Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Veterans Health Care Quality
Assurance Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs administers the
largest health care network in the United States, including 172
hospitals, 73 home care programs, more than 800 community-based
outpatient clinics, and numerous other specialized care
facilities.
(2) There are approximately 25,000,000 veterans in the
United States, including approximately 19,300,000 veterans of a
period of war.
(3) The number of veterans seeking medical care in
Department medical facilities is increasing nationwide.
(4) The fiscal year 1997 medical care caseload of the
Department was 2,700,000. The fiscal year 1999 medical care
caseload of the Department was projected to increase by 160,000
cases over the fiscal year 1998 caseload, and is projected to
increase by an additional 54,000 cases in fiscal year 2000,
resulting in a total caseload of 3,600,000 in fiscal year 2000.
(5) The number of outpatient visits at Department medical
facilities in fiscal year 2000 is projected to increase by
2,500,000 over the number of such visits in fiscal year 1999,
to a total of 38,300,000 visits in fiscal year 2000.
(6) The average age of veterans is increasing. The increase
in the average age of veterans is expected to result in
additional demands for health care services, including more
frequent and long-term health needs.
(7) The Department is attempting to meet increasing demand
for medical care without substantial increases in
appropriations, mainly through efforts to increase efficiency.
(8) The need to treat more veterans without substantial
increases in available resources has resulted in serious
concerns about the potential for loss of quality of care and of
patient satisfaction.
(9) Many of the regional networks and hospitals
administered by the Veterans Health Administration report that
timely access to high quality health care may be jeopardized by
inadequate funding.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON MAXIMIZATION AND EFFICIENT USE OF HEALTH
CARE RESOURCES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
should--
(1) require the directors of the Department of Veterans
Affairs health care networks to systematically share
information on means of maximizing resources and increasing
efficiency without compromising quality of care and patient
satisfaction;
(2) require exchange and mentoring programs among and
between such networks in order to facilitate the sharing of
such information;
(3) provide incentives to such networks to increase
efficiency and meet uniform quality and patient satisfaction
goals; and
(4) institute a formal oversight process to ensure that--
(A) all such networks meet uniform efficiency
goals; and
(B) efforts to increase efficiency are equitable
between and among such networks and their facilities.

SEC. 4. QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDITS BY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

Section 312 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
''(c)(1) In addition to the other responsibilities of the Inspector
General under this section, the Inspector General shall also conduct an
audit of the quality of health care furnished by each health care
network, and by each health care facility, of the Department.
''(2) Each audit under paragraph (1) shall measure the following:
''(A) The quality of health care furnished by the
Department.
''(B) The satisfaction of patients with the health care
furnished by the Department.
''(C) Resource and financial management.
''(D) The extent to which the funds allocated to health
care programs of the Department are adequate to support such
programs.
''(3) An audit shall be conducted under paragraph (1) for each
health care network, and for each health care facility, not less often
than once every three years.
''(4) The Inspector General may make such recommendations to the
Secretary regarding means of improving the quality of health care
furnished to veterans as the Inspector General considers appropriate as
a result of the audits under this subsection.''.

SEC. 5. INFORMATION ON EFFICIENCY, QUALITY, AND PATIENT SATISFACTION IN
PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS.

