Director.—
(1) In addition to the other duties of the Director of the Defense Health Agency, the Director shall coordinate with the Joint Staff Surgeon to ensure that the Director most effectively carries out the responsibilities of the Defense Health Agency as a combat support agency under section 193 of this title.
(2) The responsibilities of the Director shall include the following:
(A) Ensuring that the Defense Health Agency meets the operational needs of the commanders of the combatant commands.
(B) Coordinating with the military departments to ensure that the staffing at the military medical treatment facilities supports readiness requirements for members of the armed forces and health care personnel.
(e) Definitions.—
In this section:
(1) The term “career appointee” has the meaning given that term in section 3132(a)(4) of title 5.
(2) The term “Defense Health Agency” means the Defense Agency established pursuant to Department of Defense Directive 5136.13, or such successor Defense Agency.
(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VII, § 702(a)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2193.)
heading: Appointments
text: Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VII, § 702(c), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2196, provided that:
“The Secretary of Defense shall make appointments of the positions under section 1073c of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)—
“(1) by not later than October 1, 2018; and
“(2) by not increasing the number of full-time equivalent employees of the Defense Health Agency.”