Title: VA Quality Health Care Accountability and Transparency Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Quality Health Care Accountability and Transparency Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make certain staffing and quality of care data publicly available on a specified VA website. Among other elements, the information published on the website should include statistics related to patient wait times, effectiveness of care, and staffing and vacancy information.
The website must be (1) directly accessible from the main VA website and the main websites of each VA medical center, and (2) understandable and usable by the general public.
The VA must implement a self-auditing process to assess the accuracy and completeness of the data available on the website and must enter an agreement for the Inspector General of the VA (or other entity) to validate the audits. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office shall review the website to assess the VA's compliance and to provide recommendations on how to improve the website.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5786 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5786

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make certain information 
    publicly available on one internet website of the Department of 
                           Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2020

  Mr. Gallego (for himself, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. Lamb, Mr. Joyce of 
  Pennsylvania, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, and Mr. Timmons) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make certain information 
    publicly available on one internet website of the Department of 
                           Veterans Affairs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``VA Quality Health Care 
Accountability and Transparency Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED TRANSPARENCY BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Publication of Staffing and Quality of Care Data.--Not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make publicly available on the 
Access to Care internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
(or a successor website) the information under subsection (b).
    (b) Information Included.--
            (1) In general.--The information published on the internet 
        website under subsection (a) shall include--
                    (A) any numeric indicators relating to timely care, 
                effective care, safety, and veteran-centered care that 
                the Secretary collects at medical facilities of the 
                Department pursuant to section 1703C of title 38, 
                United States Code;
                    (B) the staffing and vacancy information required 
                by subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 505(a)(1) 
                of the VA MISSION Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-182; 38 
                U.S.C. 301 note);
                    (C) the patient wait times information required by 
                subsection (a) of section 206 of the Veterans Access, 
                Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-
                146; 128 Stat. 1780); and
                    (D) the patient safety, quality of care, and 
                outcome measures required by subsection (b) of such 
                section.
            (2) Updates.--The Secretary shall regularly update the 
        internet website under subsection (a) to ensure that the 
        information under paragraph (1) is the most current information 
        required by the provisions of law specified in such paragraph.
    (c) Requirements of Internet Website.--In addition to the 
requirements of section 206(b)(4) of the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 128 Stat. 1781), the 
Secretary shall ensure that the internet website under subsection (a) 
meets the following requirements:
            (1) The internet website is directly accessible from--
                    (A) the main homepage of the publicly accessible 
                internet website of the Department; and
                    (B) the main homepage of the publicly accessible 
                internet website of each medical center of the 
                Department.
            (2) Where practicable, the internet website is organized 
        and searchable by each medical center of the Department.
            (3) The internet website is easily understandable and 
        usable by the general public.
    (d) Consultation and Contract Authority.--In carrying out 
subsection (c)(3), the Secretary--
            (1) shall consult with veterans service organizations; and
            (2) may enter into a contract to design the internet 
        website under subsection (a) with a company, non-profit entity, 
        or other entity, specializing in website design that has 
        substantial experience in presenting health care data and 
        information in a easily understandable and usable manner to 
        patients and consumers.
    (e) Accuracy of Data.--
            (1) Annual process.--Not later than 18 months after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop 
        and implement an annual process to audit a generalizable subset 
        of the data contained in the internet website under subsection 
        (a) to assess the accuracy and completeness of the data.
            (2) Criteria.--The Secretary shall ensure that each audit 
        under subsection (a)--
                    (A) determines the extent that the medical record 
                information, clinical information, data, and 
                documentation provided by each medical center of the 
                Department that is used to calculate the information 
                under subsection (b) is accurate and complete;
                    (B) identifies any deficiencies in the recording of 
                medical record information, clinical information, or 
                data by medical centers of the Department that affects 
                the accuracy and completeness of the information under 
                subsection (b); and
                    (C) provides recommendations to medical centers of 
                the Department on how to--
                            (i) improve the accuracy and completeness 
                        of the medical record information, clinical 
                        information, data, and documentation that is 
                        used to calculate the information under 
                        subsection (b); and
                            (ii) ensure that each medical center of the 
                        Department provides such information in a 
                        uniform manner.
            (3) Independent validation.--The Secretary shall enter into 
        an agreement with the Inspector General of the Department, or 
        an entity other than the Department selected by the Secretary, 
        to validate each audit under subsection (a).
            (4) Annual reports.--Not later than two years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
        Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the findings of 
        each audit under paragraph (1), including the independent 
        validation of the audit conducted under paragraph (3).
    (f) Comptroller General Review.--Not later than three years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct a review of the internet website under 
subsection (a) to assess the degree to which the Secretary is complying 
with this section and to provide recommendations to the Secretary on 
how to improve the internet website.
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