(a) Dissemination and Sharing of Information on Efficient Provision
of Health Care.--(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting through
the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs,
shall provide for the dissemination and sharing within and among
Department of Veterans Affairs health care networks of information
designed to ensure that all Department medical care centers meet
uniform efficiency standards in the provision of health care to
veterans.
(2) The Secretary shall meet the requirement in paragraph (1)
through the publication of guidance materials and best practice
summaries and by such other means as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
(b) Efficiency Goals and Quality and Patient Satisfaction
Standards.--(1) The Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for
Health, shall issue on an annual basis efficiency goals and quality and
patient satisfaction standards in the provision of health care to
veterans for each Department health care facility. The efficiency goals
and quality and patient satisfaction standards for each such facility
shall be consistent with such goals and standards as the Secretary
shall establish for the Department as a whole.
(2)(A) The Secretary shall, on an annual basis, submit to Congress
a report on the extent to which each Department health care facility
met the efficiency goals and quality and patient satisfaction standards
for such facility under paragraph (1) during the preceding year.
(B) Each report under subparagraph (A) shall set forth a comparison
between the performance of each Department health care facility with
respect to the efficiency goals and quality and satisfaction standards
for such facility for the year involved and the average performance of
all Department health care facilities with respect to such goals and
standards for such year. The comparison shall be stated in a manner
which permits a clear and understandable comparison of the performance
of each facility with the average performance of all such facilities.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF HEALTH CARE QUALITY ASSURANCE.

(a) Establishment.--(1) Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''Sec. 7322. Office of Health Care Quality Assurance
''(a) In General.--There shall be within the Department an office
to be known as the 'Office of Health Care Quality Assurance' (in this
section referred to as the 'Office'). The Office shall be located for
administrative purposes within the Office of the Under Secretary for
Health.
''(b) Director.--The head of the Office is the Director of Health
Care Quality Assurance.
''(c) Staff and Support.--The Under Secretary for Health shall
provide the Office with such staff and other support as may be
necessary for the Office to carry out effectively its functions under
this section.
''(d) Functions.--The functions of the Office are as follows:
''(1) To ensure the implementation of any recommendations
of the Inspector General of the Department as a result of
audits conducted by the Inspector General under section 312(c)
of this title.
''(2) To collect and ensure the dissemination of
information on initiatives, programs, policies, procedures,
strategies, and best practices that have been proven to
increase efficiency and resource utilization without
undermining quality or patient satisfaction in the furnishing
of health care to veterans.
''(3) To take such other actions relating to the assurance
of quality in the furnishing of health care by the Veterans
Health Administration as the Under Secretary for Health
considers appropriate.''.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 73 of such
title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7321
the following new item:

''7322. Office of Health Care Quality Assurance.''.
(b) Placement in Office of Under Secretary for Health.--Section
7306(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following new
paragraph (9):
''(9) The Director of Health Care Quality Assurance, who
shall be responsible to the Under Secretary for Health for the
operation of the Office of Health Care Quality Assurance.''.
(c) Sense of Congress on Director as Advocate for Veterans.--It is
the sense of Congress that the Director of the Office of Health Care
Quality Assurance should act as an advocate for veterans in carrying
out activities under section 7322 of title 38, United States Code, as
added by subsection (a).

SEC. 7. REPORT ON EFFICIENCIES IN PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Requirement.--Not later than six months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
to Congress a report on efficiencies in the furnishing of health care
to veterans in the health care networks and facilities of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(b) Elements.--The report shall include the following:
(1) A survey of each health care network of the Department,
including a summary of the efforts of each network to increase
efficiency in the furnishing of health care to veterans.
(2) An assessment of the extent to which such networks, and
the facilities within such networks, are or are not
implementing uniform, Department-wide policies to increase
efficiency in the furnishing of health care to veterans.
A:
Requires the Department's Inspector General, at least every three years, to audit the quality of health care furnished by each Department health care network and facility.
Directs the Secretary to provide for the dissemination and sharing with Department health care networks of information designed to ensure efficiency in the provision of health care to veterans. Requires the Secretary to: (1) annually issue efficiency goals and quality and patient satisfaction standards for each Department health care facility; and (2) report annually to Congress on the extent to which the Department met such goals and standards.
Establishes within the Department the Office of Health Care Quality Assurance, headed by a Director, to ensure the establishment and implementation of efficiency goals and quality and patient satisfaction standards throughout the Department. Expresses the sense of Congress that such Director should act as an advocate for veterans in receiving quality health care.
Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on efficiencies in the furnishing of health care to veterans in Department health care networks and facilities.