VA Transparency Enhancement Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-501
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-12]
Introduced: 2017-01-12
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Department of Veterans Affairs

Government information and archives

Health care quality

Health facilities and institutions

Health information and medical records

Surgery and anesthesia

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2017-09-26
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-01-12
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>VA Transparency Enhancement Act of 2017</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the director of each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility to report quarterly to the VA on: </p> <ul> <li> the number of patients who contracted an infection as result of surgery at such medical facility, including a brief summary of each case; and </li> <li> the number of, and reasons for, scheduled surgeries that were cancelled or transferred to another facility and the subsequent number of days that each patient had to wait for surgery. </li> </ul> <p>The VA shall submit such reports and a summary of such reports to Congress and publish them on its website.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 501 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 12, 2017 Mrs. Dingell (for herself and Mr. Walberg ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To require increased reporting regarding certain surgeries scheduled at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the VA Transparency Enhancement Act of 2017 . 2. Reporting requirements (a) Reports from directors of medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs Not later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, each director of a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a report regarding the following: (1) With respect to surgical infections— (A) the number of patients who contracted an infection as a result of a surgery performed at such medical facility during the previous quarter; and (B) a brief summary of each such case of infection. (2) With respect to cancelled or transferred surgeries— (A) the number of surgeries scheduled to be performed at the medical facility during the previous quarter that were cancelled or transferred to another medical facility; (B) the reason each such surgery was cancelled or transferred; and (C) the number of additional days each such patient had to wait for surgery because of cancellation or transfer. (b) Reports from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Not later than 60 days after the end of each calendar quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— (1) submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate the reports under subsection (a) and a summary of such reports; and (2) publish on the website of the Department the summary under paragraph (1) and the reports under subsection (a).